Coach Kelly received a rousing welcome from Notre Dame leprechaun Dan Collins on Friday as he carried out one of his first duties as head coach.
Collins, who has been an outstanding mascot for the Fighting Irish this year, summed up the feelings of every Irish fan when he cried “"Bring us back to glory!"
"A couple dedicated fans and I wished him good luck and welcomed him to his new home when he arrived on campus this morning. He said he appreciated it very much and he looked excited to be here," Collins told IrishCentral on Friday.
"I am just glad that I got a chance to welcome him to his first day on the job, because I really believe that he will become one of the all time greatest in Notre Dame history, and that is saying a lot. I am really looking forward to the Irish swagger that he brings to our team next season, and I am already counting down the days until our next game.
"There is a tangible feel of excitement on campus right now and a lot of buzz going around about the opportunity for an Irish coach to lead the Fighting Irish back to glory. We are all anticipating great things coming from Coach Kelly and his new staff as they take hold of the resources available to them at Notre Dame."
Collins made the rallying cry as Kelly entered a team meeting with Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick on Friday morning.
With quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate gone, the new man in charge knows has a big job ahead of him.
However, Kelly has shown in his tenure at Cincinnati that he is more than able to turn football programs around, and meeting the team on Friday is step one in doing so at Notre Dame.
So no pressure, Coach, as the Fighting Irish leprechaun said, all you have to do is "Bring us back to glory!"
Comments