Notre Dame’s Helmet For The Maryland Game Is A Part Of Tradition

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And so we have it; the new helmets that Notre Dame will wear against Maryland. The “change” at Notre Dame is rolling along. You don’t even have to ask- I LOVE THEM! Why I love them, is a more complicated answer. Why? Because it has less to do with the actual look of the uniform and helmet, and more to do with why and how. 

As a football program, Notre Dame has been in need of some serious change both on and off the field for well over a decade. The on the field stuff is well known, and well documented across the country, but it is the “other” things that needed a kick in the ass. 

The top 3 things that Notre Dame fans talk about during the offseason are:

1. Jumbotron
2. Fieldturf
3. Uniforms

Maybe not in that order, and maybe that isn’t exactly true, but if you read any ND message board in May or June, there are at least 4 or 5 recent threads on those topics. Why? Because Notre Dame just doesn’t change things. The old guard calls it living in tradition. I call it drowning in tradition. Traditions shouldn’t exist merely because they are what has been done for decades and decades, they should serve a purpose- A REAL PURPOSE. If not, we live in the past while everyone else leaps ahead into the future. 

This is exactly what has happened to Notre Dame. Notre Dame wasn’t a mediocre program for the last 15 years because we don’t have a jumbotron, or fieldturf, or because our uniforms only saw slight variations. No, those things weren’t directly responsible, but it is that exact mindset that has thrown a proud program into one of its worst stretches in its history. This program failed to live up to the tradition set forth by Knute Rockne. The tradition of being progressive- of never letting another program have any type of advantage over Notre Dame.

With Brian Kelly, we are getting that tradtion back. He has the support of the administration unlike anything we have seen in quite some time. The wins will come in bunches in due time. All of this, is about changing the culture of the program- to get back to its roots. It’s funny how some fail to see that. 

In the Notre Dame press release about the uniforms for the Maryland game, they also dropped this tidbit on us:

This marks the first in a series of uniform features that will be utilized for Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series contests. After the 2011 game at FedExField, the Shamrock Series in 2012 moves to Soldier Field in Chicago for a game against Miami. In 2013 the Shamrock Series matchup against Arizona State will be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Irish will showcase uniform variations in their annual Shamrock Series games but otherwise will wear their standard uniforms the rest of the season.

This is exactly how I wanted the neutral site games to be, and the perfect game to wear a different uniform design than what we normally see. This is the time and place to have a little fun- to show the country in prime time, that Notre Dame is not drowning in tradition, but making a gigantic water theme park out of it. These are the times we live in. 

There was another part of the presser that has very little to do with my point, but was too good to not mention:

Created in partnership with adidas, the Shamrock Series helmets are covered in 24-carat gold leaf and feature green shamrocks on each side and a leprechaun decal on the back. Handcrafted with meticulous detail, the gold-leaf helmets combine Notre Dame’s rich football heritage with the program’s bright future. The helmets have been handcrafted by Troy Lee Designs of Corona, Calif.

Now, reread that portion, and imagine it being a part of a jewelry store commercial, or better yet- A QVC SALE!!! Sorry, just thought that was pretty funny. 

Live the Notre Dame tradition by moving forward. Always.

Now, I’ll leave you with two other suggestions I had just a little while ago. Moving forward… 

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