Reviving the Fighting Irish: Vol. II: Part VIII

Reviving the Fighting Irish:

The real significance of the words "Fighting Irish" at Notre Dame

Vol. II of II

Part VIII of VIII

By the end of the Rockne era, Notre Dame had arrived on the national football scene and replaced the old guard as the top power in the country. During the late 1920’s, this caused a group of elite Eastern universities including Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth and Carnegie, who were helplessly falling away from gridiron prominence, to pressure the National Football Rules Committee into make sweeping changes to the game.  Several high-ranking universities sought to turn college football into a less formal club venture as it had been during the past when they had controlled the sport without contestation. Coach Rockne responded to such pressures at a national coaching conference in 1927 by accusing these schools, which he referred to as “the effete Easterners,” of attempting to “change the game from a he-man’s sport into a silk stocking contest.” He went on to say that the game of football had become “too rough for them” and that they were only “hoping to regain their superiority, which they held for a long period when the game was in its infancy.”  Such attempts to reclaim power and the type of responses they elicited from Rockne stood as telling signs that Notre Dame had undeniably changed the game of football forever, dethroning the powerful teams of the past in the process.

The “Fighting Irish” had changed the face of college football through their success under Rockne, their inspiring style of play, and their allegiance to a small Catholic university steeped in tradition. Notre Dame had made its mark by redefining its place within American society. The positive effects of such change were felt on campus, where national recognition attracted esteemed faculty members while causing enrollment to increase steadily. Profits earned by the football program went into the construction of monumental new buildings including Alumni Hall and Notre Dame Stadium, which were built in 1931 as tributes to Coach Rockne, his legendary teams, every former and future graduate of the university, and most importantly the spirit of Notre Dame. (The Spirit of Notre Dame, edited by Jim Langford and Jeremy Langford)  Significant results were also felt on a wider scale as “millions of Americans adopted the [Notre Dame football] team as their own, calling themselves Notre Dame Subway Alumni and sharing in the joy of being Irish - if only for an autumn afternoon.” 
(The Spirit of Notre Dame)

Relief of Rockne sculpted on Alumni Hall

The origins and early evolution of the words “Fighting Irish” at Notre Dame undeniably depended on football, but only as a vehicle of change. The real meaning of the term became much more significant within a wider context as it shared direct links with Ireland at first, then became a symbol of identification throughout Irish-America, and then finally came to represent All-American ideals. The editors of The Scholastic for the 1929-1930 academic year described this evolutionary process:

"'Fighting Irish' took on a new meaning. The unknown of a few years past had boldly taken a place among the leaders. The unkind appellation became symbolic of the struggle for supremacy in the field."

The University of Notre Dame had become a source of inspiration not only for the Irish-American community, but for American society at large. Through domination on the football field, an uncompromising commitment to the Catholic faith, and a steadfast dedication to excellence, it had transformed from a small unknown university into a major force for good. Once again, the editors of The Scholastic explained the significance of the words “Fighting Irish” in relation to the now-famous success story: 

“Our name is merely an identifying one which has been glorified on many a field of battle. So truly does it represent us that we are unwilling to part with it…The term is our legacy, won by grim unyielding struggle. The name honors us. Let us honor the name.”

"Reviving the Fighting Irish" Series:
Vol. II: Part VII

Vol. II: Part VI

Vol. II: Part V

Vol. II: Part IV
Vol. II: Part III

Vol. II: Part II

Vol. II: Part I

Part III

Part II

Part I

Intro