ND tradition top in college football
Joshua Camenzind
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - While
many students went back to their
hometowns, tried to catch up on sleep
or just plain slept, I decided I would
spend my fall break driving more
thanl,400 miles to see a football
game.
But this was no ordinary football
game. This was Notre Dame vs.
Southern Cal. The game represents
one of the most storied rivalries in col
lege football.
South Bend, home of the Fighting
Irish, is considered by many to be the
mecca of college football. Count me
in as one of them.
Let’s get one thing straight first of
all: I have never been a fan of the Irish
and probably never will be. I arrived at
Notre Dame cheering for USC, but I
left South Bend on Saturday night
with a newfound appreciation of the
tradition that envelops ND. The
atmosphere blows a person away.
Touchdown Jesus, the Golden
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Dome, the band (in its 112th year) and
its fans provide a perfect setting for
college football.
Festivities began on Friday night
when the majority of fans arrived on
campus.
Somewhere around 30 students
painted the players’ helmets gold on
Friday afternoon in the stadium, leav
ing a perfect view for the fans strolling
by. The helmets are re-painted every
game to ensure that they sparkle for
kickoff.
A pep rally on Friday night was
held in the Joyce Center. The students,
fans and alumni (around 10,000) had
the place rocking like no other. While
it was wild at first, the place exploded
when the band arrived playing the
“Notre Dame Victory March.”
Friday, Irish Coach Bob Davie
invited a special guest to the game.
His name: Wayne Gretzky. That’s
right, the Great One was standing less
than 200 feet away speaking of how he
wished he could have gone to Notre
Dame. A pep rally with Gretzky or
Tom Green? You make the call.
The Irish players walked in behind
Gretzky, in suit and tie (not baggy
sweats and turned-back hats). The
team entered the game at 3-3, but the
Irish played with heart for the univer
sity they love. And they showed it
against USC.
In addition to the pep rally, there
was the Notre Dame basketball
“Friday Night Live.” New Coach Matt
Doherty (formerly an assistant at
Kansas) held his team’s first practice
before a couple thousand students and
fans. Doherty invited ESPN analyst
Dick Vitale to speak, and Tommy
Hilfiger coached one of the teams in
the intra-squad scrimmage.
Arriving in South Bend on
Saturday morning was nothing like
being in Nebraska on gameday. Notre
Dame takes things a notch higher, and
the people are like a family. Once you
are Irish, there is no turning back.
Entering the gates before the
game, ushers greet each spectator say
ing, “Welcome to Notre Dame. I hope
you enjoy the game.” It gives ND the
fan\ily setting that makes people feel
welcome.
Notre Dame Stadium is a far cry
from Memorial Stadium. But that is
not said negatively. Notre Dame
Stadium is not plastered with adver
tising - in fact only one ad is visible
(NBC). There are no skyboxes, no
replay boards and there is no mega
sound system.
You will never hear the Rolling -
Stones, Orgy or the Beastie Boys in
the stadium - just the noise made by
the band and the student section that
put NU’s versions to shame.
ND’s student section begins on the
50-yard line and extends around
through two sections of the end zone -
not the 25-yard line. Students get
prime seats, as they should for their
support. ND’s student allotment for
tickets is 11,000 with an enrollment of
just over 10,000.
USC led early, 21-0, but the Irish
started to come back in the third when
the rain drowned out the Trojan pass
ing game. ND won 25-24.
After every game all the fans join
around the shoulders and sway arm in
arm to the band playing.
South Bend is also home to the
College Football Hall of Fame. I visit
ed it after the game and completed an
awesome day of college football.
All true college football fans must
visit South Bend - I just hope that I
can go back next season when the
Irish play host to the Comhuskers on
Sept. 9.
Joshua Camenzind is a sopho
more news-editorial major and a
Daily Nebraskan staff writer.
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