NotreDameTalk.com

One of the first sights you see along the major highway as you pass through the area of South Bend, Indiana would be the famous Golden Dome of the University of Notre Dame. Since 1882, this golden dome has been the highlight of this Indiana skyline, marking a very significant place that would help structure the lives of many for hundreds of years to come.

The founder of Notre Dame Catholic College, Father Edward Sorin, was the one who insisted that the dome on the main building be painted with “real gold” paint, instead of the yellow paint suggested by many who thought the “real gold” paint was too expensive and extravagant. Father Sorin’s purpose and desire to have the dome, and the 16-foot statue of Mary, gilded in gold was to mark the prominence of this new college, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The school colors are also based on the same principles in which the dome came to be. Mary has always been symbolized through the colors of blue and white; blue meaning truth, the intellect, revelation, wisdom, loyalty, fidelity, chastity, spotless reputation, piety, and peace, among others. The Christian version meaning: heavenly truth, eternity, faith, and fidelity. Gold is the symbol of the sun, divine power, the splendour of enlightenment, and immortality.

Since the entire university campus is dedicated to the Holy Mother, Sorin deemed the importance of this statue and the dome be painted with gold gilt. The significance of the dome that oversees all of its students remains a constant reminder to all who enter the University of Notre Dame.

One of the many divisions of Student Affairs is the Office of Residence Life and Housing which handles all of the housing units on campus, as well as helping students with all area off-campus housing. Genders are not mixed in any of the undergraduate areas and all students are expected to keep a certain standard of conduct. As in all areas of the Notre Dame campus, the standards are maintained at high levels in order for all students to be able to study whenever necessary.
With over 11,000 students, Notre Dame is capable of housing approximately 80% of their students on campus. There are some 28 single-sex residence halls for all undergraduate students, as well as a variety of housing for graduate and professional students.

On-campus housing for the graduate students include fully furnished, one and two-bedroom apartments for single individuals. There are some 33 buildings which make up the Fischer Graduate Residences. The O’Hare Grace Townhouses is comprised of 36 townhouses which come fully furnished, but have no air conditioning. These are four-bedroom homes which are available for single students to share rent and responsibilities.

For full-time graduate students that are married, with no children, Cripe Street Apartments will be the best option. These are small one-bedroom apartments that give preference to those students who have a spouse that resides in the apartment. University Village is a community of apartment living which is available to married students with children. The University Village apartments are located just adjacent to the Notre Dame Campus.

The history of Notre Dame Football is almost as old as the University itself. The University was founded in 1842, and sits on 1250 beautiful acres with two lakes and 137 buildings, in Notre Dame, Indiana. Notre Dame, an independent Catholic University, is one of only two Catholic Universities in the football bowl subdivision.

Notre Dame University entered into the football arena in 1887 and has a long and storied tradition continuing to this day. In the 1800s, when playing football, they played just about any team from high school to pro ball players. It would not be until 1906 with the introduction of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States that standardized the game that the popularity of American Football began. In 1909, Notre Dame beat Michigan and Michigan was so mad that it would be thirty-three years before they played each other again. By 1912, Notre Dame was making a name for itself.

The term Fighting Irish is used primarily when referring to Notre Dame sports teams and most especially in reference to its football team. The nickname itself comes from immigrant Irish soldiers who fought during the American Civil War. The Fighting Irish have had over the years, seven Heisman Trophy winners, over 800 all time wins and an impressive 74.4% winning record.

The University itself is a world-renowned center for higher education and it has colleges in Engineering, Arts and Letters, Science, Business, the School of Architecture, the Law School, and a Graduate School. Since 1962, they have graduated 98.74 percent of its football players. Only thirteen of its football players as of 2006 have left school without receiving a degree, some of which went on to pro football.

Notre Dame is a classic example of an athletics-centered school. From football to lacrosse, athletics dominate Notre Dame. With proud Alumnus like Joe Montana, the football program has been the one to beat for many, but people often do not realize how many sports programs are available at Notre Dame. These programs include baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, diving, tennis, and track & field for men. For Women, basketball, cross country, fencing, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball are all available. Eighty percent of Notre Dame Students receive some form of financial aid -- this includes the athletes. With a state of the art sports medicine facility, team physicians, and student athletic trainers, Notre Dame has one of the best athletic programs in our country.

In total Notre Dame has 26 different team sports that are part of the NCAA, and 750 student athletes. The athletic department is under the direct supervision of several sports medicine doctors, which include general medicine and orthopedic medicine. There are also many student athletic trainers, who work alongside the sports medicine doctors, assisting with treatments, practice and game preparation. Although Notre Dame does not offer a degree in athletic training, these students are a very important part of the sports medicine program. With all this available to the students, they are some of the best cared-for athletes in our country’s university system. If you are planning to attend Notre Dame for any one of their sports programs, make sure to do your research and get all your required forms in before the deadlines.

With the most national championships and All-Americans for any Football Bowl Subdivision school, Notre Dame has had its share of great college football players. They have also have had seven of their players win the Heisman Trophy, so not only were they great for Notre Dame, they were considered to be the best in the country. The list is extensive and the following is just a few of the greatest players to ever come through Notre Dame.

One of the greatest, if not the greatest, player to ever play for Notre Dame was George Gipp. Nicknamed "The Gipper", he was he first consensus All-American for the Irish. He was listed as a halfback, but he also had 134 pass attempts, played defense, punted, and kick PAT's, and was very good at every position. A more recent great player from Notre Dame was Tim Brown, also a multi-purpose player. Besides being a great wide receiver, Brown was also a great punt and kick returner. He was voted the best player in college football in 1987, as he was the winner of the Heisman Trophy. Some other great players for the Irish include Angelo Bertelli, Leon Hart, Johnny Lattner, Johnny Lujack, John Duarte, Paul Hornug, Raghib Ismael, Jerome Bettis, Chris Zorich, and Brady Quinn.

Notre Dame is one the most well known college football teams in the country, and their success has had a lot to do with that. Most of this success was the result of having great players, and they have definitely had their share of some great ones.

NotreDameTalk.com

The Golden Dome at Notre Dame

On-Campus Housing at Notre Dame

The History of Notre Dame Football

Athletic Programs At Notre Dame

Great Players From Notre Dame