Is There A Name For The Notre Dame Mascot?

The Notre Dame Leprechaun is the mascot of the University of Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish athletics department. The logo was first created at Cathedral High School in Indiana, and the mascot appears at athletic events, most notably at Notre Dame football games. The name “Fighting Irish” has an interesting origin, as Notre Dame is a place full of traditions. In 1966, Notre Dame’s Student Senate voted to make the leprechaun an official mascot of the university.

For many years, an Irish Terrier nicknamed “Clashmore Mike” was found on the Notre Dame football sidelines. In May 1924, another event added to the Fighting Irish-Notre Dame connection. Notre Dame’s mascot is iconic and instantly recognizable, dressed in a bright green jacket, vest, tie, and hat. The Clashmore Mike mascot last appeared on the cover of the 1963 Notre Dame Football Dope Book with coach Hugh Devore and captain Bob Lehmann.

The Notre Dame Leprechaun is recognized worldwide as the mascot of Notre Dame athletics dating back to its design in the early 1960s. In 2019, the Fighting Irish mascot was introduced to the 2024-2025 Notre Dame Leprechauns. In the early 1900s, Notre Dame was known as the “Ramblers”, not the Fighting Irish. In the 1960s, the same process would be repeated for the leprechaun, which had traditionally been an English caricature of the Irish.

The Notre Dame Leprechaun is the fourth-most offensive college football mascot in the nation, according to a new survey. The most accepted explanation is that journalists coined the nickname as a characterization of Notre Dame teams’ never-say-die fighting spirit.