Notre Dame Leprechaun Logo PNG
In addition to the primary logo with the interlocking “N” and “D,” the University of Notre Dame athletics department also has a mascot called the Fighting Irish Leprechaun. What makes it unique is that there’s a living student version of the mascot, in addition to the logo.
Meaning and history
The first versions of the Notre Dame Leprechaun logo date back to the early 1960s. Although the mascot has gone through several modifications, he has always had his fists up, ready to fight. The current version features the Leprechaun facing forward to the right (green, yellow, and dark blue). The latest update was introduced in order to make the logo go well with the university’s official color palette.
Old mascot
From the 1920s to 1966, the university’s official mascot was a live Irish terrier, while the leprechaun held the status of an unofficial mascot. There was a succession of terriers during this period. Most of them were called Mike or Clashmore Mike. During a break in a football game, the dog would be led around the stadium field by the student who was the Fighting Irish leprechaun.
Who is eligible to become the symbol?
The live mascot, who is typically rather attractive, has to win an annual tryout to get the status. The tryout consists of a series of mental and physical challenges as well as the final round including interviews, mock game situations, and 50 pushups.
Emblem controversy
The emblem has been accused of a lack of political correctness and cultural sensitivity. In particular, NCAA has a rule, according to which “hostile ethnic mascots or imagery” is considered inappropriate. Because of this rule, quite a few teams have had to change their names and logos. The Leprechaun logo seems to be both hostile and ethnic portraying an entire nationality in one big aggressive stereotype.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Established in 1887, the football team of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, is currently coached by Brian Kelly.
Out of the 37 Bowl appearances the Fighting Irish have had so far, they won 17 and lost 19, with one game vacated. They have won eight wire service (AP or Coaches’) national championships. Seven football players who competed in the university’s football program have won the Heisman Trophy.
Also, there are forty-five former Notre Dame players and six coaches in the university’s Football Hall of Fame.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball
The women’s basketball team has been very successful. They became the NCAA Tournament Champions in 2001 and 2018. They were the NCAA Tournament Runner-up on five occasions, while the total number of the NCAA Tournament appearances has reached 26.
As for the men’s team, it has been slightly overshadowed by the women’s team, but still highly competitive. Although they have still never been the champions, as of 2019, they have competed in the NCAA Tournament on 36 occasions. Also, they earned the title of the Pre-tournament Helms Champions in 1927 and 1936 and reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 1978.
Font
The Notre Dame Leprechaun logo itself doesn’t contain any text, while the university’s primary wordmark is based on Adobe Garamond, which is the school’s official serif typeface.
