83rd Annual Blue-Gold Game: A to (almost) Z Fan Guide
A Alumni flag football game scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at
Notre Dame Stadium, weather permitting. Fans may use their Blue-Gold game
ticket to watch the game. Former Notre Dame football player Sergio Brown and
Golden Tate are honorary coaches for the alumni flag football game.
B Band of the Fighting Irish will have between 100-200 members
present in the northeast corner of Notre Dame Stadium.
C Construction to Notre Dame Stadium is ongoing and has caused some
sections of Notre Dame Stadium to be closed for the Blue-Gold game. A new
drainage system was installed under the first three rows of the lower bowl to
Notre Dame Stadium and seating in the first row of sections 1-7 and 30-36 will
be unavailable Saturday. Seating sections not available this Saturday are
sections 13-24 of the lower bowl (south end of Notre Dame Stadium) as
construction equipment is being stored in the south concourse. Fans will be
able to sit north of the 10-yard line on both the east and west sidelines plus
in the north end zone. Seating will not be permitted in the south end zone or
southeast and southwest corners of Notre Dame Stadium's lower bowl.
D Day of game tickets are available at the Notre Dame Stadium
ticket office and cost $15 for adults and $10 for youths 18 years and under.
The ticket office will open at 9:00 a.m. Saturday.
E East sideline will have former players watching the game as
the entire Fighting Irish football team will gather on its normal sideline on
the west side of the stadium. Over 100 former players are expected to return to
campus this weekend for a dinner Friday night featuring football alumni and the
current Fighting Irish football team, and then line the east sideline at the
Blue-Gold Game.
F Funds from the Blue-Gold Game go to the Notre Dame Club of
St. Joseph Valley to help with scholarship dollars for local high school
seniors. Through fundraisers like the Blue-Gold Game and membership dues, the
Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley is able to distribute over $175,000
annually in Notre Dame tuition assistance to students throughout the greater
Michiana area, including north central Indiana and southwest lower Michigan.
G Gates to Notre Dame Stadium open at 10:30 a.m. Saturday,
provided the alumni flag football game is not canceled due to inclement
weather. Gate D will be closed Saturday so fans should use gates A, B, C or E
to enter and exit Notre DameStadium.
H Halftime is 15 minutes and will feature a rugby match
between the Notre Dame rugby team and a national team that includes former
Fighting Irish football player James Aldridge. This year's recipient of the
Reynolds Award will also be honored at halftime.
I Internet coverage of the Blue-Gold Game can be found
exclusively at UND.com as the official home for Fighting Irish athletics will
simulcast the NBC Sports Network broadcast.
J Jersey colors for this game: Notre Dame offense wears blue
and Notre Dame defense wears white.
K Kids interactive play area at Notre Dame Fan Fest will be
available from 10:30 a.m. to kickoff in the Joyce Center Parking Lot.
Interactive games, inflatables,concessions and more will be present. Entrance
to Notre Dame Fan Fest is free.
L The leprechaun for the 2012 Notre Dame football season will
make his first public appearances this weekend. Bryce Burton, a senior from
Newburgh, Ind., will participate in the unveiling of The Shirt on Friday and
will be at the Blue-Gold game Saturday.
M Mass after the Blue-Gold Game at Basilica of Sacred Heart
will begin at 5 pm Saturday.
N Notre Dame Stadium's North Tunnel will not be open to the
public Friday. On Fridays prior to home football games, Fighting Irish fans can
walk down the same tunnel the Notre Dame football team takes to enter Notre
Dame Stadium. Construction toNotre Dame Stadium continues Friday in
preparations for Saturday's Blue-Gold Game.
O Officials for the game are from the Big East Conference.
P Parking lots open Saturday at 8 a.m. and are free to the
public. Tailgating is permitted Saturday. All parking lots on Notre Dame's
campus will be available as well as the White Field lots.
Q The first and second quarters of the Blue-Gold Game will
follow normal clock rules but the third and fourth quarters will both feature
15 minute running clocks.
R Radio coverage is available in South Bend on News and Sports
Radio 960 AM and 96.1 FM WSBT with announcers Darin Pritchett, Rick Carter and
Eric Hansen.
S Super Bowl champion and former Notre Dame defensive end
Justin Tuck returns to campus this weekend. Tuck, who has won two Super Bowls
as a starting defensive end for the N.Y. Giants, will speak to the Fighting
Irish football team Friday evening and be an honorary captain in charge of the
coin toss prior to Saturday's Blue-Gold Game.
T Television coverage can be found on NBC Sports Network and
the announcers for the game are Paul Burmeister (play-by-play), Mike Mayock
(analysis) and Alex Flanagan (sideline).
U Unveiling of The Shirt 2012 (official student section
T-shirt) festivities begin at 4:00 p.m. Friday with the actual unveiling set
for 5:45 p.m. at Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore.
V VIP Brunch doors open at 9:30 a.m. at the Joyce Center
Fieldhouse (north dome) and brunch begins at 10 a.m. The brunch is sold out
this year with over 1,000 fans expected to eat with the 2012 Notre Dame
football team and participate in an autograph session with the players.
W Walk to the stadium featuring the Notre Dame football team
will occur at noon but will be from Gate 3 of the Joyce Center to either Gate A
or the North Tunnel of Notre Dame Stadium.
X Other "xtracurricular" activities occurring within the Notre
Dame athletics department this weekend include contests with our softball,
women's soccer and men's golf programs. The Irish softball team has a
doubleheader with DePaul beginning at noon on Saturday and plays the Blue
Demons at noon on Sunday. Notre Dame's women's soccer team has an exhibition
match with Purdue at 1 p.m. on the practice field behind the baseball stadium.
The Irish men's golf team hosts the Battle at the Warren all day on Sunday at
Warren Golf Course.
Y Youths from the Michiana community will be honored Saturday.
Winners of the MeijerTicket Design will be acknowledged and high school seniors
that plan to attend Notre Dame and will receive scholarship money from the
Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley will be honored.
Release from Notre Dame Director of Football Media Relations
