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.
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.
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.
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Notre Dame vs. the Ku Klux Klan
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