Notre Dame Football: New Helmets vs. USC Really Emphasize "Golden Dome"

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish promised something special for their new-look uniforms this week against longtime rival USC.

Well, it’s not the uniform that’s different—it’s the helmet.

The Golden Domer’s dome has a certain luster that looks like the same gold color of the towers that overlook the South Bend campus.

The reflective gold coloring has never before been seen in college, with the 23.9-karat gold flake in the paint of every helmet making it shine bright.

The big tradition that is now a thing of the past is the student managers painting the helmets, because the coloring process is too complex. It’s a bummer, but certainly not a huge deal.

Helmet color is a big deal for the Fighting Irish, and bringing back the luster of them is a great move that will please their enormous and opinionated fan base. 

Give credit to the Irish. They are able to stay extremely current with the new technologies involved in jerseys and helmets without having to compromise the classic look that alumni have come to expect.

Sure, most fans around the rest of the college football landscape won’t have a clue that they’re wearing a different shade of gold on their helmets—but that’s not who this is for. This is for the real fans that care about tradition, care about the presentation of their team and care about the image of their school.

I believe the school did an outstanding job satisfying everybody’s requests.

When you watch this Saturday’s highly competitive bout under the light against the Trojans…make sure you notice the extra shine on those golden helmets.