This past NFL season, nearly every dorm at Notre Dame participated in something new and irregular — fantasy football. The league was separated between male and female residence halls and then North and South Quad. Seventeen male dorms and 13 female dorms participated. Commissioner Aidan Flynn put on a “draft night” held in Dahnke Ballroom at the beginning of the fall semester.
Men’s halls
The winner for the men’s league was Coyle Hall. Under general manager Trey Zurcher, the Crew went 7-6 for the season with a total of 1151 points. The playoff tournament was composed of eight teams — four from North Quad and four from South Quad. Coyle securing the eighth seed. The Crew faced top-seeded Knott Hall in the first round and pulled off an upset. From there, Coyle defeated the Dillon Hall Big Red, putting it in the championship against Baumer Hall. In the end, Zurcher’s team pulled off a Cinderella story, anointing Coyle Hall the first annual Golden Dome Dynasty Men’s Champions. Zurcher decided to donate the winnings to St. Adalbert’s Catholic School.
Zurcher drafted the overall No. 1 projected player for fantasy this season, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. “If [Chase] had a bad week we lost but if he had a good week we almost always won,” Zurcher said. With Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow back for the final weeks of fantasy, Chase’s numbers drastically improved, helping Coyle’s late surge. Coyle’s quarterback for the season was New England Patriots star Drake Maye, whose impressive season benefited the Crew’s roster. Coyle’s biggest disappointment was Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku. “He was so bad I had to constantly check the waiver wire for other tight ends. I found Juwan Johnson, who was a game-changer,” Zurcher said.
To the Crew, this fantasy season was a huge success. Zurcher was in a committee with five other Coyle men who worked together weekly.
“It brought all the kids in the dorm closer together as well, as we would help set the lineups at our weekly hall gov,” Zurcher said. The Crew is looking forward to next season and as Zurcher said, “going back to back.”
Women’s halls
The woman’s champion was crowned to Lyons Hall. General manager Catherine Morrissey, unlike Coyle Hall, led the No. 1 squad for the majority of the season. Morrissey’s roster went 12-1, their only loss being in week one against Cavanaugh Hall. “We lost by only three points on quite literally the final drive of the game,” Morrissey said of the defeat.
Morrissey described becoming Lyons GM as a “funny sidequest,” but it ended with prize money. sShe decided to donate to Ronald McDonald House, choosing to do so because “to me the idea of a child being ill is surely one of the worst things a parent can experience.” The Ronald McDonald House provides housing to families who have children under medical attention.
The Lions’ best player was San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Morrissey drafted McCaffrey in the first round and he ended up as the top running back of the season. “I only picked him because my mom went to high school with his aunts and uncles,” Morrissey said.
This relation ended up being the best deciding factor that helped Lyons have such a successful season. Morrissey’s starting quarterback was Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a season-ending injury, but Morrissey had earlier added Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence from waivers. Discussing that transaction, Morrissey said, “[It] ended up being great because Mahomes started performing comparatively poorly and then eventually was injured.”
The Golden Dome Dynasty was not only a success for Lyons Hall, but also for Morrissey, personally. Her leadership led to a remarkable season and a new found love for the NFL.
“I started to care quite passionately about professional football, when I typically just cheered for the Philadelphia Eagles in a casual manner,” Morrissey said.
She stated that this fun journey led her to develop knowledge and investment in the NFL to the point where “I actually knew what teams were on the Thursday Night Football lineup and I periodically checked the scores.” Similarly to Coyle Hall, Morrissey said “I will be back to defend my title next fall.”
