When it comes to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, millions of people are aware of the history of the team, but not many might know the background of their logo.
Notre Dame’s mascot is a leprechaun, designed in the 1960s. It has become synonymous with Notre Dame athletics as one of college sports’ most recognized logos and mascots.
The Leprechaun first became the school’s mascot in 1965. Not everybody is a fan of it, as the mascot was labeled the fourth-most offensive in college football in 2021.
The program has never backed down from it as the school defended its mascot, noting “there is no comparison between Notre Dame’s nickname and mascot and the Indian and warrior names (and) mascots used by other institutions such as the NFL team formerly known as the Redskins,” in a statement to the Indianapolis Star.
Graphic designer Emily Morgan has built up quite a following on social media for redesigning logos for popular sports teams.
Next up were the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Unlike other logos, she did not make too much of a change regarding the Leprechaun.
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Here is how fans reacted:
“As a Notre Dame fan, this is actually a really nice refresh. The Leprechaun is iconic and will (likely) never change. But I do love your details! ☘️,” said one fan.
“Nice, subtle updates. One alumnus approves 👍,” another Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan stated.
“This is a great homage to the original while adding state and school spirit. 🔥🔥🔥,” a third person added.
“I think this is my fav from you so far 🔥,” a fourth person commented.
One final fan added: “This one is tricky as an ND alumnus but the more I look at the refresh, the more it grows on me. I think you could be more intentional on the forearms, taking the shape of the “D” to complement the “N.” You are SO incredibly talented.”
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Hoping To Build On National Title Run And Loss
Things are looking up for the Fighting Irish following January’s CFP National Championship defeat to the Buckeyes.
Notre Dame looks to take its first steps upon building off its run to the National Championship game in 2024.
The Fighting Irish are coming off a run to college football’s National Championship game, where they fell just short of winning the 12th national championship in program history. However, fans can see the writing on the wall that things have truly changed within the culture.
