Notre Dame Soph From Spokane Earns Job As Leprechaun

SPOKANE - Ryan Gee has found his pot o' gold in South Bend, Ind., home of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Gee, a sophomore from Spokane, has bright blue eyes, red hair and a gregarious personality that helped him earn a spot as one of the storied school's two leprechaun mascots.

They lead the Fighting Irish onto the football field before every home game.

"It's a real adrenaline rush hearing the roar of the crowd when you come out of that tunnel," he said.

Entertaining crowds is nothing new to Gee, who also does his turn at women's basketball, soccer and volleyball contests.

When he was at Spokane's Ferris High School, he donned a chicken costume and performed at the annual "Rubber Chicken" game against cross-town rival Lewis and Clark High.

Gee completed a month of clinics and workouts with the cheerleading squad at the end of his freshman year and was chosen as the No. 2 leprechaun for this year.