How did you get the idea for Rent Like A Champion?

In 2006 Jordan Curnes and Drew Mitchell began renting out a few properties they owned in South Bend for football weekends. Fans coming in for the game jumped at the opportunity to stay in the homes, and immediately fell in love with the concept. Some local homeowners they were friends with saw the success they were having and asked the duo to rent out their houses as well. From this small-scale effort the business has grown at an incredibly pace. We now have over 120 houses actively listed at http://rentlikeachampion.com/football.

What enabled Rent Like A Champion to expand so rapidly?

 We believe that we are providing something that was previously missing from most Irish fans' football experience; namely, access to high-quality accommodations that truly enhance their enjoyment of the weekend. We offer an attractive alternative in that you can rent entire homes that are often within walking distance of campus and even save some money in the process. By renting a house, you are able to spread out, enjoy the comforts of home, barbeque and toss a football in the yard, all before heading over to the stadium. It's really just a great experience. Last year, over 3000 people decided to take advantage of this opportunity. 

Rent Like A Champion is run entirely by Notre Dame alumni and current students; how has this influenced the development of the business?

Our incredible experiences at Notre Dame have made us very familiar with both the South Bend area and what Notre Dame fans want from a football weekend. This has allowed us to target the best possible homes for renters. A large number of the site's homeowners are Notre Dame faculty and staff who are huge Irish fans themselves. There are many properties located literally across the street from campus. Finally, several houses on the site have special significance to Irish fans; among these is the former home of the legendary Knute Rockne.

We also understand what the alumni and alumni clubs mean to this University. Because of this, for the second year in a row we are running an alumni matching program. Hugely successful last year, we offer discounts to members of ND Alumni Clubs while making donations to their general scholarship funds.

I'm sure few people enjoy seeing the Irish do well more than you; what are your thoughts as Coach Kelly heads into his third year?

I'm pretty optimistic about the direction the program is heading. Despite a few setbacks last winter, I've liked what I've seen from Coach Kelly's recruiting efforts. With this much young talent coming in, it's only a matter of time before the Irish return to the BCS (as long as we improve that turnover margin). Like everyone else, I can't wait to see who's going to be the starting quarterback come the Navy game. Whoever wins that competition is obviously leading the Irish against a daunting schedule, but I think this team could surprise a few people.

Any closing remarks?

Now that ticket lottery results have been announced the pace of bookings has really picked up. To date, over 50 houses have been rented for the Michigan game alone. However, we still have many, many houses available for each home game, and more are being added on a daily basis. Visit Rent Like A Champion to browse the current selection. Go Irish!

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