Last time we ran into Regis Philbin was at a Fighting Irish game at Notre Dame last year.

He was with New York police commissioner Ray Kelly and the two men were having a grand old Irish time even if the Irish lost that day

Philbin, traces his ancestry to County Down.One of his relatives,also named Philbin, was the local bishop for a time .

He has a long history with Ireland and with Notre Dame .

He graduated from Notre Dame in 1963 and ha been a dedicated support ever since even addressing pep rallies.

He was named among Irish America's Top 100 by Irish America magazine for several years.

he even hosted Regis and Kelly live from campus in South Bend in 2001.

He will be missed now as one of the great talk show hosts of his age.

We wish him a happy retirement.