Holy crap! Notre Dame beat Michigan. Oh, how I love typing those words. “Notre Dame students ran out on the field to celebrate the win, turning the field into a sea of green with their green T-shirts.” I know exactly how those students felt. I can still remember how exciting the build-up was for the Michigan game was in 1998. They were the defending National Champs and this was the season opener. I remember buying a bootleg T-shirt to commemorate “The Game” (I passed on the infamous “Muck Fichigan” design). I don’t think I actually believed we’d win. My teams never win. Yet there we were, pulling ahead in the fourth quarter. I remember my friend Bryan turning to look at our group in the stands and announcing, “I’ll meet you guys on the 50-yard-line.” The security guards didn’t even try to stop the flood. I remember hugging and cheering on the grass as photos snapped around us. I remember dancing as we eventually got to march up out of the stadium through the tunnel. I remember students splashing in Stonehenge and singing the fight song. I remember running back to my dorm room to call my Dad and try to explain how momentous everything felt right then. I know that it was just a football game, but it was truly one of the greatest shared experiences of my life. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so sincerely and un-ironically bonded with everyone around me since that day. It was awesome.
And then we lost, like, a week later. Naturally. But I still remember The Game.
5 responses
I swear if not for an evil headache my voice would be gone by now, but damn, what a game. Brings back memories of The Game when we stormed the field and I wished I could have been there today. Our boys beat Michigan!! Woo-hoo!
Sounds like 1994 when we beat FSU and were #1 for a whole WEEK before losing to #17 BC. Such good times! Can you even imagine how crazy campus is going to be tonight? Assuming that everyone isn’t completely spent from last night plus today’s tailgating…
Saw a Muck Fichigan shirt when I was in Cleveland a few weeks ago. Brought me *right* back.
I know exactly what you mean, although going to Indiana, it would have to be the Duke (basketball) game from 2002 – the year we made it to the champoinship game and lost to Maryland. Ask anyone from that year and it’s not the championship game they remember (although I was in Atlanta for our first Final Four game of that year). It’s beating almighty Duke and the entire town going crazy. We all met at Showalter fountain and wandered down Kirkwood. It was unbelievable. Cell phones wouldn’t work because all the networks were flooded. Unforgettable.
Happily though, the same day you all smacked Michigan around, Indiana football beat a ranked team. We ‘shocked’ Oregon 30-24 at their home opener. They were ranked 24th in the county. We were weeeellll out of the top 70. Fantastic, but what made it sweeter is that the bar that we went to to watch the game, was also an Oregon bar. There was a decent gathering of Oregon alumni – enough to make it really fun. 🙂 Indiana is off to a 2-0 start and last year we won 2 games. Total. All season. Go Hooisers
Yes! I had the same reaction — that win has completely turned my week around. And I still have the pictures I took from the field in 1998, a sea of gold helmets and screaming fans holding up index fingers. Ahh, good times.
Still not ranked though… 🙁