I am planning my first visit to a Notre Dame home game this year.

[Bodizephax]

Time to walk the walk. I think the Irish are going to have a great season in 2017 and I want to be part of the Irish "Eye of the Tiger" Energy force. I want to look the players in their eyes during the players walk and offer them my encouragement and thank them for battling our enemies in the arena. But most of all I want to see some GREAT football by the Irish ! Don't really care about the bookstore or bars or churches... Just victory and great emotion.. Irish Football in the fall is Life, my friends. And I want to experience Life to the fullest. I am not going to envision any of the ND game experience beforehand--- I hope to have my Mind blown when I am sitting in the stands when the ball is kicked into play !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to take a week vacation after the game so I can let it soak in. If anyone wants to share their first experiences at an Irish home game so Speak !!

 

[IrishMike409]

Bodi, what game???

 

[Irishjohn68]

If you are not going to enjoy the whole ND football weekend experience then you will be sorely missing out. Pep rally, player walk, band concert on the steps, band marching to the stadium, tail gating, burgers on the quad, Philly cheese steaks at the K of C, bookstore madness, the Basilica, the trumpets under the dome, the Dome, pictures in front of TD Jesus and first down Mosses, rubbing Knutes nose at the Rock, the JACC. Check out the hockey arena. There are so many wonderful things to do at a ND game that you will be really missing out.

 

[MTIrish98]

I would plan a Thursday - Monday trip so you can witness everything!

 

[Toby Smart]

My first home game experience that I have memory of was October 1st, 1960 against Purdue. The campus is not the same. The experience is different. The parking is definitely not the same. The bookstore might be bigger and in a different location, but it's still packed on game day. The team itself should be much better in 2017 than in 1960. The stadium had grass field , an actual clock scoreboard, and no Jumbo. The helmets may have had shamrocks but I'm not completely sure. All I know is I had one of the greatest days of my young life even though Purdue crushed the Irish that day.

 

[Pennick44]

Time to walk the walk. I think the Irish are going to have a great season in 2017 and I want to be part of the Irish "Eye of the Tiger" Energy force. I want to look the players in their eyes during the players walk and offer them my encouragement and thank them for battling our enemies in the arena. But most of all I want to see some GREAT football by the Irish ! Don't really care about the bookstore or bars or churches... Just victory and great emotion.. Irish Football in the fall is Life, my friends. And I want to experience Life to the fullest. I am not going to envision any of the ND game experience beforehand--- I hope to have my Mind blown when I am sitting in the stands when the ball is kicked into play !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to take a week vacation after the game so I can let it soak in. If anyone wants to share their first experiences at an Irish home game so Speak !!

Awesome Bodi. It is a fantastic take. I have been a dozen or so times and always have a blast. It will be a sure W for the Irish that weekend. Pick one of the tougher games!

 

[wicker]

waited my whole life to go. Rode bus 13 hrs staring at someone's head the entire way. Froze. Left early

 

[rgc7]

Time to walk the walk. I think the Irish are going to have a great season in 2017 and I want to be part of the Irish "Eye of the Tiger" Energy force. I want to look the players in their eyes during the players walk and offer them my encouragement and thank them for battling our enemies in the arena. But most of all I want to see some GREAT football by the Irish ! Don't really care about the bookstore or bars or churches... Just victory and great emotion.. Irish Football in the fall is Life, my friends. And I want to experience Life to the fullest. I am not going to envision any of the ND game experience beforehand--- I hope to have my Mind blown when I am sitting in the stands when the ball is kicked into play !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to take a week vacation after the game so I can let it soak in. If anyone wants to share their first experiences at an Irish home game so Speak !!

Bodi,
If I were a rew years younger and a little closer, I would have loved to join you ! When Ty was still
coaching, I went with a group from the Old Board. It was a very wonderful experience !
As another poster already posted, do the whole thing, Pep rally, the band, tailgate, the Basilica,
the Grotto, Light a few candles ( one for me if you so desire ) , etc.
I'll be there with you in spirit ! Enjoy !

 

[Bodizephax]

Bodi, what game???

I don't know yet. I just got the ball rolling by asking my wife if she wanted to go and she said it was cool. I am thinking about Temple or Georgia but it could be any game. I probably drive up. I am not Donald Trump so I am looking at keeping costs down as much as possible.

 

[Bodizephax]

Bodi,
If I were a rew years younger and a little closer, I would have loved to join you ! When Ty was still
coaching, I went with a group from the Old Board. It was a very wonderful experience !
As another poster already posted, do the whole thing, Pep rally, the band, tailgate, the Basilica,
the Grotto, Light a few candles ( one for me if you so desire ) , etc.
I'll be there with you in spirit ! Enjoy !

Thank you rgc7 ! I am definitely going to light some candles and enjoy the experience !

 

[Irish 54]

Time to walk the walk. I think the Irish are going to have a great season in 2017 and I want to be part of the Irish "Eye of the Tiger" Energy force. I want to look the players in their eyes during the players walk and offer them my encouragement and thank them for battling our enemies in the arena. But most of all I want to see some GREAT football by the Irish ! Don't really care about the bookstore or bars or churches... Just victory and great emotion.. Irish Football in the fall is Life, my friends. And I want to experience Life to the fullest. I am not going to envision any of the ND game experience beforehand--- I hope to have my Mind blown when I am sitting in the stands when the ball is kicked into play !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to take a week vacation after the game so I can let it soak in. If anyone wants to share their first experiences at an Irish home game so Speak !!

Good luck and you will never forget your first time. Mine was in 1950 and it's still with me.

 

[IrishHerb]

Hard to believe it will be your first visit to ND.

As Irishjohn and others have said, take in the whole experience. Its unlike football anywhere else.

One other thing, if you're still there on Sunday, you might try to take in an interhall game. I've watched a few when my daughter was a student there and the games arent bad. Real refs and everything.

 

[shabak]

My first Notre Dame home game was the 1974 game against Miami of Florida when Eric Pennick return to the game after sitting out the spring and half the season due to a fractured ankle. It was obvious he was going to get the handle off and he was thrown for a loss I had to leave. In this particular game Clements to Demerlee was on show. I believe Notre Dame won that game 35 to 7 but the game was literally over at halftime. Was a beautiful sunny day, now I remember driving down Notre Dame Avenue and looking at the golden dome. My spine began to tingle and was an awesome experience, especially going to the ACC and looking at all the trophies Etc. Since then I've been to maybe 35 to 40 Notre Dame games, many of them being at South Bend Indiana. It's fun to take in the culture of the band, the player walk, as soon as passivity and the bookstore. The pep rally can be awesome, and I remember in the old stepan Center will they have the pep rallies, and I believe Willie fry one of the captains came out and talked about wearing his green so we're yours. Little did we know that they would have the Trojan Horse and the Irish changing their blue jerseys to Kelly Green. Great environment you have a fantastic time no matter what.

 

[Irishjohn68]

My first ND game was Sept 18th, 1976 ND vs Purdue. ND won big that day 23 to 0. I was 8 years old at the time and got to meet my hero Vegas Ferguson. My Dad took me to my first game and it was incredible. Been to nearly, but not all, home football games since. Seen a lot of ups and downs since 1976. Always love Notre Dame.

 

[theskibro]

Time to walk the walk. I think the Irish are going to have a great season in 2017 and I want to be part of the Irish "Eye of the Tiger" Energy force. I want to look the players in their eyes during the players walk and offer them my encouragement and thank them for battling our enemies in the arena. But most of all I want to see some GREAT football by the Irish ! Don't really care about the bookstore or bars or churches... Just victory and great emotion.. Irish Football in the fall is Life, my friends. And I want to experience Life to the fullest. I am not going to envision any of the ND game experience beforehand--- I hope to have my Mind blown when I am sitting in the stands when the ball is kicked into play !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to take a week vacation after the game so I can let it soak in. If anyone wants to share their first experiences at an Irish home game so Speak !!

Bodi
I am so happy for you.
You are going to have a life changing experience. I hope you are ready for this.

Of course you are. You are the Bodmeister.

You were made for this event

The team will play better with you there

Touchdown Jesus will have tired arms

Now embrace it and do the weekend justice. Get there by Friday morning. U want stories? I can give em to you. U want tips? Got that covered. What u want brother?

 

[Bodizephax]

Bodi
I am so happy for you.
You are going to have a life changing experience. I hope you are ready for this.

Of course you are. You are the Bodmeister.

You were made for this event

The team will play better with you there

Touchdown Jesus will have tired arms

Now embrace it and do the weekend justice. Get there by Friday morning. U want stories? I can give em to you. U want tips? Got that covered. What u want brother?

Tips would be great. Where to get tickets (two--me and my wife). Where to get a hotel before the game (what town). I am going to drive up (11 hour drive).
Also stories would be great !!!

 

[Telx1]

Good call Bodi. Happy for you. My wife doesn't like football, and she still talks about the game I took her to nearly twenty years ago, as one of her greatest lifelong experiences. IrishJohn's list are must do game day activities, all of which will be experienced before the game's first kickoff. Sitting in the stadium and enjoying a ND football game in the Fall is very special, but experiencing all the on campus before the game activities is downright magical, and these memories will last a lifetime.