Notre Dame Stadium's True Throwback Feel Makes It Special

Notre Dame Stadium isn't the loudest, but it does provide one of the most unique experiences in American sports

Sep 16, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; The Word of Life Mural, commonly known as Touchdown Jesus, is seen in an entryway to Notre Dame Stadium during the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Central Michigan Chippewas / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams might as well have been talking about Notre Dame Stadium when he gave his epic speech towards the movie's climax.

"This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come."

Notre Dame Stadium isn't the biggest college football stadium in the nation. Heck, its not particularly even close to being so.

Notre Dame Stadium isn't the loudest college football stadium, either. It has its moments ( ie- any point in the '88 Catholics vs. Convicts game, Tom Zbikowski's punt return against USC in '05) where it can be deafening, but it's not as loud be default like you'd say about several other big-time college football stadiums.

Best College Football Stadiums - Notre Dame Stadium recently ranked fourth

ESPN recently polled 14 of its college football writers and had them rank the best college football stadiums. They didn't ask them to base the voting off loudest fans, best sightlines, or most seats. They left each reporter's reason for rankings entirely open for however each wanted to vote.

Notre Dame Stadium checked in fourth. LSU's Tiger Stadium came in No. 1 followed by the Rose Bowl and Michigan Stadium.

Adam Rittenberg did the write-up for Notre Dame Stadium and described it as follows:

Since opening in 1930, Notre Dame Stadium has hosted some of college football's most significant teams, players, coaches and moments. But the venue is known as much for what lies just beyond its northern edge as for what's inside.

Since fall 1964, the "Word of Life" mural on the university library tower has welcomed ball carriers to the north end zone. Known as "Touchdown Jesus," the mural depicts Jesus Christ with his arms raised, similar to the touchdown signal. Located a little more than a football field away from the Knute Rockne Gate, where Notre Dame players enter for each game, Touchdown Jesus is visible from a portion of seats in the south part of the stadium and is frequently shown in camera shots of Notre Dame contests. -- Rittenberg

Notre Dame Football - Touchdown Jesus is great, but Stadium so much more

Touchdown Jesus is certainly powerful and a key element of Notre Dame Stadium today but hardly does it tell the entire story. Heck, for as historic as the stadium is, Touchdown Jesus has only been around to see four of Notre Dame's 11 claimed football national championships.

Sure, things changed in a big way with the renovation that added 20,000 seats in 1997 and again in 2017 when luxury suites and a giant video screen were added. But despite that, Notre Dame Stadium is a trip back in time.

There aren't advertisements all over the place.

There isn't a crazily painted end zone, instead it's the old school diagonal lines. 18 of them in fact that are painted at 42-degree angles as a nod to the school's history of opening in 1842.

The gold helmets that have been worn seemingly as long as time, the home uniforms that haven't changed a whole lot in over 40 years certainly play factors in the old school feeling as well.

Notre Dame Stadium the rare connection to the past

And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces.

That's the part of the Terence Mann quote that comes right before the one we used to start this piece.

When I go to Notre Dame Stadium and even start to walk towards the venue on gameday the connection to the past is undeniable. That's not to say it doesn't exist other places but for being the venue I frequented the most as a child and young adult, the connection to that past is real.

The connection to my grandfather, who would regularly mail me the newspaper previews and writeups of Notre Dame football from the Northwest Indiana Times is felt - as is when he would complain about Bob Davie or play caller Jim Colletto.

The connection it brings to the past and the total escapism it offers from the real world for roughly three-and-a-half hours just over a handful of times a year is undeniable.

That happens in countless college football stadiums, professional baseball parks, and high school basketball arenas nationally.

For me it happens at Notre Dame a few times a fall and that is what makes the venue special.

Lou Holtz Famous Quote is Dead-On

Those who know Notre Dame, no explanation’s necessary. Those who don’t, no explanation will suffice. - Lou Holtz

This quote either makes complete and perfect sense to you or none at all and essentially summarizes what makes Notre Dame's entire campus on gameday, Notre Dame Stadium included, special.

Related: How Knute Rockne Impacted Founding of the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers