The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports, with its teams – except for football and men's ice hockey – competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The school colors are gold and blue and the mascot is the Leprechaun. The interscholastic sports program began on November 23, 1887, with football in Notre Dame, Indiana.