I’m reminded why last night’s loss to Texas A&M affected me so deeply: because I was given The Gift of Notre Dame.
That gift wasn’t wrapped in blue and gold paper—it was carried in the voices of my family. Around my grandparents’ table—Ray and Barbara Doyle—it lived in laughter, spirited debate, and the steady rhythm of our Irish Catholic faith. My mom and dad, aunts, uncles, and cousins wove Notre Dame into the fabric of every holiday. Few among them had ever set foot on a college campus, and fewer still had dreamed of Notre Dame.