Event 29 – When Irish Eyes Smiled Upon Me

Doug and Todd at Notre Dame Stadium
Todd and I near the end of a soggy night at Notre Dame Stadium.

The Written Word

Still Photos

  • The Main Building.
  • The Main Building and quote from Notre Dame President Rev. Robert Dowd.
  • The golden dome from afar.
  • The Irish Green is a lovely park-like environment in the center of campus.
  • The bagpipers get situated.
  • This quartet of pipers begin to play.
  • This piper plays away.
  • The Word of Life mural on the side of Hesburgh Library.
  • Of course I got a pic in front of “Touchdown Jesus.”
  • The Word of Life mural from afar.
  • The Clarke Memorial Fountain honors Notre Dame alum’s who perished in wars.
  • The Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
  • An interior look at the Basilica.
  • A look at the pipe organs in the Basilica.
  • The backside of the Basilica.
  • The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.
  • A look at the line of fans to visit the Grotto.
  • The Grotto from above.
  • The Knute Rockne statue.
  • The Frank Leahy statue.
  • The Ara Parseghian statue.
  • The Lou Holtz statue.
  • The northside entrance aka the Knute Rockne Entrance.
  • Tim Brown (not photographed) was in the house this Saturday and so was his 1987 Heisman Trophy.
  • The ND logo was ubiquitous.
  • The plaza outside Notre Dame Stadium.
  • The exterior of Notre Dame Stadium.
  • The exterior of the Edmund Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center.
  • This group travels to its tailgate in style.
  • Our neighbor tailgaters’ tent came in handy for a bunch of USC co-eds.
  • The exterior of the entrance befroe gametime was jammed.
  • A look at the main concourse shortly after entering Notre Dame Stadium.
  • Our seat view inside Notre Dame Stadium.
  • The Spirit of Troy band was high atop the Stadium.
  • We had terrific views of plenty of action on our end.
  • Irish fans do pushups following scores … even in the rain.
  • Tommy Trojan and a twirler give the “V is for Victory” salute.
  • This USC band member is well-schooled in the “V is for Victory” sign.
  • The concourse was noticeably quieter once the game began.
  • As I was saying.
  • The USC trailer was secured under the Stadium.
  • My trip to South Bend began with a morning view of Indiana’s Oliver Lake.
  • Oliver Lake was also the last thing I saw before heading for home.

Video

Some scenes around the Irish Green.
I ran into some pipers.
Another piper.
Tailgating featured a few rain showers.
Heading up the ramp to my section.
Here come the Irish!
The opening kickoff.
Love touchdown run.
Sayeri field goal.
Tommy Trojan and the Spirit of Troy band.
Spirit of Troy playing “Fight On.”
Notre Dame Band Marching band taking the field.
“Paradise City” is played.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is played.
The “Notre Dame Victory March.”
The Irish score!
“Livin’ on a Prayer” Pt 1.
“Livin’ on a Prayer” Pt 2.

Fun Facts

  • Traveling Party – Doug and his cousin Michelle’s husband, Todd
  • Last Time Visited – Doug attended one previous Notre Dame football game in 1984 against Penn State. Todd has been a regular attendeed for several years.
  • Must See – If you’re going to Notre Dame for a football game (heck even if it’s a baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer … ANY … game) you absolutely must wander the campus to see the iconic sites. If you’re just going to the portion of campus where the athletic complex is located you’ll likely be able to see the Word of Life mural (aka Touchdown Jesus) but the rest of it – the Basilica, the Grotto, the Main Building (aka the Golden Dome) – would all be missed. If it’s cold, bundle up. If it’s rainy, bring an umbrella. Whatever you do, though, go see it all, because the sports venues are only a small part of the mystique that is Notre Dame.
  • Fourth Quarter Sing-a-Longs – This was my third on-campus college game during the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project and all three have had a fourth-quarter sing-a-along and accompanying light show during the longest media time out during the quarter. Since I’ve not been at many on-campus games any time recently this is all new to me. They’re fun and serve as something for fans to look forward to as the game’s get late. What I’ve sampled thus far: at Ole Miss for the Egg Bowl last year I heard Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.” At Alabama for the Iron Bowl last year I heard Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight.” Finally, at Notre Dame, I heard Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
    • An Extra Fun Factoid – Jon Bon Jovi’s son, Jesse Bongiovi, was a walk-on for the Irish football team from 2013-17.
  • Running List of States Traveled To/Through (26 total) – Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, & Wyoming
  • Running List of Countries Traveled To/Through (8 total) – Argentina, Canada (Ontario & Quebec), England, Japan, Korea, Scotland, United States, & Wales
  • Distance Traveled – 464 miles roundtrip to Notre Dame Stadium from my home.
  • Cumulative Distance Traveled After 29 Events – 68,493 miles
  • Up Next: An impromptu trip to Game 6 of the 2025 World Series in Toronto, Ontario.