The song tells the story of how a Detroit Free Press sportswriter in 1909 dubbed Notre Dame’s football team “The Fighting Irish,” meant as a slur in keeping with a common stereotype then that Irish immigrants liked to drink too much alcohol and become violent, said Jim Small, the university’s vice president for storytelling and engagement. At that time, college teams didn’t have official nicknames. Those were left to the creativity of sportswriters, who had sometimes dubbed Notre Dame’s football team “The Rock Men (after famed coach Knute Rockne),” “The Catholics,” and “The Ramblers,” for their willingness to travel so much for games, Small said. It wasn’t until 1927 that the university’s president, the Rev. Matthew Walsh, publicly acknowledged the use of the Fighting Irish name for its athletic teams.
Thank you for posting this! Love Thee Notre Dame!