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Notre Dame. A university founded by French priests but represented by the “Fighting Irish.” Originally a Catholic school but now sought out by students of every religious affiliation or of none. A place of both serene beauty and vibrant activity, it has a mystique all its own.
Given 524 acres of land by the Bishop of Indiana in 1842, a group of French Brothers of the Holy Cross led by a priest, Father Edward Sorin, established between Lake Michigan and the small village of South Bend an all-male school, comprised of elementary, preparatory, and vocational programs, along with a novitiate, that Sorin hoped would one day become a Catholic university “that could not fail.” Opening with five students, by 1844 as many as 40 students were attending, including a group of orphans who resided there. Today, its 8,624 students must live on the 1,200 acre campus in one of 33 dorms (16 male, 17 female) until their senior year. It remained all-male until 1972. Much about this university is unusual, if not unique, which adds to its appeal.
Name
The property had a lake, so Father Sorin, devoted to the Virgin Mary, named it the University of Notre Dame Du Lac (Our Lady of the Lake). Unbeknownst to him, however, there was a second lake. When discovered, pressure came to bear on Sorin to change the name. But he was nothing if not stubborn, and he steadfastly refused to do it. The first lake, called St. Mary’s Lake, played another part in the school’s story, too.
Quads and Dorms
The campus is arranged around four quads, after the four directions, comprised of both residence halls and buildings dedicated to various majors. Freshmen are randomly assigned to one of the 33 dorms, along with a roommate, and may not change either during that year. As sophomores, they may change both, though they’re encouraged not to. Most don’t, which results in a sense of camaraderie among students and pride in their dorms. Each hall has a name, a mascot, its own colors, a crest of arms, and its own chapel, and engages in a variety of activities, including intramural sports, which culminate in all-campus championships at the end of each year. Each also has a charity for which it raises money every year.
On the shore of St. Mary’s Lake sits a solitary building named Carroll Hall. Built in 1906 to house the novitiate of the Brothers of Holy Cross, it was sold in 1966 to Notre Dame to become a dormitory. Nicknamed “Siberia” in the winter, its residents are a tight-knit group and have the advantage of the largest rooms on campus. Named after Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, it has a most unusual mascot: vermin, named for the rodents that infested the building in the interim between the brothers’ departure and the students’ arrival. In keeping with the tradition, this lone residence is said to be located on the “far quad.” A character in “Shrek” is actually named after it: Dr. Farquuad.
Notre Dame Brick
Handmade by the brothers using picks and shovels, the original buildings were made from the marl, a loose clay, of the lake. They’re a buff yellow color, now known as Notre Dame brick. The brothers produced millions of them to construct the school, and 12 of the original buildings still exist (including the Basilica). They also sold millions more for construction in South Bend. The marl pits were closed in 1899 and there were enough bricks stockpiled to keep building for 20 more years. After that, when new buildings were needed, bricks of a similar color were used and the architectural style, which has a remarkably modern look, remained consistent, giving the campus a very cohesive feeling. One visitor said, “It feels like it was all built at the same time.” As original buildings needed to be replaced, the brick was salvaged, cleaned, and saved. As recently as 2015, 4,800 of them were reused to repair Sorin Hall.
Fun Fact
The South Dining Hall is Gothic in design, “reminiscent of a medieval guild hall.” Built in 1927, it was inspired by the Great Hall in Christ Church Oxford, England, and is claimed by students as their own Hogwarts, which was modeled on this same church hall for the movies.
Main BuildingAlways the centerpiece of the campus, the Main Building, where students initially ate, learned, and slept, has been built and rebuilt three times on the same spot since 1843. The first was replaced with a second, larger one in 1865, and had a dome and a statue of Our Lady both painted white, but it was destroyed by fire in 1879. Sorin, the heart and soul of Notre Dame, led an inspired rebuilding effort and within a year, it had reopened. Today, it houses primarily administrative offices and some classrooms.
The dome was rebuilt and added in 1884, this time gilded with gold leaf. Some consider it the most “recognizable campus landmark” in the country. It’s been regilded 10 times, most recently in 2005. Like the Notre Dame bricks, the gold removed from the dome during regilding is reused: in the paint on the Fighting Irish football helmets and in the lettering of the graduates’ diplomas. As a result, Notre Dame graduates are called “Domers.”
The statue of Our Lady created another Sorin anecdote. He wanted the statue to be gilded along with the dome. Given the cost of rebuilding, the administrators balked at spending the extra money. Two years later, they were still at odds, so Sorin, using his position and influence, created a committee with himself as chairman, then refused to attend meetings or even to set foot on campus, going so far as to move across the street. The committee finally surrendered and in 1886 he got his gilded statue, which weighs 4,000 pounds and is 19 feet tall. Sorin had also decreed that God must always be first at Notre Dame and no building could be taller than the cross on the Basilica. Main Building is 225 feet high.
When choosing new furniture for the building after the fire, Notre Dame’s President Father Corby ordered samples from several companies, then threw the various tables and chairs down the steep stairs that lead to the entrance. Those that held up were selected and remain in use today, more than 140 years later.
There’s also a wonderful superstition involving this building. The steep stairs lead to a porch where instructors would sit and chat about all things academic, including upcoming exams. Students would hide under the porch to get clues about test questions. This led the president to announce that any undergraduate caught on or under the stairs “would never graduate from Notre Dame.” The threat was taken seriously and students began entering only from the side or back of the building. For many years now, one of the first things graduates do is run up and down those stairs.
Grotto
Father Sorin wanted to replicate the French grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes where a young girl named Bernadette saw visions of the Virgin Mary. Like other structures at Notre Dame, the grotto went through several versions before the one that stands now was completed in 1896. Sadly, Sorin died before it was finished. Approximately one-seventh the size of the French grotto, it has been a place of pilgrimage for Catholics for many years. One of the quietest, most serene places on campus, it is a place of prayer and reflection, popular with students, visitors, and sometimes bridal parties.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart:
The present church was begun in 1869 as a replacement for the original smaller version. A Gothic Revival, it involved several architects and even more design changes and again, Father Sorin was an integral part of the process. Finally consecrated in 1888, with a steeple, carillon, and gilded 12-foot cross, it stands 230 feet, the tallest structure on campus. Artisans from France created the stained-glass windows, which are now the largest collection in the world (due to WWII damage in Europe).
Football, Knute Rockne, and the Fighting Irish
Football began at Notre Dame in 1887 in a game against Michigan, the team known as at the “Catholics.” They didn’t win a game until the end of 1888 and had no coach until 1894, when James Morrison was hired as for two weeks and paid $40 plus expenses. By 1912, however, they had had 11 coaches and amassed a record of 108 wins, 31 losses, and 31 ties.
In 1913, a new coach and a player named Knute Rockne would take Notre Dame from a regional to a nationally-known team and change football forever. Jess Harper, the coach, scheduled games with big schools - Texas, Penn State, and Army. Until the Army game, receivers had traditionally stopped and waited for the ball to come to them. But Rockne caught a pass in mid-stride and scored a touchdown, making the forward pass “the dominant ball-moving strategy it is today.”
Rockne was head coach from 1918-1930. From 1922 to 1924, the famous backfield was known as the “Four Horsemen” (of the Apocalypse) and perhaps, not as famously, the front line was known as the “Seven Mules.” The team was unofficially known as the “Ramblers,” among other awful names at that time. Under Rockne, Notre Dame racked up 105 wins, 12 losses, five ties, three national championships, as well as five undefeated and untied seasons. There were some Rose Bowl victories in there, too.
During Rockne’s tenure, Notre Dame became a football powerhouse known as the “Fighting Irish.” How this came to be is the stuff of legend and is still being argued. One claim is that the Northwestern fans in 1889 wanted to “kill the fighting Irish.” Another says it came from a description of the Wisconsin game in 1904. Still another insists that in 1909, one of their own players said, “What’s the matter with you guys? You’re all Irish and you’re not fighting!” There are so many others, but a must is this. In the 1920s, the team adopted a mascot, an Irish Terrier named Tipperary Terrence. He was followed by other scrappy little dogs, but in 1966 the terrier gave way to the leprechaun. What we know for sure, according to a Notre Dame source, is that “the University President, Rev. Matthew Walsh, officially adopted ‘Fighting Irish’ as the Notre Dame nickname in 1927. Sure beats the “Ramblers.”
Knute Rockne died in a plane crash in 1931 in Bazaar, Kansas, on his way to a screening of the movie “The Spirit of Notre Dame.” His funeral service was held on Easter Sunday in the Basilica and broadcast live on the radio by CBS. Newspapers all over the world announced his passing. A large granite memorial, listing Rockne and the other seven people who died, stands on the site of the crash. Notre Dame’s stadium is still known as “the House that Rockne Built.” Outside the stadium stands a statue of “The Rock.”
Nicknames
The campus has statues everywhere and the students have named them all, using football references with the irreverence that only students can. If you’re still reading, we’ll mention only three. First, a life-size statue of the Holy Family depicts Mary holding the infant Jesus toward Joseph, who is kneeling below. This is known as the “Holy Handoff.”
Next is a larger-than-life statue of Moses holding the 10 Commandments in one hand, his index finger on the other pointing toward Heaven. Behold, it’s “First Down Moses.” Finally, an enormous mural on the south side of the library, entitled “The Word of Life,” commemorates Christ, his arms upraised, celebrating the Saints of Learning. In front is a reflecting pool, with the water dyed blue to discourage students from playing in it.
Only the figure of Jesus with his raised arms is visible from the stadium. As one person observed, “with that setting and that view, it didn’t take long….” Since 1964, this has been known as “Touchdown Jesus.”
It’s doubtful that many schools have a history this varied and a campus more fun to visit. I can tell you that it’s worth it.
by Carol Lannon
Given 524 acres of land by the Bishop of Indiana in 1842, a group of French Brothers of the Holy Cross led by a priest, Father Edward Sorin, established between Lake Michigan and the small village of South Bend an all-male school, comprised of elementary, preparatory, and vocational programs, along with a novitiate, that Sorin hoped would one day become a Catholic university “that could not fail.” Opening with five students, by 1844 as many as 40 students were attending, including a group of orphans who resided there. Today, its 8,624 students must live on the 1,200 acre campus in one of 33 dorms (16 male, 17 female) until their senior year. It remained all-male until 1972. Much about this university is unusual, if not unique, which adds to its appeal.
Name
The property had a lake, so Father Sorin, devoted to the Virgin Mary, named it the University of Notre Dame Du Lac (Our Lady of the Lake). Unbeknownst to him, however, there was a second lake. When discovered, pressure came to bear on Sorin to change the name. But he was nothing if not stubborn, and he steadfastly refused to do it. The first lake, called St. Mary’s Lake, played another part in the school’s story, too.
Quads and Dorms
The campus is arranged around four quads, after the four directions, comprised of both residence halls and buildings dedicated to various majors. Freshmen are randomly assigned to one of the 33 dorms, along with a roommate, and may not change either during that year. As sophomores, they may change both, though they’re encouraged not to. Most don’t, which results in a sense of camaraderie among students and pride in their dorms. Each hall has a name, a mascot, its own colors, a crest of arms, and its own chapel, and engages in a variety of activities, including intramural sports, which culminate in all-campus championships at the end of each year. Each also has a charity for which it raises money every year.
On the shore of St. Mary’s Lake sits a solitary building named Carroll Hall. Built in 1906 to house the novitiate of the Brothers of Holy Cross, it was sold in 1966 to Notre Dame to become a dormitory. Nicknamed “Siberia” in the winter, its residents are a tight-knit group and have the advantage of the largest rooms on campus. Named after Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, it has a most unusual mascot: vermin, named for the rodents that infested the building in the interim between the brothers’ departure and the students’ arrival. In keeping with the tradition, this lone residence is said to be located on the “far quad.” A character in “Shrek” is actually named after it: Dr. Farquuad.
Notre Dame Brick
Handmade by the brothers using picks and shovels, the original buildings were made from the marl, a loose clay, of the lake. They’re a buff yellow color, now known as Notre Dame brick. The brothers produced millions of them to construct the school, and 12 of the original buildings still exist (including the Basilica). They also sold millions more for construction in South Bend. The marl pits were closed in 1899 and there were enough bricks stockpiled to keep building for 20 more years. After that, when new buildings were needed, bricks of a similar color were used and the architectural style, which has a remarkably modern look, remained consistent, giving the campus a very cohesive feeling. One visitor said, “It feels like it was all built at the same time.” As original buildings needed to be replaced, the brick was salvaged, cleaned, and saved. As recently as 2015, 4,800 of them were reused to repair Sorin Hall.
Fun Fact
The South Dining Hall is Gothic in design, “reminiscent of a medieval guild hall.” Built in 1927, it was inspired by the Great Hall in Christ Church Oxford, England, and is claimed by students as their own Hogwarts, which was modeled on this same church hall for the movies.
Main BuildingAlways the centerpiece of the campus, the Main Building, where students initially ate, learned, and slept, has been built and rebuilt three times on the same spot since 1843. The first was replaced with a second, larger one in 1865, and had a dome and a statue of Our Lady both painted white, but it was destroyed by fire in 1879. Sorin, the heart and soul of Notre Dame, led an inspired rebuilding effort and within a year, it had reopened. Today, it houses primarily administrative offices and some classrooms.
The dome was rebuilt and added in 1884, this time gilded with gold leaf. Some consider it the most “recognizable campus landmark” in the country. It’s been regilded 10 times, most recently in 2005. Like the Notre Dame bricks, the gold removed from the dome during regilding is reused: in the paint on the Fighting Irish football helmets and in the lettering of the graduates’ diplomas. As a result, Notre Dame graduates are called “Domers.”
The statue of Our Lady created another Sorin anecdote. He wanted the statue to be gilded along with the dome. Given the cost of rebuilding, the administrators balked at spending the extra money. Two years later, they were still at odds, so Sorin, using his position and influence, created a committee with himself as chairman, then refused to attend meetings or even to set foot on campus, going so far as to move across the street. The committee finally surrendered and in 1886 he got his gilded statue, which weighs 4,000 pounds and is 19 feet tall. Sorin had also decreed that God must always be first at Notre Dame and no building could be taller than the cross on the Basilica. Main Building is 225 feet high.
When choosing new furniture for the building after the fire, Notre Dame’s President Father Corby ordered samples from several companies, then threw the various tables and chairs down the steep stairs that lead to the entrance. Those that held up were selected and remain in use today, more than 140 years later.
There’s also a wonderful superstition involving this building. The steep stairs lead to a porch where instructors would sit and chat about all things academic, including upcoming exams. Students would hide under the porch to get clues about test questions. This led the president to announce that any undergraduate caught on or under the stairs “would never graduate from Notre Dame.” The threat was taken seriously and students began entering only from the side or back of the building. For many years now, one of the first things graduates do is run up and down those stairs.
Grotto
Father Sorin wanted to replicate the French grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes where a young girl named Bernadette saw visions of the Virgin Mary. Like other structures at Notre Dame, the grotto went through several versions before the one that stands now was completed in 1896. Sadly, Sorin died before it was finished. Approximately one-seventh the size of the French grotto, it has been a place of pilgrimage for Catholics for many years. One of the quietest, most serene places on campus, it is a place of prayer and reflection, popular with students, visitors, and sometimes bridal parties.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart:
The present church was begun in 1869 as a replacement for the original smaller version. A Gothic Revival, it involved several architects and even more design changes and again, Father Sorin was an integral part of the process. Finally consecrated in 1888, with a steeple, carillon, and gilded 12-foot cross, it stands 230 feet, the tallest structure on campus. Artisans from France created the stained-glass windows, which are now the largest collection in the world (due to WWII damage in Europe).
Football, Knute Rockne, and the Fighting Irish
Football began at Notre Dame in 1887 in a game against Michigan, the team known as at the “Catholics.” They didn’t win a game until the end of 1888 and had no coach until 1894, when James Morrison was hired as for two weeks and paid $40 plus expenses. By 1912, however, they had had 11 coaches and amassed a record of 108 wins, 31 losses, and 31 ties.
In 1913, a new coach and a player named Knute Rockne would take Notre Dame from a regional to a nationally-known team and change football forever. Jess Harper, the coach, scheduled games with big schools - Texas, Penn State, and Army. Until the Army game, receivers had traditionally stopped and waited for the ball to come to them. But Rockne caught a pass in mid-stride and scored a touchdown, making the forward pass “the dominant ball-moving strategy it is today.”
Rockne was head coach from 1918-1930. From 1922 to 1924, the famous backfield was known as the “Four Horsemen” (of the Apocalypse) and perhaps, not as famously, the front line was known as the “Seven Mules.” The team was unofficially known as the “Ramblers,” among other awful names at that time. Under Rockne, Notre Dame racked up 105 wins, 12 losses, five ties, three national championships, as well as five undefeated and untied seasons. There were some Rose Bowl victories in there, too.
During Rockne’s tenure, Notre Dame became a football powerhouse known as the “Fighting Irish.” How this came to be is the stuff of legend and is still being argued. One claim is that the Northwestern fans in 1889 wanted to “kill the fighting Irish.” Another says it came from a description of the Wisconsin game in 1904. Still another insists that in 1909, one of their own players said, “What’s the matter with you guys? You’re all Irish and you’re not fighting!” There are so many others, but a must is this. In the 1920s, the team adopted a mascot, an Irish Terrier named Tipperary Terrence. He was followed by other scrappy little dogs, but in 1966 the terrier gave way to the leprechaun. What we know for sure, according to a Notre Dame source, is that “the University President, Rev. Matthew Walsh, officially adopted ‘Fighting Irish’ as the Notre Dame nickname in 1927. Sure beats the “Ramblers.”
Knute Rockne died in a plane crash in 1931 in Bazaar, Kansas, on his way to a screening of the movie “The Spirit of Notre Dame.” His funeral service was held on Easter Sunday in the Basilica and broadcast live on the radio by CBS. Newspapers all over the world announced his passing. A large granite memorial, listing Rockne and the other seven people who died, stands on the site of the crash. Notre Dame’s stadium is still known as “the House that Rockne Built.” Outside the stadium stands a statue of “The Rock.”
Nicknames
The campus has statues everywhere and the students have named them all, using football references with the irreverence that only students can. If you’re still reading, we’ll mention only three. First, a life-size statue of the Holy Family depicts Mary holding the infant Jesus toward Joseph, who is kneeling below. This is known as the “Holy Handoff.”
Next is a larger-than-life statue of Moses holding the 10 Commandments in one hand, his index finger on the other pointing toward Heaven. Behold, it’s “First Down Moses.” Finally, an enormous mural on the south side of the library, entitled “The Word of Life,” commemorates Christ, his arms upraised, celebrating the Saints of Learning. In front is a reflecting pool, with the water dyed blue to discourage students from playing in it.
Only the figure of Jesus with his raised arms is visible from the stadium. As one person observed, “with that setting and that view, it didn’t take long….” Since 1964, this has been known as “Touchdown Jesus.”
It’s doubtful that many schools have a history this varied and a campus more fun to visit. I can tell you that it’s worth it.
by Carol Lannon
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