Athletics

The Play Like a Champion Today sign that Notre Dame football players tap on their way out of the locker room is more than just a motivational slogan for a big game. It’s also an involved approach to athletics that Kristin Komyatte Sheehan ’90, ’93 M.A. and the Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series have inspired in parents, coaches, and young athletes for nearly 20 years.

In honor of Black History Month, this We Are ND story collection highlights just a handful of the many Black Alumni of Notre Dame who have used their talents and commitment to make a positive impact on the world.

Since 1991, the Notre Dame Club of Mid-Hudson Valley has welcomed local alumni, parents, and friends for an annual 11-hour bus trip to campus for a football game, open to all who love the Fighting Irish regardless of affiliation.

Editor's Note: This week’s Domer Diaries comes from Susan and Gary Milligan ’75, who recently completed the six Abbott World Marathon Majors as of March 2023.

Names: Susan and Gary Milligan
Class Year: 1975 (Gary)
Residence…

Jeaic Mag Fhinn '17 lives, works, and plays entirely in Irish, feeling welcomed by the community and making the Emerald Isle his home.

Conal Fagan ’21, the first Irish native to serve as the official Notre Dame leprechaun, returned home to Ireland to continue his mission of using sports as a means for social change.

Okanlami has both led and been a part of numerous initiatives to raise awareness of the program and adaptive sports and inclusive recreation as a whole.

John Barnes '03, producer at NBC sports, got his start covering sports when he worked football and basketball games for WVFI radio station as a Notre Dame student. 

Lally Shields has applied the same level of competitiveness and drive to her career in medicine. Most recently, the NCAA awarded Lally Shields with the 2023 Theodore Roosevelt Award — the highest honor the NCAA may confer upon an individual — presented annually to a distinguished person of national reputation and exceptional accomplishment. 

Jessica Smetana, producer, podcaster, and journalist, got her start as an FTT major at Notre Dame. 

In the same way that those with disabilities deserve equitable access to education, housing, and transportation, Adams believes that having access to outdoor, adaptive recreation is no different.

Editor’s Note: Domer Diaries is the newest storytelling series from the Alumni Association where members of the Notre Dame family tell their stories in their own words. This week’s Domer Diaries entry comes from Pat McFarlane '14, Assistant Director for…

Editor’s Note: …

The 2020 college football season was an unforgettable one in many ways. With schedules shortened and constrained by the pandemic, intersectional rivalries interrupted, stadium capacities limited…

Engineering alums create lasting impact teaching children in Jamaica and Haiti self-esteem, leadership, and character at summer basketball camp.

More than 20 years after Demetrius DuBose '93 was shot and killed by police, former teammate John Kouris '96 seeks to keep is memory alive in new documentary film.

After a lifetime creating opportunities for Black skiers, Ben Finley '60 is set to enter the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.

Alumna aims to empower girls through sports in South Africa.

Alumna fighting for fair pay and conditions with Puerto Rican National Team

Undergraduate service experience helped pave the way for his volunteer work

Alum uses physical therapy, literacy, to help others

His residential treatment center provides high-quality care

After learning soccer in a refugee camp, he brought the sport to Notre Dame