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Shane Gillis is just one of the many Notre Dame fans who took great joy in watching their team beat Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night. You might think he had better things to do after the win than hitting up a Fighting Irish podcaster’s call-in show, but it turns out that wasn’t the case.
It’s been close to 40 years since the football team at Notre Dame secured a national championship, but the program is now just one win away from winning a title for the first time since Lou Holtz was patrolling the sidelines in South Bend after earning a 27-24 victory over Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
That’s obviously a huge development for the millions of Fighting Irish fans who both attended the university and root for the team despite not having any real connection to the school. Shane Gillis doesn’t fall into either of those categories, as the comedian’s fandom stems from the fact that his grandfather and one of his cousins were members of the hallowed football program.
Gillis has recently emerged as one of the more notable and visible members of the Notre Dame faithful thanks in no small part to the College GameDay appearance where he managed to get under Nick Saban’s skin while rocking a Fighting Irish letterman jacket, and it’s pretty clear he’s got green and gold running through his veins.
That reality was confirmed based on what he opted to do after his team clinched a spot in the national championship game, as John Kennedy, the host of the Always Irish podcast, got a surprise while helming the call-in show where fans got the chance to react to the big victory.
The list of callers included Gillis, who didn’t reveal his identity when he phoned in to revel in the outcome of a game he admitted had him worried in the first half before taking a jab at Penn State by alluding to the Jerry Sandusky scandal, saying, “I never forgot what they did. You remember what they did. And God was on our side.”
It didn’t take long for the comedian’s pretty recognizable voice to register in Kennedy’s head, and he alluded to his aforementioned interaction with Saban while asking if he should know who was on the other end of the line before the “mystery caller” confirmed, “My name is Shane Gillis.”
Kennedy went on to praise Gillis for what he’s done while essentially serving as an ambassador for the team, and it’s pretty clear the unexpected appearance was the cherry on top of an already memorable night.