Let me make this clear at the outset:Â I’m not against green jerseys.
Yes, I realize green is not an “official” ND color. Yes, I realize for the purists among us, anything other than dark navy with white numerals and no names on the back need not apply. But the wearing o’ the green has been a part of Fighting Irish football lore for long and long, and since the jerseys pouring out behind the Trojan horse back in 1977 is one of my earliest ND football memories, I’m more than willing to embrace the alternative tradition here. I like them.
Having said that, though, I should clarify what I mean by “green jerseys”.
First, the true ND “green jersey”, to me, is kelly green with gold numbers, a la the 1977 brand. Other derivatives don’t do much for me, even though I realize the Leahy greens of the 1940s weren’t of that style. The throwback jerseys Charlie Weis brought out against Southern Cal in 2005 were at least close. The green-with-white things Ty Willingham tossed out there against BC weren’t even in the ballpark.
Second, if you’re going to do green jerseys, you need to have a consistent philosophy: either go whole hog or save them for the truly special occasions. Piecemeal usage is distracting and attributable to ulterior motives. I’m not a big fan of “musical jerseys”, and tend to view them as a “here’s more crap the fans can buy” cash grab. What you wear should be what you wear, and if you’re tossing out a new style every week, it grows tiresome.
I don’t know if Saturday’s planned threads will fulfill the first criterion. But I know right now they’ve a little short on the second. I understand the tradition of ND/Army at Yankee Stadium (even though this isn’t the original Yankee Stadium). But it still strikes me as a tad hollow. The game can speak for itself.
I’d rather have ND adopt the green jerseys as full-time home garb. I think the colors are vibrant and eye-catching, and green and Irish go together like Southern Cal and NCAA violations. I like ND football in the green and gold, and would welcome such a move. I’d certainly prefer it to the periodically-with-no-rhyme-or-reason plan we’ve seen the last couple years.
Green jerseys should be associated with excellence, not gimmickry. Make ’em official, or put ’em away.
Bernie P. ND'74 says:
The only reason the green jerseys were such a psyche-out against U$C in the original green jersey game is because they were so unexpected. They are no longer unexpected, and just don’t feel right to me. Indeed, I believe that we have a losing record in them, at least over the last ten years. The BC game under Ty was a disaster, and I still can’t wash that taste out of my mouth.
I have always preferred our classic blue and gold uniforms, with no names on the back. To me, that says “We are, ND!” The green jerseys (since they are now used relatively often) say “we are, a cash cow!”
It’s more important to me that we win the game than what color jerseys we wear. But aren’t we going to look like circus clowns if we wear the green and lose on Saturday?
Irish, go get ’em regardless of what color jersey you’ve got on. Hit someone!
Dannymac says:
I’m torn. I remember when we came out in green against USC in 2005 and I had chills. That said, I also love the Navy Blue. I realize this would make me a part of the problem here, except for the fact that I am too broke to buy every jersey the book store puts out.
Bass'83 says:
Oh my goodness, you mean after the first really positive feeling about ND football we’ve had in quite a while, they’re wearing green jerseys against ARMY? On the other hand, I agree with a switch to a new uniform jersey color and design. Oregon has the wildest and most varied from week to week uniforms in college football, and the kids seem to like it. And they’re ranked #1.
subway domer says:
I was in the stadium that day in Oct, 1977.
I was in the stadium that day in Oct. 1977. I was 22 yrs. old, and I drove 10 hrs. to watch the IRISH play. When the game finally started , I no longer wondered if the Irish could win that game, the question then became how much are they going to win by. A day that will live in my memory forever.LOVE THEE NOTRE DAME. GO IRISH BEAT ARMY.
BMAX says:
Great post! I was 6 years old and watched the game sharing a lazyboy recliner with my grandfather. We watched on a black and white TV, so the jersey colors didn’t matter much. I’ll never forget that feeling and haven’t missed a game since. Now I watch it with my boys in a lazyboy recliner. We have a big flatscreen and I wonder what they will be watching the games on in the future with their kids that will make this TV look like a black and white. Win or lose, regardless of color of jersey – It’s the feeling that this team gives us that is important and can’t be rivaled by any other team. LOVE THEE NOTRE DAME. Go IRish! Beat EVERYONE!
Irishone says:
Although I’m a huge fan of the green jersey, I would prefer not to know when they’re going to wear them. My perspective of the wearing of the green is like a parent surprising their child with a special something. The green jersey should be held for special games and the fans should be taken by surprise, like when the Irish run out onto the field, hence everyone starts to go crazy. Let’s be honest here folks, I’m a little concerned about the green on saturday. The Irish winning percentage with the green jersey of late hasn’t been exactly spectacular. Saturday night, prime time, green jersey, I hope it doesn’t spell doom. I hope this saturday will be a reversal of fortunes for the green jersey.
“GO IRISH”
Animal says:
I would bet that our contract with Adidas requires us to wear them once a year. This game is as good a choice as any considering our record.
I’m not sure Ty should get total blame for ruining what could have been our coolest gimmick. Lou (who in hindsight apparently did no wrong) was the first to extend the gimmick too far against Colorado and Davie had a puzzling usage against Georgia Tech. Charlie took it and made it routine.
Really it’s too bad we didn’t put them away forever after ’77. There was no way we were going to be able to bring them out for the big games and keep winning in them. Had we worn green against Miami in 88 or FSU in 93, that would just have meant the next time we wore it the other team would have been even more fired up to beat us. The glee on BC’s coach’s face after the 02 game said it all, if the green jersey continued to be what it was in ’77 eventually it would put all the pressure on us and remove any motivational advantage we might have had as underdog. I enjoy seeing clips of 88 or 93 and the ordinary blue jerseys going out and kicking ass.
IrishPunk says:
This is still college football, isn’t it? This isn’t life or death. For the great majority of ND’s “home” games the Irish wear the traditional dark blue jerseys (other than the five years when Faust shifted to “Notre Dame blue”). On occassion the Irish wear green jerseys to celebrate their “Irish” roots. Sure the school has a French name and was founded by French priests, but the “Irish” got their name from the tough Irish football players on the team more than a century ago. Wearing green on occassion should be fun – regardless of the record or the opponent. Notre Dame does more than enough to preserve old traditions (simple endzone stripes; no logo at the center of the field – and here’s a fun fact: Notre Dame has the oldest, unchanged helmet design of any D1 football team – gold helmet with gray facemask – that’s been unchanged for over 40 year, more than every other D1 school). So relax, enjoy the games and have fun watching the “Irish” play in green jerseys every once in a while. GO IRISH!
David says:
And on top of WWL Maisel’s rant about this being a “re-enactment” game, the green jerseys simply play into that tool’s insult. This is a very important game to ND’s season. The consequences of losing it include possibly Diaco’s future, the odds of a bowl game becoming very long indeed, and a lot of ranting and handwringing for 8 months.
As a fan, I love the tradition, and I love the history…but the yoke of Notre Dame’s great past seems to have become an overwhelming burden for these kids, and they should just put it out of their minds.
So to the team: Forget all the ‘looking back’ for now —there’ll be lots of time for that later. You’re wearing green, that was decided for you. But winning on Saturday is your responsibility. Beat Army.
Jim Prisby says:
No! No! No! The school colors are BLUE and GOLD and I love them! Switching full time to green would simply piss me off. This week is a game with special significants do to the history of the rivalry and the games location. BLUE!
ndfly '70 says:
Actually the proper way to state the ND colors is ” Gold and Blue”……………the Golden Dome against a Blue Sky.
IrishPunk says:
I like the tradition, but let’s not build up this Army game to be such a big hurdle. Notre Dame should win easily. Army is a mere 6-4. I was at the first game of the year when Army played Eastern Michigan University. EMU dominated Army for most of the game. But for a few turnovers and two dropped TD passes at the end of the game the Hurons (or PC – the Eagles) of Eastern Michigan would have defeated Army.
FearlessFlea74 says:
We need to put on our gold helmets and navy blue jerseys, button our chinstraps, and drive that bastard on the other side of the line into the ground, grind up that son of a bitch and beat him to a bloody pulp (cleanly and within the spirit and letter of the rules- NO CHEAP SHOTS). We need to get some old fashioned hate into the way we play FOOTBALL and we need to destroy the enemy! And after we have pounded him into submission, we need to reach down and help him stagger to his feet. A Notre Dame MAN does not lie, cheat or steal and we show respect to all. But, it is our duty to win football games. By the way, the jerk that likes Oregon so much, go out there and be a duck.
Joe says:
It doesn’t matter either way for me. Blue and gold are the colors of Our Lady. Kelly (sic) green is one of the true colors of Ireland. My concern is that they should be a true Kelly green so they don’t blend in with the grass if that is possible. Other than that, I like the statement. They should be brought out for special games and only when ND is back in dominance.
IrishChan says:
Being that I’m not superstitious guy and certainly do not believe that the color of our jersey’s determine any part of winning or losing I would like to see the Green Jersey’s this week.
To me the use of the Green Jersey has become a part of our tradition at ND. I LOVE how we never know when they are going to come out of the tunnel wearing them.
That said… I couldn’t disagree more that the Green Jersey should be our every home game threads. Keep special… once a year… or every couple of years. Just keep me guessing!~
DomerDad says:
I agree that there should be a consistent plan of when the green jerseys should be worn. I don’t care what it is, but pick one and stick with it. For example, the St. Louis Cardinals (like most MLB teams) wear red caps at home, blue on the road, and on Sundays wear a blue cap with red bill. You always know when and why which cap they will wear. ND should apply this conistent appoach with the green jerseys. Again, I agree that the element of surprise doesn’t surprise anyone more.
Dano83 says:
I was also at the game in 77. As I recall and please correct me if i am wrong someone, we were a good team but still home underdogs! The team did pregame warmups in the blue jerseys and were presented the green jerseys as a surprise in the locker room before rushing out on to the field past or thru a giant trojan horse. The green was used to motivate and inspire an underdog to rise to the occassion against a higher rated opponent. If they had lost , no big deal it was worth the shot. On the other hand, using the green jerseys against a lesser opponent tells that opponent that we think we need a boost to beat them, as was the case against BC. It told BC that we were afraid of them and thought we needed some verdant voodoo to overcome them. It actually motivated BC more than us. Using that logic , the green against USC in 2005 made sense. Be afraid when we break it out for the Western Michigans of the world!
Tark says:
I think the the green jerseys have more to do with it being Green Week at NBC.
cmhirish says:
I agree with the basic concept mentioned by Dano83.
The green jerseys are only to be worn on occasions when the Irish are underdogs and are still a solid enough team to have a reasonable chance of pulling off the upset. The 1977 USC game and the 1992 Sugar Bowl (#3 Fla, 10-1 vs #18 ND, 8-3) being perfect examples. I’m too young to have any personal recollection of USC ’77 as it actually unfolded ,but the 1992 Sugar Bowl (aka the Cheerios bowl) – with the Irish in their road white jerseys with green numerals (how rare is that!) – certainly was that type of competitive underdog game.
The wearin o the green is not to be announced in advance, should occur only when the Irish are a competitive underdog, and then maybe only once every 5 years or so.
irishhawk50 says:
I am a bit older than most of the people posting here, but was born a Notre Dame fan. I can remember back to the black & white world. The first color photos I ever saw of Notre Dame were in Sport Magazine and they were of Paul Hornung in the green uniform. I grew up in the era of black & white TV. The first Notre Dame game I can remember watching (vs. on the radio) was the 1957 7-0 victory over Oklahoma. I just always assumed, as a young boy, that Notre Dame wore green uniforms. In fact as a young boy, I seem to remember that the Sunday sports page of the NY Herald Tribune was printed on a light greenish paper. I just assumed it was for Notre Dame football! Anyway, I agree the hype on the green is a little over used. I would prefer they always wear green for their home games or an alternative would be maybe senior day or when they have “away” home games.
DT80 says:
I was a student in 1977 and as I recall the team stayed with the green jerseys the rest of the season after the USC game, including the Cotton Bowl win over Texas.
Occasionally switching jersey colors and designs is as much a sign of the times as anything. It seems every time I turn on an NFL game at least one of the teams is sporting a new look or a throw back jersey. It is mostly a way to make more money on athletic wear sales, as alluded to in some of the posts referencing the Adios contract.
mpsND'72 says:
I was at the ’77 game with my dad. I was wearing new contact lenses which were stinging, so I spent most of that game squinting through teary eyes.
We were about 25 rows up in the corner of the north end zone, just to the right of the goal post, looking down to the field. There was a lot of excitement in the stands that day. But when the Irish came back on the field after warming up in the blue and gold, and followed the Trojan horse in those green and gold jerseys, the place went crazy! All the while, my eyes were killing me! But it was all worth it, because we killed USC, and I have a very special memory.
I agree with you. If we wear the green jerseys, it should be the same 1977 green and gold. However, I would only bring them out for very special games, e.g., if/when we’re (ever again)playing a meaningful regular-season game (like being ranked in the Top 10 late in the season and playing another closely- ranked opponent); a Major Bowl, or; some special/historical game – I suppose the Army game this Saturday would qualify. Other than that, I would keep those green and gold jerseys off the field.
Also: a tip of the hat to Dan Devine. It was his idea. Sorry to say – as many of you know – that Dan didn’t get the proper respect he was due back then. “Dump Devine” bumper stickers were being sold on that day back in 1977! Dan was a very good coach. But Ara was a tough act to follow. Too bad we didn’t have a Dan Devine, after Lou left.
Here’s to you, Dan Devine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2gHOZvjGeg
RJD says:
Wearing numbers the same color as your pants reminds me of Michigan.
george says:
To show solidarity with the Army and all it has done for America, I think the Irish should wear camo green in Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
Matt Barbour says:
The colors of the University are GOLD AND BLUE. The home uniforms are not only traditional, but speak from within for the spirit of the University. As the players, students, and fans stand and sing after the game, I’ve never heard “green”! Let’s get back to the blue and gold in the stands so we look like a group that knows from where it came from, and the show the colors of Notre Dame. The colors in the stands at home games make one wonder what school we’re supporting. Nothinh was more disspiriting than the sea of red a few years ago when Nebraska invaded our stadium. Let’s get back to GOLD and BLUE.
TC68 says:
The week after the ’77 ND / USC game, the Trojans played California at Berkeley. Cal was superior in a very physical game. Towards the end of the game, the Cal band played a medley that started with a very spirited version of the Notre Dame Victory March, swung into “The Old Gray Mare” (everyone not from USC hates the horse) and finished with “Fight On” in funeral dirge tempo. The fans went wild. I wasn’t at the Green Jersey game, but was at this one and felt such a kindred spirit with the Cal fans who were enjoying a rare victory over one of their big rivals.
Go IRISH!
bob says:
The color of our unis hasnt had any decision whether we win or lose. The BC game under Willingham was a joke bc our QB was PAT DILLINGHAM. The Irish fumbled 8 times. Wouldnt have changed if the color of the jerseys were Blue or Green. USC 05? Ambrose Wooden still wouldve given up the 4th and 9. Lets worry more about the outcome of the game and not what color the Irish are wearing when they run out of the tunnel…or dugout. GO IRISH. BK knows what he’s doing. We’re on our way back. NO UNBELIEF.
fballfan15 says:
Coaches at Notre Dame should not be allowed to bring out the green jerseys until they have one a national championship. I’m all in favor of some new school jerseys for regular use though, I haven’t even noticed that we’ve modified our uniforms slightly over the past decade or so.
bat says:
I’ve been on both sides of this argument for years. I have to admit however that when I heard we were going Green for this game against the Black Knights I was excited. After this years disappointments we need a little excitement. C’mon Irish win big!
Fitz says:
It’s ok in my opinion to bust out the green jerseys here and there but do it as a surprise as in the past. Clearly it’s even more motivational that way. Imagine how surprised everyone would be, fans and players alike if the players went in to halftime and found the green jerseys for them to change into for the 2nd half just like the first time back in ’77. I’d probably rather save them for USC too but overall I’m ok with the occasional going green third jersey usage as long as the coach is being selective about when to do it and uses them as a method of surprise and motivation, none of these beforehand announcements that makes the green lose it’s punch.
59075 says:
To use the green jerseys for motivation is just as likely to have the opposite effect nowadays. The tradition was long-established before 1977, and every coach before and after Ara have used them at one time or another. Rockne, Devine and Holtz were able to pull off a little surprise and maybe get some motivational mileage out of green jerseys. But in my lifetime, Faust, Kuharich, Willingham, Weis and Davie found out a green jersey will not overcome inadequate coaching. To expect them to bring magical powers to the team that wears them seems silly. Yeah, ND has lost a lot of games in green lately. But they’ve lost a lot in blue, too. I think almost every team at ND incorporates green on their uniforms at some point now, so I’m okay with breaking them out once a year for a bowl game, senior sendoff, neutral site game, etc.
PS: Adidas should never, ever, EVER bastardize the ND uniform the way Nike did Oregon’s.
brian custer says:
the green jerseys should be blended in as an “alternate jersey”. wear the regular navy blue jerseys most of the time, then pre-schedule the greens for “special games’ ie senior day, bowl game, etc. almost all major football teams have “alternate” uniforms. it is really just a marketing ploy.
brian custer says:
i guess i don’t undertand why notre dame shouldn’t have an “alternate jersey” worn on certain pre-scheduled dates. jinxes & bad luck are not catholic beliefs. the green & gold looks good & should be worn a couple of times/year
Lil'G '82 says:
gold, blue, green …. like them all! Personally, I’d like to see them all incorporated into each week’s ensemble. But really, it’s about the players hitt’in someone in mouth… even if its shirts and skins!
I played in the green and in the Faust blue( did’nt much care for the color, but must admit I liked the name on the back). Hey Gang, forget the color scheme and go drill somebody. Perfect mantra for the O-line should be … “coach, no need to pass-just run the damn ball and let us kick some -”
and for the Defense- just look across the line of scrimmage and suggest to Army players “that their Momma’s must not love them anymore, poor things!”
GO IRISH