Two days later, the riot had an immediate impact. The students went to the Klan's downtown headquarters when a false rumor circulated that the Klan had captured a student (Tucker xvii). A fight broke out between the Klansmen and students, and only stopped when Notre Dame's president, Matthew Walsh, came and told the students to go back to the university. As a result of the riot, on August 23, 1924, the Mishawaka Klan office informed its members it was closing due to the lack of funds (Nevel 89). The area Klan groups only had a few more events that even had newspaper coverage (Nevel 90). The Notre Dame students also faced criticism from both local Klan groups and citizens of South Bend. The Klan's newspaper, the Fiery Cross, printed an article about the riot, calling the students "cursing gangsters" ("Students Trample U.S. Flag..."). One Klansman wrote to Walsh, calling his students "ruffnecks," "hoodlums," and "mackerel snapping anarchists". A different Klan member wrote a threat on an edition of the Fiery Cross, and another letter promised "hot lead". However, after Notre Dame won the 1924 national football championship, the students were recognized for being a force against the swarm of anti-Catholicism happening in the country. Winning the championship took away most of the threats and instead made Notre Dame a university proud to represent the Catholic population.