On Thursday, Aug. 21, the University launched a fresh take on the classic Fighting Irish leprechaun on the Notre Dame football Instagram account. Donning green eyes and, most notably, lacking raised fists, the new leprechaun wields a football in his left arm.
The design was released via an Instagram reel showcasing the design’s sketching process, alongside retro Notre Dame motifs. The reel depicts three process sketches, each based on shots of Notre Dame football players, Raghib Ismail ‘90, Manti Te‘o ‘12 and Kyren Williams ‘21, before revealing the final design, similar in design to a shot of safety Xavier Watts ‘24.
The reel was followed by an Instagram post that featured a short description below the new leprechaun design. Now pinned on @ndfootball’s Instagram, the post stated that the Notre Dame leprechaun represents the Fighting Irish spirit, while the pictured design “represents Fighting Irish Football.”
While the University was once represented by Irish terriers, the leprechaun has maintained its role of official mascot for 60 years. With that said, according to the University’s standards for athletic branding, the blue and gold Notre Dame monogram is the school’s primary athletic brand asset, different from the single-colored Notre Dame monogram used for University branding.
The leprechaun is an element of athletic spirit branding and represents Notre Dame’s “underdog mentality.” Three of the University’s past leprechaun designs have been “retired” from general use and now reside in the “Vintage Vault,” reserved for special use only.
The football leprechaun mark is the first of many sport-specific leprechauns to join the leprechaun design currently in use. A Fighting Irish press report indicates that designs will be released throughout the school year and future seasons to accompany each varsity sport.
With the launch of the football leprechaun mark, the Fighting Irish online store also released a navy Under Armor polo branded with the design. According to the site, the polo is “almost gone!”
