Why Notre Dame?

[military_irish]

While going through these "tough" times with Notre Dame football, what made you a Notre Dame football fan, and what keeps you a Notre Dame football fan?

I personally grew up in South Bend, so I kind of always had that connection because anyone that knows being in South Bend during a game weekend, it's all about the Irish.

But my father went to Notre Dame in the 70's and knew Montana, to an extent, and also Rudy.

So i have always been tied to it, I have never been one to just flip flop my teams, so once an Irish fan always an Irish fan.

Gold and Blue through and through.


their may be tough times now but i will always have the faith that they Irish can prevail.

 

[Irish To The Core]

My high school coach played at Notre Dame...my family is Irish Catholic...the first college game I watched was the #1/#2 MSU tie game...a friend of mine went to ND on a hockey scholarship...I did a couple summer seminars at ND back in the early 80's. Ara Parseghian is the greatest! And it is the best place on earth.

Oh, and I don't change my allegiances...if I cheer for as team I stick with them...those "flavor of the month" people are not fans.

 

[IrishinSyria]

Dad went to ND, brother goes to ND, Irish Catholic Chicago family...so it's in my blood. Some of my earliest memories are of ND football (when I was about 6 years old and my brother was 4 or so, we were so fired up about watching a game that we started playing catch with a pillow in the family room. My brother tried to make a diving catch and ended up needing about 8 stitches when he landed on a vent).

Even when I was in my darkest mood about ND football (I really didn't like the Weis firing)...there was no alternative nor was there a desire to have an alternative.

Besides the "in the blood" stuff, I love the way ND does things. I love the gold helmets, the classic uniforms, and the stripes in the end zone. I love the fact that we recruit and develop articulate young men who only get in trouble with the law over under age drinking and maple bars, and even then rarely. I like that I'm almost always able to watch the Irish on TV, as long as I'm in the US. I love the victory march. I love our rivalries with traditional powerhouses like USC, Michigan and Michigan St. I like that we single-handily keep the service academies (and especially Navy) relevant by playing them instead of D-1AA teams and thus giving them a nationally broadcast game. I love the band. I love the terrible traffic safety puns (make sure you're in your seat in-between the 3rd and 4th quarter for your first ND game). I could go on but I think it's pretty clear, I love me some Fighting Irish.

 

[kmoose]

Most all of the above, PLUS....


YouTube - Here Come The Irish (song about Notre Dame)

 

[IrishAlum1997]

Went there. Played in the band. The Grotto. Notre Dame our Mother. Alumni Hall. Father George Rozum. Bookstore Basketball. Rudy. Monk. Lou. 1993. Eternal optimism.

We will rise again.

 

[jason_h537]

Grew up in SoCal and most of the older guys on my blcok were ND fans so i joined in. It helped that they were on TV every week so i could watch. Also Rudy came out when i was really little.

What sealed it was meeting Joey Getherall when i was a kid then seeing him on TV playing for ND and i was hooked for life

 

[kmoose]

Also Rudy came out when i was really little.

Color TV came out when I was little.

 

[mgriff]

Well, it all stems from my grandparent's house where I grew up with my mom 3 aunts and a gay uncle. Saturdays the women would sit in the kitchen and watch Penn State while my grandfather sat in the living room alone watching ND. Coincidentally my whole family is Catholic, except my grandfather, who was Protestant. Since my he was my father figure, I eventually migrated into the living room with him when I was old enough, and some of my best memories are hanging out with him watching ND. My grandfather also took me to my first ND game for the beatdown at the hands of USC in 2003. One of the best times of my life.

Being an Irish-American Catholic, along with my grandfather is what originally made me an Irish fan. Now, with my Irish identification in the back to my American one, and my cessation of religious practices, I love ND for what they represent academically and the challenges it takes to be a football player at ND. I just love the University and what it represents.

 

[IrishInColumbus]

Irish/German Catholic. I go to Ohio State but I just don't respect their football program at all. I absolutely love how Notre Dame runs their program. I don't know how anyone can not be a fan of stuff being done correctly.

My mother got an autographed Lou Holtz ball when I was younger because he was speaking in Toledo, and that basically put Notre Dame in the running. My grandfather went to the Naval Academy ('40) so I root for them whenever possible.

The only thing I wish Notre Dame would do is revive their wrestling program.

 

[IrishInFl]

My next door neighbor's (OK I lived in the country so 1/2 a mile away) dad played for ND. He was a huge fan and I just went with it.

 

[bert2834]

I don't have a clue as to why I started liking Notre Dame but know that I have never rooted for another team.

I am from Ohio, my dad is a Nebraska fan, 1 brother is an Ohio State fan and 1 was a Florida State fan(he really liked Deion Sanders).

I only have one aunt(out of 7) that liked(bless her soul) the Irish, but having 14 aunts and uncles never got close to all of them.

I remain a Notre Dame fan for the tradition and the fact that they do things the right way.

I just love this team!

 

[dshans]

Color TV came out when I was little.

I came home from ND for Christmas break my sophomore year to find that my father had gotten a color set. My mother told me that it was primarily so that he could watch the Irish play in glorious, living color.

I wasn't a fan until I was accepted to attend Notre Dame. It didn't hurt that Ara was the coach at the time and Joe Theismann was playing his final year. A personal highlight was driving 28 hours (each way) with 4 other nut cases to spend 24 hours in Dallas to catch the Cotton Bowl. One of our intrepid crew tore an ACL the evening before the game while playing touch football. He borrowed some crutches, an Ace bandage or three, an ice pack and downed aspirin like they were M&M's. He flew home immediately after the game for surgery.

Seeing the Irish take out Alabama (again!) at the Orange Bowl, Ara's last game as coach, the year after I'd graduated was another thrill. The morning after the game, as hungover as I'd ever been, I realized that I was in the same hotel as the team when I spotted Ara, Ted The Head Hesburgh and Moose Krause in the lobby. I thought it would be nice to say something so I slowly and painfully (the sun shining through the front window was quite bright and painful) shuffled over to them.

As some of you know I can be a bit long winded ... under the circumstances – head pounding and squinting through one open eye, I was only able to weakly shake Ara's hand and mutter softly "Good game, coach." Then I stumbled off, following my nose, to a nearby pot of coffee.

 

[mokpra37]

Lots of reasons

Lots of reasons

1. I grew up in the South Bend area.
2. My family is made up of mostly Notre Dame fans.
3. I had the opportunity to take classes at ND as a guest student and competed well with ND students. Those months on campus doubled my love for the university and what it stands for.
4. I have always enjoyed the game of football, and have great respect for the programs that require players to also be students and graduate. Being the most successful program in the history of college football, ND is obviously the most accomplished of those that insist upon athletes also being successful students.

That gives you three of the many reasons I have a passion for Notre Dame and Notre Dame football.

 

[dre1919]

My family's heritage and surname is Irish, and I am very aware and proud of my lineage. So, I became attracted to the Irish and all things heritage proud when I went to college and really morphed into the man I am today. So for me, the Irish in particular, and Irish heritage are very special to me. I am fiercely loyal in all phases of life so once I am a fan, always a fan no matter what the team's current state is.

 

[chadder20]

Grew up right outside of South Bend, entire family is all ND. I never knew just how big ND was until I went into the Marine Corps. I could have taken a tour bus home each weekend full of Marines that just wanted a chance to step onto the campus. As soon as I mentioned South Bend, stories of ND games came out of the woodwork. I couldn't believe that people from all different walks of life were just awestruck by ND. Even the people that didn't care for football or didn't like ND had something good to say. It just made me love the Irish that much more! I knew right then just how lucky I was to grow up close to such a renown place...and an ND fan.

 

[Dizzyphil]

First game my Father and Grandfather ever took me to. I was 6 years old and when they hit the field, I knew they were my team. The whole crowd was pretty much for the opposing team which didn't help. My Grandfather worked for Dolly Madison out of Birmingham Alabama and won the tickets at his office for being the top salesman of the prior year. Was a great game.

Notre Dame 24 - Alabama 23
1973 Sugar Bowl


Dizzy

 

[phork]

I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Both great-grandfathers and both grandfathers were full Irish. My Dad's father loved Notre Dame and sent his son there. He and Mom were married in the Log Chapel [maybe even by Father Joyce; mother thinks so]. Dad roomed with Andy Pilney freshman year and knew Moose Krause. On graduation he was offered an assistantship to teach in the Chemical Engineering Department by Ron Rich, and forever wished he had taken that chance rather than in industry. Took me [age 10] to watch ND vs Pitt and the whole experience was magical. Went there 1958-1962 [Chemistry]. Was nearly bottom of my group, but when tested against the nation, that training got me a 93% rating---the value of the ND education struck home [you don't always see clearly when you're in the foxhole]. Never lost the spiritual aura of the Grotto and just the center campus itself. Root for some school over ND? Hah!!

 

[irish4ever]

Raised under catholic faith, who else was there to root for back in the 'old days' (yes, the 70's are the old days)! Once I started following the Irish, I haven't waivered once about changing teams (thru the good, bad and ugly)!

 

[IrishGiant]

I was never a big college football fan growing up. Everything was NY Giants, and professional football, as my Uncle had season tickets since the 50's, and my Dad (1960's), and Uncle (late 40's-late 50's)played football semi-professionally. The topic of conversation was always Giants, and I grew up to Simms, Carson, Taylor, Banks, and Martin. Not a bad era to grow up watching for sure!
I didn't start watching Notre Dame as a fan until I went to college (small D-III college in upstate NY). Most of the jocks at college had allegience to a D I program, and I gravitated to the Irish because,
1) most of them were Irish fans,
2) games were telecast every week,
3) I'm part Irish,
4) I'm Catholic, and lastly;
5) they had a great program (Lou Holtz era).
I believe in sticking with your team through thick and thin, and I haven't looked back, nor regretted my choice since I became a fan in 1993. It will make it that much sweeter when we finally win the next Nat'l Title!

GO IRISH!

 

[ndcoltsfan2010]

I guess you could say I was born to be a notre dame fan. Being german/irish and having a dad who had graduated from Notre Dame the year before it was kind of crazy. My nursery was all blue and gold believe it or not. I kept alot of the things that were in there for many years. There were Notre Dame pictures, an autographed football, a National Championship Banner hanging in the corner. lol! I guess you could say it is all my dad's fault. It didn't help that I started attending games when I was young either. When I was about 4 my dad would take me to 2-3 games a year to see them play in South Bend. I actually saw Joe Montana play in Notre Dame stadium. Through the years, I have always rooted for the Irish. Having been there so many times, and having experienced the campus, the stadium and all the traditions, I have always loved them. I chose military over college because to be honest I was a young, immature kid that had no idea what he wanted to do. So I have done just about everything I can to follow Notre Dame throughout the year. Love this site, because it's nice to know there are other die hard fans out there such as myself.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

Raised Catholic in Eastern Iowa. Dad was a fan. Watched them every week and was a kid when Tim Brown, Rocket, Rice, Stonebraker, etc. were around.

My brother lived in South Bend for 6-7 years. That rekindled my fandom after being dulled by the Davie years.

I was also a teacher at Trevor Laws' high school for his junior and senior years. Always loved watching him play.

 

[INFIDEL STRONG]

I remember BEING the remote control when I was a kid and looking up at the tv when I was 3 years old in 1977, Dad was watching his favorite team. I asked him who the team was, he said ND.. Been screaming Go Irish since 1977.

 

[NankerPhelge]

Well, for all the reasons stated in my first post which is now in the "Introduction" thread, and more. Grandpa lived on Grape Road when I was a kid, probably about four or five miles from ND. At that time, no University Park Mall or anything else around, just pretty much cornfields. If we were there on a Saturday and outside listening to the game on the radio, you could actually hear the band and the crowd from that distance. Heard stories about how, in the 40's and 50's all the visiting teams stayed at the Elkhart Hotel, and when their bus passed the house on their way to the stadium, my Dad and Uncle would stand in the front yard and wave ND pennants at them. Had a buddy in high school who's family was from Arkansas, but he always rooted for ND. He could never understand how people who lived around here could root against them. In his down-home southern way, he said once that "living here and rooting against Notre Dame is like rooting against your neighbor--it's just not right."

 

[RallySonsOfND]

My dad went to ND so growing up it's really all I knew. In our basement everything is ND, (Pool table, championship banners, etc). My dad even let me snag the 1973 championship banner to have in my bedroom at school!

I remember going to campus hours before football games so dad could show the entire campus. Started me young!

GO IRISH!

 

[nlroma1o]

Like others have already mentioned, I too was pretty much born to be an ND fan. I was born in South Bend and have lived here my whole life except for when I was in college. I was born into an Italian/Polish Catholic family and both sides are die hard ND fans. My earliest memories of ND Football would absolutely have to be watching the games with my Grandpa, who IMO is still to this day the BIGGEST ND FAN EVER, God rest his soul. The amount of ND Football history he witnessed in person is mind boggling. This is one of those momments when I wish he was here so he could share all of his stories with all of you because I know so many of you on here would love to listen and would truly appreciate it. ND Football is the only thing I know! Its the only thing my kids and grandkids will know! I gotta keep the tradition going!

Go Irish!!!

 

[Jerry]

My family is Irish Catholic from Chicago. I know my Dad's side has always been ND fans. My Grandma was just telling me a week ago how her father was an insane ND fan, which is funny because I never knew this and of course I myself am an insane ND fan. My Uncle went to ND and I have some good friends and family that graduated from there. Unfortunately it wasn't in the cards for me.

I was 8 yrs old in 1988 and really its my earliest football memory where I actually started to understand the game and the importance. I can remember the Bears going to the Super Bowl in '85 but I was too young to really understand what was going on. Those late 80's early 90's ND teams were my hero's as a kid. Rice's runs, Rocket's returns, Zorich, Stonebreaker.

I always remember the Irv Smith run against Indiana and thinking it was the greatest run I'd ever seen.

And of course the heartbreaks. The clipping call against Colorado, the BC game in '93, I can remember one of the losses to Penn State in 90 or 91 feeling like somebody had died the next day.

But I've always been a die hard fan. Where a lot of my friends and family my age have wavered I've always continued to follow the Irish religiously. And always will.

 

[sptanner88]

Grew up in the late-60's and early 70's watching ND reruns on Sunday morning and having Sr. Helena (2nd grade teacher) asking the whole class to pray for a ND win each week. First kid in my family to go to college and I picked ND over Brown, BC and Holy Cross. Went there for four years and met the people who will be my closest friends for the rest of my life. Met my wife there. My daughter is now a senior at ND - going back there now and seeing her at that school is perhaps the proudest experience in my life. NB: My son is a sophomore at USC. There is no place in the world like Notre Dame and I trust that it will never change - even in order to insure a shot at a football championship every year. There is nothing like being on campus - the Grotto, the Basilica, etc. There is nothing like the feeling of meeting another ND grad (or fan) anywhere in the world and having an instant connection. Every Saturday during football season in our house is like a national holiday.

 

[theclassickiller]

My grandfather lived by the stadium as a child and his family raised more money each fall weekend letting cars park in his tiny yard than his father made in an entire week.

He met my grandmother while she was working at Notre Dame and they continued the Blue & Gold blood-line all the way down to me. My wife is a native South Bendian as well, so I'm trying to continue the tradition.

I can only imagine the joy of being a Notre Dame fan back then...

P.S. My family is Scottish/German Protestant and my wife is a Mexican Protestant. No Catholic or Irish roots to speak of, but we love Notre Dame like you wouldn't believe.

 

[PANDFAN]

my dad was a HUGE fan and growing up, watching it on tv with my dad and family, it was the only good childhood memory I can remember....but I have been an irish faithful since 1987 and haven't missed a game yet!