Introducing the ACC: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

We profile Cal's rivals in a new league: the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame is an independent in football but an ACC member in other sports

The golden dome at the main administration building on the campus of Notre Dame. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After more than a century as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, Cal has moved into the Atlantic Coast Conference. To introduce Cal fans to the Bears’ new conference rivals, we will profile each of the other ACC schools. Today we introduce you to Notre Dame, which is an ACC member in every sport except football and is an independent in football:

NOTRE DAME

NICKNAME: Fighting Irish

MASCOT: Leprechaun

LOCATION: South Bend, Indiana NC (pop. 103,110)

MILES FROM BERKELEY: 1,965 miles

MAJOR AIRPORT: South Bend International Airport, South Bend, Indiana

YEAR FOUNDED: 1842

ENROLLMENT: 8,971

TUITION: $60,301

CAMPUS LANDMARK: Golden Dome atop the University of Notre Dame’s Main Building. The dome, and the 17-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary atop the dome, stand 197 feet above the ground at its highest point and were added to the Main Building in 1883.

MOST POPULAR SPORTS BARS/RESTAURANTS: Corby’s Irish Pub; The Blarney Stone; Brother’s Bar and Grill; The Linebacker Lounge; O’Rourke’s Public House.

FAMOUS NON-ATHLETE ALUMNI: Former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward J. DeBartolo Jr ’68; TV personality Regis Philbin ’53; TV Talk show host Phil Donohue ’57; Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett (Notre Dame Law School ’97); former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (masters ’75); Pulitzer Prize-winning sports writer Red Smith ’27; TV sportscaster Ted Robinson ’78; Infamous Chicago Cubs fans Steve Bartman ’99.

ATHLETIC WEBSITE: fightingirish.com

Joe Montana / Robert Deutsch via Imagn Content Services, LLC

FOOTBALL

COACH: Marcus Freeman (19-7, 3rd year)

STADIUM: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795 capacity)

CAL ON THE SCHEDULE: Not yet scheduled

2023 RECORD: 10-3 (independent)

BEST PLAYER ON THE 2024 TEAM: Senior safety Xavier Watts (All-America in 2023)

MOST RECENT BOWL APPEARANCE: 2023 (Beat Oregon State 40-8 in Sun Bowl)

BOWL HISTORY: 42 appearances (21-21), including the 1939 and ’42 Rose Bowl

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: NA, Notre Dame is independent

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 13 (1919, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988)

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYERr: College: Paul Hornung (Heisman Trophy 1956); Pro: Joe Montana (Two-time NFL MVP)

ALSO: Johnny Lujack, Tim Brown, Johnny Lattner, Alan Page, Angelo Bertelli, Leon Hart

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Knute Rockne (105-12-5 in 13 seasons, 1918-1930)

ALSO: Ara Parseghian, Frank Leahy

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL (most recent meeting): 5-0 (2022: Notre Dame won 24-17 at Notre Dame)

Notre Dame guard Adrian Dantley (44) in action against UCLA in the 1975 season. / Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

MEN’S BASKETBALL

COACH: Micah Shrewsberry (13-20 in 1 season)

ARENA: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (9,149 capacity)

2023-24 RECORD: 13-20, 7-13 in ACC

BEST PLAYER NEXT SEASON: Markus Burton (2024 ACC Rookie of the Year)

MOST RECENT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2022 (lost to Texas Tech in second round, plus preliminary round)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 2001 Big East West champion

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Two-time winner of Helms Trophy as nation’s top team (t1927, 1936); best showing in the NCAA Tournament was a Final Four appearance in 1978

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Adrian Dantley (2-time All-American, 6-time NBA All-Star, Naismith Hall of Fame)

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Digger Phelps (7 final AP top-10 rankings, 393-197 record in 20 seasons at Notre Dame, one Final Four, 1978, ended UCLA’s 88-game winning streak in 1974)

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL (most recent meeting): 1-1 (Notre Dame won 57-44 on Nov. 26, 2010)

Skylar Diggins-Smith / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

COACH: Niele Ivey (89-32 in 4 seasons)

ARENA: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (9,149 capacity)

2023-24 RECORD: 28-7, 13-5 in ACC

BEST PLAYER NEXT SEASON: Sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo (first-team AP All-American in 2023-24)

MOST RECENT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2024 (lost to Oregon State in Sweet 16)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 2022-23

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Two-time national champion (2001, 2018)

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Skylar Diggins-Smith (two-time first-team All-American, four-time first-team all-WNBA)

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Muffet McGraw (2 NCAA championships, 9 Final Fours, 11 seasons of 30 wins or more)

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL (most recent meeting): 2-0 (Notre Dame won 73-62 in second round of 2012 NCAA tournament)

Shannon Boxx / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

MISCELLANEOUS

VARSITY SPORTS (24): Football, baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s fencing, women’s swimming and diving (men's team suspended by the university for one season), hockey, men’s and women’s soccer; women’s volleyball, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s lacrosse.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (22): Football (1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988); men’s basketball (1927, 1936, pre-NCAA tournament); women’s basketball (2001, 2018); men’s lacrosse (2023, 2024); men’s soccer (2013); women’s soccer (1995, 2004, 2010); men’s golf (1944).

BEST ALL-TIME NON-FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL ATHLETE: Soccer midfielder Shannon Boxx (3-time Olympic gold medalist with U.S, 2015 World Cup champion with U.S., third in voting for 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year, National Soccer Hall of Fame)

MOST FAMOUS OLYMPIAN: Fencer Mariel Zagunis (won gold medals in sabre in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, U.S. flag-bearer in opening ceremonies of 2012 Summer Olympics)

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