April 14, 2011

A – Alumni flag football game scheduled to be played prior to the Blue-Gold Game has been canceled due to inclement weather forecast for Saturday.
B – Band of the Fighting Irish will have between 100-200 members present in the northeast corner of Notre Dame Stadium.
C – A clothing and food drive benefiting local charities will occur at all Notre Dame athletics events this weekend and is being organized by the Notre Dame athletics department and Notre Dame coaches’ wives. Fans can donate clothing, personal hygiene items, food and money at the entrance gates of the football, baseball, softball and lacrosse stadiums. Fans that donate will have their name entered into a contest for prizes and winners will be drawn at every sporting event this weekend.
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 9:30 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.
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.
G – Gate C (south end of stadium) will be closed Saturday so fans should use gates A, B, D or E to enter and exit Notre Dame Stadium. Gates to Notre Dame Stadium open at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
H – Halftime is 15 minutes and area 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. The Alumni Association Reynolds Award recipient and Meijer Ticket Design winners will also be recognized.
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 Versus broadcast.
J – Jersey colors for this game: Blue team wears blue, gold team wears white and the offensive linemen will wear green and play on both teams as the numbers are too low this spring to split amongst the two teams. A few players will wear red jerseys, signifying they should not be tackled in the game.
K – Kids interactive play area will be available from 11 am to kickoff in the Joyce Center Parking Lot.
L – Notre Dame lacrosse teams are in action before and after the Blue-Gold game as the women’s team hosts Connecticut at noon and the men’s team hosts St. John’s at 7:00 p.m. Both games to be played at Arlotta Stadium.
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 is open Friday from 2:30-5:30 p.m. for fans to walk down the same tunnel the Fighting Irish head down and to the edge of the field of Notre Dame Stadium.
O – Officials for the game are from the Big East Conference.
P – Parking lots open Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and is free to the public. Tailgating is permitted Saturday.
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 960 WSBT-AM with announcers Darin Pritchett, Rick Carter and Eric Hansen.
S – Seating sections not available this Saturday are sections 10-21 of the lower bowl (southeast corner of Notre Dame Stadium). Section 10 starts near midfield on the east side of the stadium and Section 21 is in the south end zone.
T – Television coverage can be found on Versus and the announcers for the game are Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Mike Mayock (analysis) and Shaun King (sideline).
U – Unveiling of The Shirt 2011 (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 9:15 a.m. at the Joyce Center Fieldhouse (north dome) and brunch begins at 10:00 a.m.
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 baseball and softball games. The Irish baseball team battles West Virginia at 7:00 p.m. Friday, 4:05 p.m. Saturday and 1:05 p.m. Sunday. The softball team hosts Louisville in a doubleheader Saturday at noon and they play at noon Sunday. This weekend is Strike Out Cancer weekend as the Irish will show support of head coach Deanna Gumpf’s five-year old daughter, Tatum, who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Proceeds from the event will help raise funds and awareness for pediatric leukemia, benefiting the South Bend Memorial Children’s Hospital pediatric oncology clinic.

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