Notre Dame vs. the Ku Klux Klan

[ericc]

In May 1924, violence broke out on the streets of South Bend. It was a three-day confrontation between local residents, mainly University of Notre Dame students, and members of the Ku Klux Klan.

https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/history/podcasts/south-bend-time-machine-notre-dame-vs-the-ku-klux/article_da394bc1-7fc6-5bc9-bbae-83a75823b963.html

The 1924 confrontation helped solidify the nickname the "Fighting Irish” of Notre Dame.

[MinnesotaFats]

LOL

Funny

Didn't have a black player till 1954 or 55

30 years after....

[ericc]

How ND Became the “Fighting Irish,” Beatdown of the KKK Largely Contributed

The Fighting Irish as a nickname for ND’s sports teams gained traction during the 1920s, and then in 1927 university president Rev. Matthew Walsh, C.S.C., “decided that the “Fighting Irish” was preferable to the school’s more derisive nicknames,” the university website says.

https://www.thesportsbank.net/college-fball/notre-dame/how-notre-dame-became-the-fighting-irish-1924-beatdown-of-the-kkk-largely-contributed/

What went down on a weekend in May of 1924 in South Bend was perhaps the deciding factor.

It even includes a couple football connections. ND students destroyed a glowing red cross the KKK had put up at their local headquarters, by throwing potatoes at it and knocking out all the red light bulbs.

[53 defense]

Potatoes ?????
Really ?????
I'm offended LOL