Onward to Victory: A Notre Dame Football Podcast

By Alex Painter (Onward to Victory)Sports History Football

Onward to Victory: A Notre Dame Football Podcast episodes

March 16, 2021 Forty-One: The St. Paddy's Day Special!
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 find out more. Enjoy!
24 min
March 02, 2021 Forty: Academic Standards and the Irish Recruitment Efforts
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 one - don't forget your sharpened pencil and paper!
45 min
February 09, 2021 Thirty-Nine: Gridiron Groundbreakers of the Fighting Irish - Wayne Edmonds
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!
32 min
January 21, 2021 Notre Dame & the Civil War - Part Four: Adolescent Operatives, The Pinkertons and Notre Dame
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 more!
34 min
January 06, 2021 Thirty-Seven: 'The Everywhere Man' - Al Feeney, The Irish Phenom You've Never Heard Of
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 years for the football program, but went on to lead a life full of athletics and public service. The episode ends in a place I never even imagined!
And to think...this guy doesn't even have a Wikipedia page! Sheesh!
Enjoy, Irish fans!
38 min
December 16, 2020 Thirty-Six: George Gipp...100 Years Later
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.
Enjoy!
41 min
November 19, 2020 Thirty-Five: A Tribute to the 'Golden Boy' Paul Hornung
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!
29 min
November 10, 2020 Thirty-Four: "Intrepid Spirit': Father Edward Sorin and the Founding of Notre Dame
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!) courageously defied the odds to stablish a humble school in South Bend, Indiana - starting with a lone log chapel. Discover, blow-for-blow Sorin's journey and Notre Dame's origins in this episode!
Irish fans, you won't want to miss this one!
26 min
October 23, 2020 Thirty-Three: 'Ghost Stories for Golden Domers' - Tales of a Haunted Notre Dame
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 different kind of Notre Dame history, Irish fans...you just might need to flip on your night light when it gets dark!
Enjoy, and happy Halloween!
31 min
October 08, 2020 Thirty-Two: 'The Pigskin Magician': The Forgotten Lore of Louis 'Red' Salmon
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 enjoy this enthralling story of an early Notre Dame legend - you surely don't want to miss this one!

38 min