Let that little factoid wash over you.

Steph Curry, Rihanna, Adele, Haley Joel Osment, Emma Stone, and Michael Cera were all born the year the Irish last hoisted the crystal football, or whatever they hoisted back then. It was probably a rough-hewn marble tablet or something. Something sepia toned, and in the newsreels everyone moved too fast, and all the men wore hats.

Vietnam is known as “The 10,000 Day War.” Only in retrospect, through the lens of history, can we now plot way-points, such that Dien Bien Phu is the sort of beginning and the Fall of Saigon the sort of end. With Notre Dame, we’re not able to do that, yet. We don’t even know if we have another 10,000 days ahead of us. HOLY ISH BALLS WE MIGHT GO ANOTHER 10,000 DAYS?!?!??!??!?

In that same amount of time, other Irish sports have amassed 16 national championships. And we call ourselves a football school.

The 1988 Fighting Irish ran the table to win the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl, defeating West Virginia 34-21. In victory, Coach Holtz channeled his inner-Morrissey and remarked that, “[t]his team will go down as a great football team because nobody proved otherwise.”

In 2013, Alabama proved the Irish to be other-than-great, despite going undefeated in the regular season. Had the Irish won, I’m sure that some of you would still be debating Brian Kelly’s membership in the pantheon of Notre Dame head football coaches, but no one would be debating that squad’s “greatness.” But this post isn’t about “greatness,” it’s about championships.

It’s also about the uncertainties of the pre-playoff era, a time when chain-smoking sports-reporters and coaches gathered together in a transparent elections-system to which today’s presidential campaign can only pretend. The Irish had a case to argue in 1989, when they went 12-1. Their only loss came against The U, the season’s eventual champions.

Same again in 1993, but this time it’s personal. I was there, a senior, to watch the implausible Kevin McDougal vanquish Charlie Ward’s Seminoles. It was a battle of #1 versus #2, and the first foray of College GameDay outside the friendly confines of Bristol, Conn. It was the first “Game of the Century.” Since then, we’ve had – what? – 50 of them? The Irish won, 31-24, and then lost the next weekend to Boston College, 41-39. HOLY ISH BALLS WE LOST TO A TEAM WE BEAT BY 47 POINTS THE SEASON BEFORE?!??!?!???!??!??!

Since then, since that precise moment, Notre Dame didn’t so much as sniff the beer- and sweat-scented air of the Natty until 2012. The closest Dame-fan could get was a deep-inhale in the Dirty Thirty until that got shut down when the U.S. signed off on the Fourteenth Hague Convention.

And let’s face it, the air itself came out of the program when Holtz left. The Davie years, 1997-2001, were essentially the Reader’s Digest version of the Book of Exodus. Tyrone Willingham, 2002-2004, was so ineffective that then-Athletic Director Kevin White terminated his five-year contract after just three years. But hey, at least he got to improve his short-game.

Charlie Weis coaches the Notre Dame football team during a September 2009 game. (Courtesy of Flickr user Larry)

Speaking of air, Charlie Weis blew into the Gug in 2005, bringing with him some Super Bowl rings, a decided schematic advantage, and dozens of pairs of Sansabelt pants. His high-water mark, which ironically saw its denouement play out in post-Katrina New Orleans, came in 2006. That 10-3 season was the “best,” and now even language seems awful to me, until 2012.

Call me a “Kelly apologist,” but I think we’re closer to being out of the desert than at any time since 1993. I don’t think it will be another 10,000 days. The program, in the last six seasons, has been punched in the nose by awful luck and circumstance and still, a championship was played for and double-digit seasons were achieved. We were in the playoff-mix last year, too, if you can remember back that far.

Maybe in 365 days, we’ll be talking about the chances of a repeat.

The post 10,000 Days: Fighting… For Another Championship appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The incredible story of Blake Dudley, the 14-year old boy, wheelchair-bound with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, who had a dream, wrote a letter, and saw his dream come true.

I caught up with Blake Dudley (left) with his mother, Celeste (right) at their hotel in Florida before the BCS National Championship in January

I was able to catch up with Blake and his mother, Celeste the weekend before the game. Having the chance to see the result of everyone’s generosity first-hand was easily one of my favorite experiences the entire trip.

I remember one of my Twitter followers (and it’s been so long, I forget who!) said, “I hope this thing takes off and gets so big, the kid gets to live like a king the whole trip.” Upon walking into their hotel, I believe he did. Media members were all over, official BCS decorations were everywhere, including a sand art logo proudly displayed in the beach outside.

Not only had the fundraising effort help make such accommodation possible, a local Miami reporter recognized Blake when he came into the hotel. She went to greet him and joyfully let him know that she had been praying that he would be able to attend the game.

I asked Blake if he ever thought his original letter would ever result in something so big. “No” was the simple, meek, and humble answer. It was as if he was still amazed that yet another stranger (and this time some random guy from a blog) was so anxious to ask him the obvious.

How could he have predicted just how big this would get? Southern Gameday, firmly in the corner of Alabama, helped get the ball rolling. “It was cool that they didn’t care what team I liked. They just wanted to help me get here,” said Blake of the Alabama efforts.

We here at HLS were more than happy to assist with that effort and we sent out the call in a Friday Roundup. That fundraiser, along with local fundraisers in Blake’s area, we were able to net around $6,000 total to make this dream a reality. American Airlines donated the flight. An anonymous donor even sprung for two tickets outright. With all of these efforts, Celeste was able to organize handicap accessible seating for Blake, a third ticket for his brother, the hotel stay, a much needed handicap accessible van, and even money leftover for souvenirs to remember this incredible trip.

I asked Blake if there was anything he wanted to relay to all those that helped out in this monumental effort: “Just thank them that I got to be here. They helped give me the money and all that so I could be here.”

The only part of Blake’s dream that didn’t come true was his prediction. It started neutral and simple with a “whoever wins it’ll be by seven.” In the end though, he couldn’t help himself, blurting out “but Notre Dame’s gonna win” before I could halt the recording of the interview on my phone.

Notre Dame may not have won the game, but Blake sure did.

I am incredibly proud that HLS was able to play a part in this effort and I would definitely like to extend my own thanks to anyone that donated and helped spread the word.

The post Making Dreams Come True appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.