Aug. 13, 1997

Rededication Activities Planned for Renovated Stadium

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — A three-day open house the first week ofSeptember will kick off rededication activities for the expanded andrenovated Notre Dame Stadium.

With its capacity now at 80,225, Notre Dame’s home footballfacility will play host to various groups on the three days prior to theSeptember 6 season opener versus Georgia Tech in the Stadium.

Here’s the schedule for the open house:

• Wednesday, September 3
  11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Stadium open to Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross College students, faculty and staff.
• Thursday, September 4
  9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Stadium open to the Michiana community as well as football and basketball season-ticket holders.
• Friday, September 5
  9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Stadium open to the general public.

Tour guides stationed at various points around the Stadium will provide background information to open house guests — and free popcorn and soft drinks will be available.

The open house is the first of several events involved in the rededication weekend:

• The pep rally for the Georgia Tech game, at 7:00 p.m. Friday, September 5, will be held in Notre Dame Stadium, as will pep rallies prior to the Michigan State and USC games (September 19 and October 17). The last three pep rallies are slated for the Joyce Center arena.
• A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Saturday morning (Sept. 6), followed by a rededication breakfast for invited guests and VIPs, hosted by athletic director Mike Wadsworth, on the mezzanine level of the Stadium.
• Prior to the game, the ’97 team will run through a tunnel comprised of former Irish players. Every former Notre Dame football player was offered the opportunity to purchase tickets for the Georgia Tech contest.

Participating in the coin toss before the game will be:

• Andrew J. McKenna, chairperson of the University’s Board of Trustees.
• Arthur J. Decio, chairperson of the Athletic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees
• Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., president of the University
• Nathan O. Hatch, University provost
• Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., University executive vice president and chairperson of the Faculty Board on Athletics
• Michael A. Wadsworth, University director of athletics
• Matthew T. Griffin, student body president
• Robert E. Franken, president of the Notre Dame Alumni Association
• Martin J. Allen, president of the Notre Dame National Monogram Club.

An official flip coin for the rededication game has been designed by Enviromint in Mt. Prospect, Ill. Flip coins will be used for all other home games as well and replicas are available for sale by calling 800-299-MINT.

• In addition to former players, others invited to take part in the rededication festivities include former head coaches and their families, members of the Knute Rockne family, Notre Dame Alumni Club presidents, board members of the Notre Dame National Monogram Club, the Board of Trustees, student body president and class officers, former athletic directors, current members of the Alumni Board, former University president Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., former Alumni Association presidents, and executives from general contractor Casteel Construction Corp. of South Bend and architect Ellerbe-Becket, Inc. of Kansas City.
• The official game program for the Notre Dame-Georgia Tech game will be available beginning Wednesday, September 3. It will include two special sections, one of them a 16-page full-color section detailing the two-year Stadium expansion project, the other a 24-page reproduction of the game program from the original dedication game for Notre Dame Stadium held October 11, 1930. The program sells for $8 each.
• A specially-designed rededication logo has been produced and is available for media use (available through Sports Information Department).
• In cooperation with the Notre Dame Alumni Association, a coffee-table book titled “This Historic Ground” is being produced to serve as the definitive pictorial essay of the Stadium rededication. The 62-page piece will include shots from the September 6 Notre Dame-Georgia Tech game. “This Historic Ground” sells for $39.95, plus $5.95 each shipping and handling (and 5 percent sales tax for Indiana residents). It can be ordered by calling 888-258-6347. Delivery by Christmas is guaranteed on orders received by September 15, 1997.
• A video titled “Expanding A Tradition — Notre Dame Stadium” is being produced by Golden Dome Productions and will be available in October. It’s 40 minutes in length and includes Stadium history, archival footage, new construction footage and interviews. It sells for $19.95 (plus $5 for shipping and handling) and can be ordered by calling 800-647-4641.