Minutes after Marcus Freeman lost his first game as Notre Dame’s football coach on New Year’s Day 2022, he, Mike Gundy and their schools became intertwined.
After Oklahoma State’s 37-35 Fiesta Bowl victory over the Fighting Irish, Gundy, on State Farm Stadium’s turf in Glendale, Arizona, thrusted his team into a national spotlight and threw a Cowboy hat into the ring of college football powerhouses.
“My one message to the team was, I understand Notre Dame, I understand their tradition, I understand the helmet and the logo, but we got a logo too,” Gundy said.
“We’ve been working on one for 18 years.