9:30 AM: The Band of the Fighting Irish (and the Irish Guard) "March
Out." The Irish Guard leads the band through campus
to wake up the students as they head to practice at the Loftus Center. If
you stand just west of the Library (Touchdown Jesus)
-- this is where they "crank up" the Victory March.
9:45 AM: Breakfast at South Dining Hall. Voted the "second best on-campus
dining hall in America" --
Fun Fact: the son of the woman who wrote Harry Potter went to ND. When
she visited the ND campus for the first time
she fell in love with the architecture of this building (interior and
exterior) and had the Directors of Harry Potter (the movie)
design the "Great Hall" depicted in the movie, to mirror South Dining
Hall. It's open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
When the SDH was built, it was considered the finest example of Collegiate
Gothic Architecture in the country.
10:30 AM: ECK Visitor Center adjacent to the ND Bookstore at 10:00 AM,
ND starts showing the 10 minute video
"The Spirit of du Lac". It's a movie you should see...they play it every
fifteen minutes until game time.
11:00 AM: Joyce Athletic & Convocation Center (ND's Basketball Arena)
adjacent to the House that Rock Built
either the ND women's team or ND men's team will be scrimmaging both
teams usually spend an hour scrimmaging for the public.
If the girls are playing at 11:00 AM the Boys will roll out around 12:15 PM
12:15 PM: Sacred Heart Basilica side door, closest to the Golden Dome,
under the inscription "God, Country, Notre Dame".
The ND football team will be arriving at the Basilica for it's pre-game
Mass, closed to the public. Hundreds of people line the sidewalk
behind the Basilica, to the side door, awaiting the buses dropping off the
football team.
Fun Fact: Dick Vitale, with his family and friends, is often waiting just
outside the Basilica doors to see the Irish.
1:00 PM: Football Team Walks from Mass to the Stadium thousands of ND
fans will line the sidewalk from the church to the stadium.
ND's football team will end Mass around 1:15 PM to 1:30 PM and walk out the
side door.
2:00 PM: The Band of the Fighting Irish and Irish Guard perform at the
steps of Bond Hall home of ND's Architecture program...
The Band plays for about 20 minutes and then the Irish Guard perform the
"Victory Clog." Bond Hall is located just west of the Basilica.
Thousands of fans attend this performance.
2:20 PM: The Irish Guard Inspection A unique ND tradition in which the
Captain of the Irish Guard inspects the Guards and then the Irish Guard Alums
in attendance, get to do their own unique inspection. After they're done
with this you can get your picture taken with an Irish Guard.
2:35 PM: The Band of the Fighting Irish and Irish Guard "March to the
Stadium" -- the Irish Guard and Band regroup at the Dome
and begin their march to the stadium. Thousands of ND fans will line the
sidewalks and watch the band go by.
3:35 PM: Kick-off.
And, then 30 minutes after the game Mass at the Basilica or some glee
club singers in the Bookstore lobby.
Other ND sites you'll want to see:
* The Grotto - located right behind the Basilica and Dome
* The Main Building - other wise known as the Golden Dome. The artwork
on the walls and the ceiling was done by the Papal Artist, Luigi Gregori.
* The Rockne Memorial located on the South Quad's western edge, you
go and rub Rock's nose for good luck...notice how shiny it is!
* The Library "Touchdown Jesus" -- at the time it was built, the
largest collegiate library in America. Fun fact: "Jesus' nose is 6' long"
* The Hammes ND Bookstore nothing like it on any campus in America.
