The words "Notre Dame" raise echoes from a storied football tradition and a rich campus history – the Golden Dome, football helmets gleaming in the sun as navy jerseys march onto the field, an interlocked ND and a 14-story Jesus raising his arms with the referees on the field to signal a touchdown. However, no icon is more interwoven with the tradition of Notre Dame spirit than the Leprechaun, the official mascot of the Fighting Irish.
As the mascot for the Fighting Irish, the Leprechaun is charged with serving as an ambassador for the University of Notre Dame, making public appearances and engaging in community service. More famously, the Leprechaun is the tasked with leading Notre Dame fans at a variety of athletic events in shaking down the thunder, especially the student section during football games.
Each spring, one lucky student is chosen to serve as Leprechaun for the Varsity Cheerleading Gold Squad. Last weekend junior Mike George, a resident of Keough Hall who hails from Eden Prairie, Minnesota was selected to be Notre Dame's Leprechaun for the 2011-12 school year.
While it is yet to be determined whether George is hiding a pot of gold somewhere on campus, one thing is certain: he will have Notre Dame fans prepared to cheer on what hopes to be an outstanding year for Fighting Irish teams.
