Touchdown Jesus is a phrase used to describe a mosaic mural of Jesus. This mural is painted on the University of Notre Damn’s Library. It is located on the south side wall and can be seen from the university’s football stadium.

The mural was a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Howard V. Phalin of Winnetaka, Illinois. It was installed after the library was built in the spring of 1964 and was kept covered until the official formal dedication ceremony of the library which was May 7, 1964. The cost for the mural was $200,000 and it is approximately 134 feet high and 68 feet wide. The artist is Millard Sheets. He was hired to do a mural that covered the entire wall of the Hesburgh Library and could be seen from the stadium.

The original title of the mural is The Word of Life. The idea of the mural was to be of all the great teachers and saints from past times. Sheets' idea was to make a representation referring to the scripture John 1-5. He put Christ at the top of the mural with his arms raised to the sky which does look like the American football symbol for a touch down. Yet, it was done with the intentions of Christ giving praise to God who with his word spoke everything into existence.

No one truly believes that the mural was put there to help win football games, but the team still credits “Touchdown Jesus” for many touchdowns and wins.