Notre Dame defends mascot after it’s deemed fourth-most offensive in college football

According to a new survey from Quality Logo Products, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s mascot is the fourth-most offensive mascot in college football. 

The leprechaun, which the school adopted as its official mascot in 1965, fell behind Florida State’s Osceola and Renegade, San Diego State’s Aztec Warrior and Hawaii’s Vili the Warrior. The company had 1,266 participants rank 128 NCAA Division I mascots to create the survey results.

In an email to the IndyStar, Notre Dame defended its storied mascot.

“It is worth noting … that 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,” the statement said. “None of these institutions were founded or named by Native Americans who sought to highlight their heritage by using names and symbols associated with their people.”

University says mascot is example of perseverance

“Our symbols stand as celebratory representations of a genuine Irish heritage at Notre Dame,” the university added, “a heritage that we regard with respect, loyalty and affection.”

Notre Dame said the Fighting Irish name is a badge of determination, as anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiment raged in England in the early 1900s just before the adoption of what is now one of the most famous nicknames in college athletics. 

“Irish-Americans — including those at Notre Dame — again have turned back on former oppressors as a sign of celebration and triumph,” Notre Dame said. “In both the upraised fists of the leprechaun mascot and the use of the word ‘fighting,’ the intent is to recognize the determination of the Irish people and, symbolically, the university’s athletes.”

The job is open to all students

Notre Dame encourages all students to try out to don the green jacket, white socks and gold tie that many before them have. Each school year there are multiple leprechaun mascots, and the recent groups have been the most diverse in the school’s history.  

2001 graduate Mike Brown was the first Black student to be named a leprechaun in 1999. In 2019, Irish cheerleader Lynnette Wukie became the university’s first female mascot. Samuel Jackson joined Wukie that year, and together they were the second and third Black leprechauns in Notre Dame history. 

Conol Fagan, a native of Derry in Northern Ireland, was the third leprechaun in South Bend in 2019. He was the first native Irishman to have the gig.