Nearly a century later, the Fighting Irish returned to the Bronx on Nov. 17, 2018, as part of their “home-away-from-home” Shamrock Series. Dressed in uniforms that paid homage to the iconic Yankee pinstripes, Notre Dame defeated Syracuse 36-3.

To commemorate this historic event, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum sought an artifact from the game. Specifically, the Hall hoped to acquire an item from Cole Kmet, a dual-sport baseball and football athlete. With the approval of both Kmet and the NCAA, Kmet’s helmet was soon on the way to Cooperstown.

Throughout this endeavor, the process was made even easier by the fact that a Hall of Fame alum is now working in South Bend.