Autumn on the campus of Notre Dame is like the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s a special time that reminds you of why sports are great. Last weekend I went to the Notre Dame vs. Navy game in South Bend. Being at Notre Dame during a home game weekend is a tremendous experience and one that all college football fans should get the chance to see.
On the Friday before the game my girlfriend and I went up to the Notre Dame campus so we could walk down the tunnel and onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium. This was something I had always dreamed about doing since I was a kid. Instead of wearing blue jeans and a “Rudy” jacket though, I had dreamed of wearing a blue jersey and gold helmet (I guess I could have done that, it was Halloween weekend after all). Just like every player and coach before me, I went through the rod-iron gate and into the tunnel that leads into the stadium. On the right I could see the door that lead to the visitors’ locker room, and on the left, the door to the Notre Dame locker room. Above me hung the banners that marked each year the Fighting Irish won the national championship. Looking ahead I could see the goal post, the field, and the inside of the stadium.
Imagining what that would be like on game day with 80,000 cheering fans and the band playing gave me goose bumps. I walked the final few feet onto the grass and into the stadium and looked around. I looked up to the student section the press box and all the empty seats. Then I looked back up the tunnel I had just come from and saw the giant mural of Jesus who has earned the name “Touchdown Jesus”. That’s what made me realize that I had finally made it onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium. The same field that every Notre Dame home game has been played on for almost a century.
After visiting the stadium, then the Notre Dame bookstore, my girlfriend and I stopped at the brand new Compton Family Ice Arena. This is now the home to the men’s and women’s hockey team, and it is gorgeous. Here are some pics I got:
When Saturday finally arrived, I woke up to a bright and sunny day that had the appearance of a perfect day for football. My girlfriend and I got to the campus around 10:00 a.m. to walk around and soak up all the game day sights and sounds.
Around 12:30 p.m., this perfect day took a ridiculous turn. We had been standing outside the stadium taking pictures of Touchdown Jesus when we started to hear thunder in the distance. Then a large grey cloud starting moving over T.J. (I just made that acronym up by the way) and I realized that standing out in the open probably wasn’t a great idea, so we headed right around the corner to the Joyce Arena (a huge facility used for basketball, volleyball, and all sorts of stuff). Almost as soon as we got there it started hailing! Yes, hailing in October.
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| The big storm cloud coming over Touchdown Jesus |
While being stranded in the Joyce Arena we sat down in the stands of what used to be the hockey arena. There we met an incredibly nice couple from Youngstown, Ohio. What made these two people incredible? They offered my girlfriend and me Fudgerounds!
After the random snowstorm passed we headed back to the stadium to watch the “Player Walk”. Before the Notre Dame players headed into their locker room, the Navy players and coaches did. I’m sure all schools and fans do this, but when all the Navy players stepped off the bus and walked by, everybody cheered and clapped. This was a far different show of affection than what I saw at the Purdue game, when everybody (myself included) booed and gave a few gestures towards the Purdue players.
The Fighting Irish players and coaches began coming out of the Hesburgh Library (the building that has the giant mural of Touchdown Jesus on it’) and headed towards us. It’s an awesome experience having all those guys walk right in front of you. It’s even more awesome when most of them are taking pictures and videos just like I was!
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| Waiting for the player walk |
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| Head coach Brian Kelly |
Now it was time for us to make our way into the stadium. We walked up to the gate and gave the usher our tickets. He tore them and with smile said, “Welcome to Notre Dame Stadium”. That right there is something all sports facilities should have their ticket takers say, well not the Notre Dame part but at least be appreciative and friendly.
We made our way up to our seats which were right in the middle of the field goal post on the south side of the field (across from the tunnel and student section). It gave a perfect view of the endzone, which ended up being the one the Irish scored most of their points in. The only problem I encountered with the seat is a problem that I could experience anywhere at Notre Dame Stadium. The seating at Notre Dame consists of thousands of thin wooden slabs with the numbers 1-30 painted on them, all the way around the stadium. Only the finest for us loyal fans! Anyway, there was a pretty large man sitting next to me so I was squashed every time I sat down. It was uncomfortable, and I could tell he was uncomfortable, but what can you do?
What made that whole seating arrangement even more miserable was an incident that makes me sometimes despise Notre Dame. There was a family sitting behind us that I would assume consisted of mom, dad, son, daughter, and daughter’s boyfriend. The ENTIRE game I got to listen to the snotty daughter (who was probably 30 years old) go on and on and on and on about everything. First it was the cheerleader’s uniforms, then it was the student section, then it was how she loved being a student but Notre Dame never won, then how she never left early during a game, and then it was she knows the owner of the Sonic Drive-Thru company. On and on and on the entire game she talked. I don’t mind talkers, but she talked with a sense of arrogance and you know she just wanted everybody around her to hear her. Believe me lady, nobody gives a crap.
Notre Dame is probably the best university in the Midwest, and one of the best in America. It produces a lot of incredible graduates that are changing the world. But it seems like many of the alumni have a real sense of “I’m better than you” attitude. That’s understandable, since they actually went to Notre Dame and many of us fans didn’t.
It’s important to remember that without us regular Joe fans, there would be no Notre Dame football as we know it today. In the early 20th century Notre Dame was the best team in the country. The Irish played all over America, from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles. Everybody from blue-collar families to middle class citizens fell in love with the “Fighting Irish” and their success. Kind of the same way that Rudy Ruettiger and I did. Notre Dame was the first “America’s Team”.
-How many national championships have Northwestern, Duke, Vanderbilt, or Stanford won? All are considered to be some of the best in academics, but only Stanford has one national championship.
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| Part of the awesome half-time show by the Notre Dame Marching Band |
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| Apparently the band started a new tradition of playing in the crowd |
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| Tommy Rees leading the offense |
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| End of the game |
All in all, my weekend at Notre Dame was spectacular. I don’t get the chance to be around Notre Dame fans a lot, so it was nice to be surrounded by Notre Dame Blue and Gold. I can’t wait until I go again next year!
-I would talk about the game but there isn’t much to say. After all was said and done, Notre Dame defeated Navy 56-14. It was never close and the Irish dominated all aspects of the game. Michael Floyd and Jonas Gray had tremendous days for the offense, while Manti Te’o was the defensive standout. Next up for Notre Dame is Wake Forest Saturday night.
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| Did I mention it was Halloween weekend? |
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