Notre Dame Stadium: Home of the Fighting Irish

What is it that makes Notre Dame so special?  Is it the throngs of fans following the Fighting Irish across the country?  Is it the rich tradition or the historic teams of years past?  The second-to-none atmosphere?

Envision a beautiful fall afternoon with 80,000 fans in one of the most historic stadiums in all of sports.  In the background, you will see the Golden Dome, the Basilica, and Touchdown Jesus all seemingly peering over the stadium to catch a glimpse of this year's squad.

Notre Dame unites and divides fans like no other college football program.  It is commonly thought that you either love them or hate them.  In many ways, this is as close to America’s team as college football has. 

Notre Dame has the distinction of breathing life into places that traditionally are not college football hotbeds (i.e. New York City, Boston, etc.), as this is where a lot (but not all) of ND famous "subway alumni" hail from.  A game day experience in South Bend, Indiana is a thrilling event that is on the top of many a sports fan's to-do list.

The Stadium, much like the uniforms that the Fighting Irish don—a simple, yet classic design—is what truly makes this gridiron one of the best in the business of college football.  Here are some more facts about the Fighting Irish's home:

• Notre Dame christened their new stadium in 1930 (original seating of 54,000).
• It is largely modeled after Michigan’s Stadium.
• It is called the “The House that Rockne Built.”
• The current capacity is 80,795, after a huge addition in 1997.
• The Stadium has no Jumbotron, only traditional scoreboards.
• In 1997, permanent lights were added to the stadium (even though ND will not schedule a night game).
• The Hesburgh Library’s large mural is commonly referred to as Touchdown Jesus.
• The playing surface at Notre Dame is grass.
• ND players walk down a set of stairs and past the famed “Play like a Champion” sign as they enter the field.
• The new stadium capacity ranks it 15th in the NCAA.
• There are 10,795 student tickets in the stadium.
• Notre Dame stadium has been the home to seven Heisman Trophy winners and 11 National Championships.
• Notre Dame has the oldest marching band in the country.

User Tips: Most of the close parking is permit only.  Beer is the main choice of alcoholic beverage in the tailgating area and there is not much of a student section for tailgating.  Notre Dame tickets are hard to come by, so plan accordingly.