Notre Dame coach Mike Brey announced in January this season would be his last with the program. And after coaching his last home game on Wednesday night, it didn’t take long for Brey to begin his retirement celebration.
On Tuesday, Brey told reporters that he had never stepped foot in a famous local bar called the Linebacker Lounge. However, the winningest coach in program history promised he would change that the following night.
“We’re closing that sucker,” Brey said. “There ain’t no curfew tomorrow.”
The fighting Irish took care of business on Wednesday and upset No. 25 Pittsburgh — which had been in first place in the ACC — by a score of 88-81. As promised, Brey, accompanied by Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, went to the Linebacker Lounge to party with the fans.
Before he was even there, beat writer Tyler Horka said Brey started the postgame radio show by asking someone to have a cocktail ready for him at the bar.
The coach spent the night having conversations with students in a very packed bar. It was a lively environment, and Brey even enjoyed a shot of whiskey.
This season has been less than ideal for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish currently hold an 11-19 record. However, Brey’s teams have always known how to defend their home, as Brey registered a 315-76 record at Purcell Pavilion through his 23 years at the helm of the program.
“We’ve had some great student crowds,” Brey told a group of students hanging out at the bar. “You guys are awesome, man,”
“We had a lot of fun,” replied one of the students.
The Fighting Irish will wrap up their 2022-23 regular season with a road game against the Clemson Tigers on Saturday, March 4. Notre Dame has already locked itself in as the No. 14 seed in the ACC Tournament, which is set to start March 7.