Notre Dame Football Tickets
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The stadium opened its gates in 1930, replacing the old stadium Cartier Field. Total cost of construction was more than $750,000. The original seating capacity was 54,000. Knute Rockne played a key role in its design, keeping the space between the playing field and the stands to a minimum. The stadium is patterned, on a smaller scale, after Michigan Stadium, the main difference being the tunnel location. The Irish played their first game in the new stadium on October 4, 1930, beating Southern Methodist University 20-14. The official dedication was on October 11 against Navy. Over the years, its capacity was gradually increased to 59,075. In 1997 21,000 new seats were added to the stadium, bringing the seating capacity to the present 80,795. The playing surface has always been natural grass.
The stadium is known for its view of "Touchdown Jesus", a nickname given to the large mural of the resurrected Jesus entitled "the Word of Life" which is located on the Hesburgh Library, looming over the stadium mirroring the raised arms of a referee signifying a touchdown. Expanding the stadium has had the side-effect of partially obscuring the view of Touchdown Jesus from the field.
