North of the border

Notre Dame has plenty of die-hard fans, some even come from north of the border:

JOE BOWEN

In describing his attachment to Notre Dame, which he did not attend, Bowen, the longtime voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs, borrowed a line from former coach Lou Holtz.

“If you understand Notre Dame, there is no need for an explanation,” Bowen said. “If you don’t, no explanation will suffice.”

Bowen, 64, drives his family on a pilgrimage to see the Irish play at least once a year.

BRIAN MORRIS

It began with his grandfather, Charles, who grew up in what is now known as Miramichi, N.B., and a local priest who attended Notre Dame who wound up putting together a local football program. That team wore green and gold, back then. The Irish was something handed down through the generations, even though the school was more than 2,000 kilometres away.

Brian Morris, now senior director, communications with the Ottawa Senators, has attended many games, including the game against Navy in Dublin three years ago.

“I think it’s less of a football game and more of an experience.”

CAROLAN WADSWORTH-LESAUX

Her late father, Michael Wadsworth, was going to attend the University of Michigan until her grandfather forced a course correction.

“He said, on his deathbed, ‘The only school you’re playing for is Notre Dame,’ ” Wadsworth-Lesaux said. “And my dad at the time was ‘What the hell?’ ” He went to Notre Dame and would — after an accomplished career than included a stint as Canada’s ambassador to Ireland — become the school’s first Canadianborn athletics director.

PAUL MATTHEW

For 14 seasons, Matthew, who works for Statistics Canada in Ottawa, has commuted to South Bend to volunteer as an usher at Notre Dame home games. He drives to Syracuse, N.Y., and then catches a train to campus. He leaves Ottawa on Thursday, arrives early Friday, and then stays for the weekend.

“It’s great to travel in your sleep,” he said with a chuckle. He uses vacation time — about three weeks — to cover the commute over the course of a season.

TONY NELSON

A retired elementary school teacher living in Fenelon Falls, Ont., Nelson is president of the Notre Dame Club of Toronto.

And the club — www.NDtoronto.ca — is not limited to graduates. Sean Fitz-Gerald