Notre Dame Stadium facts for kids
| The House That Rockne Built | |
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| Location | Notre Dame, Indiana |
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| Coordinates | 41°41′54″N 86°14′2″W / 41.69833°N 86.23389°W |
| Owner | University of Notre Dame |
| Operator | University of Notre Dame |
| Capacity | 80,795 59,075 (1996) |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1930 |
| Opened | 1930 |
| Construction cost | $750,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (NCAA) (1930-present) |
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Notre Dame Stadium is a famous football stadium located at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. It is the home field for the university's football team, the Fighting Irish. The stadium first opened its doors in 1930 and can hold over 80,000 fans!
Contents
History of Notre Dame Stadium
Building the Stadium
The Notre Dame Stadium was built in 1930. It replaced an older stadium called Cartier Field. Building the stadium cost more than $750,000. The head coach of the Fighting Irish team at the time, Knute Rockne, helped design the stadium. Its design was inspired by the Michigan Stadium.
The stadium was built by the Sollitt Construction Company. They started building in April 1930 and finished in just six months! The first game played in the new stadium was on October 4, 1930. The Fighting Irish won against the SMU Mustangs with a score of 20–14.
Growing the Stadium's Size
When it first opened, the stadium could hold 54,000 people. Over the years, more seats were added. By 1997, 21,000 new seats were put in. This made the stadium's total seating capacity 80,795, which is how many people it can hold today.
In 1997, permanent lights were also added to the stadium. These lights were paid for by NBC, a television company. NBC has been showing all home games from Notre Dame Stadium since 1991.
Playing Surface Changes
For many years, the field at Notre Dame Stadium had natural grass. But before the 2014 football season, a new type of artificial grass called FieldTurf was installed. This modern surface is now used for all games.
Touchdown Jesus Mural
The stadium is famous for its view of something called Touchdown Jesus. This is actually a very large mural titled The Word of Life. It shows the resurrected Jesus and is painted on the outside wall of the Hesburgh Library.
The mural is huge! It is about 132 feet (40 meters) high and 65 feet (20 meters) wide. You can see it clearly from the northern end of the stadium. Millard Sheets designed the mural, and it was built in 1964. It cost $200,000 to make. The mural is made from 81 different types of stone from 16 countries. It has hundreds of panels with 6,700 pieces of granite.
In 1997, some fans were upset when the university planned to add more seats to the stadium. They worried these new seats would block the view of Touchdown Jesus. The university decided to change their plans so that the mural could still be seen. However, the view is now partially blocked.
Images for kids
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Postcard of Notre Dame stadium between circa 1930 and 1945
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Duncan Student Center and O'Neill Hall as part of the Campus Crossroads addition to the stadium
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Notre Dame Stadium at night in October 2021, with the new Jumbotron
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The Word of Life mural, commonly known as Touchdown Jesus, is visible from inside the stadium
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Duncan Student Center under construction in 2017, part of the Campus Crossroads project
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O'Neill Hall and the main entrance of the stadium after completion of the Campus Crossroads project
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A view from the east side of the Notre Dame Stadium showing (from left to right) the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Golden Dome atop the Administration Building and the Hesburgh Library with the mural of Touchdown Jesus
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The 2019 NHL Winter Classic
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See also
In Spanish: Notre Dame Stadium para niños
