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FACTS & FIGURES

-Tenant: Notre Dame Fighting Irish -Conference: Independent -Capacity: 80,795 -Surface: Fieldturf -Opened: October 4, 1930 -Cost: $750,000 -Seating Chart -Notre Dame Fighting Irish Sports -Gameday Reviews

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football is a program full of success and legacy with 11 national titles and seven Heisman Trophy winners, plays at a stadium, Notre Dame Stadium that is full of history and tradition. The long and storied history of Fighting Irish football at Notre Dame Stadium dates back to October 4, 1930 when the team battled SMU during the first game at the facility.

Notre Dame Stadium was built to replace Cartier Field, a 30,000 seat facility that opened in 1889. A new stadium was deemed necessary with the success of the team leading to sold out games at Cartier Field. Coach Knute Rockne was instrumental in getting a new stadium constructed. Osborn Engineering led the design of the $750,000 stadium, patterned after Michigan Stadium, and in late 1929 construction began. Original capacity was 54,000 as the one tier grandstand enclosed the field. Throughout its over eight decade existence, Notre Dame Stadium has only had one main addition. Prior to the 1997 season, the stadium was expanded to its current capacity of 80,795.  Nearly 21,000 seats were added along the top rim of  the stadium. In addition, the first three rows of seats were eliminated, a new grass field was installed, new scoreboards were placed above the rim of the stadium in the north and south end zones and a new three tier press box was built. The grass field was replaced with Fieldturf in 2014.

Notre Dame Stadium remains one of the most unique stadiums in college football with its brick exterior and location on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, IN. Located above the north endzone is one of the most iconic features in college football, a piece of art nicknamed, "Touchdown Jesus." Located on the Hesburgh Library, this 134 foot tall The World of Life mural looms over the endzone at Notre Dame Stadium. A trip to this historic and iconic stadium is a must for any college football fan. In January 2014 Notre Dame announced plans for a $400 million project that will add three new academic buildings that will tie directly into Notre Dame Stadium. Totaling 750,000 square feet, these building will upgrade the student experience, academics and the stadium. Nine story structures will be on both the east and west sides, allowing the addition of 2,000 to 3,000 indoor and outdoor club seats on three levels. A new video/scoreboard will be added on the south side of Notre Dame Stadium. The scoreboard in the north endzone will be removed, giving fans a better view of the "Touchdown Jesus" mural. Construction on this project began after the 2014 season and will be complete by the 2017 season.