Notre Dame Fine Jewelry

The Notre Dame Leprechaun was designed by sports artist Theodore W. Drake. He worked as a designer at Wilson Sporting Goods in Chicago where he created the logo for the University of Notre Dame in 1964 for $50. Per an article in the 1960 campus news magazine, the Scholastic, a student named Terry Crawford became the first leprechaun to join the cheerleaders on the sidelines. The leprechaun outfit consisted of shoes that turned up at the toes, a bright green jacket, elf-like cap and green cotton pants. Then in 1961, a University of Notre Dame freshman, John Brandt got the job as the leprechaun mascot. He was chosen because he was short in stature, just 4 feet, 11 inches tall, and the uniform fit him best. The leprechaun was not the official mascot in those days. It was a live Irish terrier, Clashmore Mike, that was the official mascot and it was Brandt’s responsibility to lead the terrier dressed in a ND jacket around the Notre Dame Stadium field during breaks in football games. The dog lived with a Notre Dame Stadium groundskeeper and his wife in a house east of the campus. The crowds loved the idea of a leprechaun mascot so Brandt became something of a celebrity. The Leprechaun was named the official mascot of the Fighting Irish in 1965 when the Leprechaun was registered as an official university mark and the terrier was retired.