Onward to Victory: A Notre Dame Football Podcast

Continuing to celebrate those trailblazers of the Irish gridiron, Alex zeroes in on center Tommy Yarr, who played for the Irish from 1927-1931. Yarr, a Rockne recruit, team captain, and Consensus All-American, was the first self-identified Native American in program history. And he was exceptional. Join host Alex Painter for another deep, rewarding dive into the lore of the Fighting Irish - with y...

Signs of spring...flowers, rain showers, Blue and Gold Game!   Join Alex for a position-by-position breakdown of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as they head into the annual Blue and Gold Game on May 1. Who is back? Who is new and exciting? Enjoy the blow-for-blow coverage!

Welcome to yet another show first...a St. Paddy's Day special! Grab that green beverage and huddle around your favorite podcast provider - Alex is going to tell you an abbreviated history of St. Patrick himself, as well as the early history of St. Patrick's Day on Notre Dame's campus.  ...Would you have guessed St. Paddy's Day was outlawed on Notre Dame's campus for a time!? Me neither! Listen to...

In today's episode, Alex tries to answer an age-old (okay, maybe not that old) question as comprehensively and exhaustively as he can...do the academic standards of Notre Dame help or hinder their recruitment efforts?    Regardless of anything, this is not a simple answer. Alex pieces it together using a myriad of criteria to allow folks to muster a very educated guess. You won't want to miss this...

To celebrate Black History Month, Alex goes back to one of his favorite decades...the 1950s! Wayne Edmonds was the first Black football player in Notre Dame history to earn a Monogram award - get the scoop on his story - it's a dandy! This will be the first installment in a semi-ongoing 'Gridiron Groundbreakers' series.  Enjoy!

A real treat today! Alex expands on the show's 2020 three-part 'Notre Dame & the Civil War' miniseries with a new installment.  Simply, who knew that the most famous private eye in American history had such strong Notre Dame ties? Enter Allan Pinkerton, who rose to national prominence during the Civil War.  Click that 'play' button and listen in as fast as you can say 'teenage spies' to find out m...

It sure has been a long three week layoff from the show! I hope everyone had a restful holiday break! Today, Alex breaks down the athletic career and life of former Irish center, and teammate of Knute Rockne, a certain Al Feeney. This episode came about uniquely, even for this show, but believe me, you don't want to miss this one. Feeney was a phenomenal athlete at Notre Dame during some watershed...

On today's episode, Alex investigates and celebrates the player, person, and legend of George Gipp, 100 years after his passing.  'Tis true, many folks don't know what 'to do' with Gipp in properly contextualizing his place in college football and Notre Dame history - but Alex will lay it all out for you to decide in this centennial celebration of the most captivating player in Notre Dame history....

On today's episode, Alex pays homage to a recently-passed Irish great, the 'Golden Boy' Paul Hornung. Hornung was a Heisman Trophy winner for Notre Dame, but perhaps saved his most brilliant gridiron action for the professional ranks. Alex breaks down some of his most exciting seasons, while sharing a serendipitous personal story regarding Hornung. Enjoy! 

Pack your bags, Irish fans, we are going on a trip! Let's journey back to the Indiana wilderness back in the mid-1800s and follow a young priest named Father Edward Sorin - who traveled thousands of miles, all to eventually found the University of Notre Dame. Braving the elements by way of the harshest winter on record, Sorin (a Frenchman whose school would inextricably be connected with the Irish...

With Halloween quickly approaching, let's embrace some holiday spirit! Join host Alex Painter on an in-depth look at some of the spellbinding, paranormal, and sometimes downright spooky side of Notre Dame's campus!  The Ghost of Washington Hall? How about unexplained noises, voices, and ghostly presence in the middle of the night? Could it be the Ghost of George Gipp? Prepare yourselves for a diff...

Ten years before Rockne, and seventeen years before the sensational 1920 season of a certain George Gipp, Louis 'Red' Salmon was the first Notre Dame football hero. The star was as quiet and reserved as we was breathtakingly good on the gridiron between 1900-1903. He literally (literally) did it all. His legend is obscured today, even among diehard Irish fans. Let's change that today!  Please enjo...

Ever wonder what the origins of the most famous fight song in America are? Notre Dame's 'Victory March' is recognized by people all across the country, world, and the span of history. You wouldn't believe the humble backstory!  Follow Alex where he loves going...back in time, to discover the series of events that sprang 'Victory March' into motion, and even catapulted it to fame! Don't forget to l...

It's finally here! The 2020 season is imminent! Alas, welcome to the official season preview episode! Get all the Irish intel you need (and more) as Alex breaks down the schedule, offense, defense, and special teams, complete with position group grades!

Everyone draw a deep, sad sigh. Barring a miracle, Notre Dame and Navy, for the first time in nearly a century, will not meet on the gridiron this year, the historic match-up among the pandemic football casualties.  So, what's the big idea? Who even cares? Well, Alex does! Join him for a rundown of the significance of this historic relationship and rivalry between the two schools, who have played...

Man, does five years count as nostalgia? Do you remember the 2015 game against Virginia when Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer was pressed into action...and heroically led the Irish in one of their most spellbinding games of the millennia? You do, huh? Well, do you remember just how exciting that affair was?! Alex waxes poetic about one of his personal favorite quarterbacks in recent Irish memory, u...

Today, Alex attempts to breakdown a question that has been asked a number of times over the years...is 'Fighting Irish' an offensive team name? Though it seems rather cut-and-dry, Alex attempts to contextualize the issue in both the past and present day to have an honest discussion on the wider topic.    Oh, and an obligatory Covid-19 update as well! This is a situation everyone, including Onward...

Remember hearing about how Notre Dame students took on the Ku Klux Klan in the streets of South Bend in 1924? You don't? Well, buckle up and prepare for an incredibly interesting and compelling episode of Onward to Victory!  By the 1920's the Klan's corrosive, bigoted influence had infiltrated nearly every corner of Indiana. Statewide Klan leaders set South Bend in the cross-hairs, home of one of...

Pretty hard to believe, but the show is one year old! Thank you to every one of the loyal listeners, who make it all possible. It's a cavalcade of fun with episode twenty-five, including: -A review of Jeff Harrell's new Knute Rockne biography titled "Rockne of Ages". -With the help of One Foot Down of SB Nation, power ranking the top five ND players heading into the 2020 season. -Ever wonder what...

Buckle in, and prepare for a 'profile in courage' as we look at the University of Notre Dame and John F. Kennedy's inexorable connection! In addition, Alex goes over the latest in Notre Dame scheduling news for the fall.  Stay well, all!

A show 'first' is always exciting, and episode twenty-three is the first Onward to Victory 'community collaborative project', where we tackle what the 'spirit of Notre Dame' means to us. Why is it so special? What are the hallmarks of the spirit? How is it that it binds us together so tightly? Alex brings in a number of famous, historical Notre Dame figures to 'speak' on the topic, gives his two c...

The 85th annual NFL Draft is complete! Who of the Irish were selected? Where did they go? How will they fit? And, perhaps most importantly, who is going to replace them in the blue and gold? Get all your answers in episode twenty-two!  In addition, what does the 'Spirit of Notre Dame' mean to you? Let the show know...you just may win something!

If you have been alive any time between 1993 and now, there is approximately a 92.5% chance you have watched the movie Rudy. Okay, so I have no clue if that statistic is correct, but the tale of the undersized walk-on who was able to break in with the Notre Dame football team is truly timeless. As is the movie. But, have you ever heard the story of how Rudy actually became a movie? At times, the m...

Grab a seat! Today, Alex raps about a true classic in the annals of Irish history - Joe Montana and the 1979 Cotton Bowl! Needless to say, never has a bowl of chicken soup played such a pivotal role in the outcome of a football game, season, and a star player's legacy! This is a heck of a story - I hope you enjoy it.  Don't hesitate to reach out to the show any way you'd like. I hope everyone is s...

The third episode of the month?! Phew!  Irish coach Knute Rockne and baseball slugger Babe Ruth's ascent to fame almost perfectly coincided with each other's, and were even the subject of a couple famous photographs. So what's the story here? Ever wonder where and when cross-promoting between sports became much more prevalent? I give you Exhibit A and B...Knute Rockne and Babe Ruth! Today, Alex se...