The Notre Dame leprechaun is one of the most iconic figures in college sports.
The symbol of the Fighting Irish.
This weekend, the leprechaun will take the term Fighting Irish to new extremes.
Dan Collins knows the routine. Push-ups. Footwork. Throwing punches. For two years, he was the Notre Dame leprechaun.
"There's no feeling like leading that football team out into Notre Dame Stadium," Collins said. "It's the biggest stage in all of college sports."
Today he's trading those fake punches for the real thing.
"I figured this was my chance to try something that I never got a chance to do since I was doing other things," Collins said.
Now a law student at Notre Dame, Collins has spent the last five months training to compete in this month's Bengal Bouts tournament. It's his first time.
"Training is intense," Collins said. "It's the most intense workout I've ever had in my life. We go five days a week for at least two hours.
"They say you don't know anything about yourself until you get knocked down and you have to get back up and get in there, and I think that's true.
"It's one of the greatest traditions at Notre Dame."
This coming from a guy who knows a thing or two about traditions at Notre Dame. After all, he lived one. Was one.
"I like to think trying to live up to the Fighting Irish mentality is a big part of Bengal Bouts," Collins said.
