East Rutherford, N.J. — In the parking lot of New Meadowlands Stadium, more than an hour before kickoff, Brian Moran, the lead singer of the Cousins Moran, climbed atop the shoulders of a stranger, and with a microphone in his hand, he belted out the lyrics to Celtic Symphony, a celebratory ode to the Celtic Football Club. An exuberant crowd, at least half of them wearing football jerseys, raised their beers and roared with appreciation.
But you didn't have to a fan of the Cousins Moran — a Irish rock band from New Jersey whose members are, in fact, all cousins — to quickly grasp that Saturday's game between Navy and Notre Dame wasn't entirely about football for many in attendance.
It was more like a celebration. A celebration of heritage and pride.
Of service, friendship and family.
No matter which team you were rooting for, there was something to enjoy. Navy supporters got to watch the Midshipmen throttle the Fighting Irish 35-17, the academy's most decisive victory in the series since 1963. After losing an NCAA record 43 straight games prior to 2007, Navy has now won three of the last four meetings between the two schools. The Midshipmen didn't commit a single penalty, didn't turn the ball over, and rushed for 367 yards.
"Our offensive line was whooping up on their defensive line," said Navy fullback Alexander Teich, who rushed for 210 yards and also caught a 31-yard touchdown pass. "I was just so proud of those guys.
They have hearts bigger than New York City."
For Notre Dame fans — who probably outnumbered Navy supporters by at least 5 to 1 among the 75,614 people in attendance — it was still an opportunity to raise a drink and sing a few songs, and to share their affection for Fighting Irish football. Despite Notre Dame's recent struggles, the program's national following remains strong.
Although Saturday's contest was technically a home game for the Midshipmen, Irish fans from all over the New York and New Jersey region saw it as a rare opportunity to throw a tailgate party and watch their favorite team in person.
"Everyone is a little Irish on Saturday when Notre Dame football is playing," said Moran, who wore lime green Chuck Taylors and a Notre Dame t-shirt during his set. "And every Irish guy should be a Notre Dame fan, right? This is sort of like St. Patrick's Day in October for us."
In addition to the concert by the Cousins Moran, there were tailgates outside the stadium featuring bagpipes, and a karaoke machine where burly men with red cheeks were taking turns butchering traditional Irish drinking songs. There were hand-painted Notre Dame beer pong tables, Fighting Irish bean bag tossing competitions, and games of Frisbee. There was some version of Irish food, Irish dress, and Irish charm everywhere you looked. You could hardly spill a beer without it hitting a shamrock.
"There are a lot of Irish people from this part of New Jersey," said Willie Quinn, who is originally from Galway, but now lives in Hopatcong, New Jersey and will be the grand marshal for the 2011 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Morris County. "I guess they call us the subway Irish. The all want to turn out for the Notre Dame game."
Quinn, who still has a hint of an Irish brogue in his voice, came to the game with a group of 150 people who all consider themselves big Notre Dame fans, and some of them are already planning to make the trip to Ireland when Navy and Notre Dame play in Dublin in 2012. The two teams played in Dublin in 1996, and an estimated 10,000 fans from the United States traveled to the game.
"They've got a great stadium there," Quinn said. "I think people [in Ireland] are very excited."
What Navy fans may have lacked in numbers, they tried to make up for in vigor. Kathleen Drumm and Mary Ellen Hughes were part of a family group of close to 50 people who attended the game partially as a tribute to their father, Francis Hughes, who served in the Navy and was a war veteran. Several of the family members sported home-made t-shirts with "Go Navy!" stenciled on the front as they posed for pictures outside the stadium prior to kickoff.
"But we have family who live in South Bend, so we have a little bit of a family war going on," said Kathleen Drumm. "We're from a family of 12, so we have to root for both teams."
Jessica Vanzella and Patty Desmond also came to the game for family reasons, but the two friends had divided loyalties. Vanzella, whose twin brother James is a member of the Navy stationed at the base in nearby Lakehurst, wore a Midshipmen sweatshirt, but said she was also excited to see Notre Dame because she's such a big fan of college football. Desmond said her grandfather got her hooked on Fighting Irish games as a kid and she's loved the program ever since.
"You see so many Notre Dame jerseys," Desmond said. "I think a lot of people grow up rooting for them the way I did, but the Navy fans, most of them have a connection to someone who is actually in the Navy."
While Notre Dame fans left the stadium somber, it was an emotional celebration for the brigade of Midshipmen, which witnessed a Navy victory over Notre Dame for the first time since the 1960s. Even though Navy defeated Notre Dame in 2007 and 2009, both those wins came in South Bend, Ind. This year, a sea of waving white hats punctuated the celebration as the team gathered to sing its fight song after the win.
"I think if you looked at the past, you might have looked at us like the little brother," said Navy senior quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who scored three touchdowns. "But now we've turned that around. People used to look at this game and say 'Navy vs. Notre Dame? Notre Dame has it in the bag.' Now we've made it into a great game. They're the team most of us grew up watching and the team you wished you could play for. So the opportunity to play against them and be successful is priceless."
kevin.vanvalkenburg@baltsun.com
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