Notre Dame Stadium - Notre Dame, Indiana - Exclusive Cathedral for Fighting Irish Football in Northernmost Indiana Famous for Sell-Out Crowds

Notre Dame Stadium was constructed under the leadership of football legend Knute Rockne in 1930, after Rockne's coaching had gained a national reputation for the Fighting Irish, the Notre Dame University team. The stadium was originally designed to seat 59,075 people. The stadium was erected in 4 months time, modeled after the larger Michigan stadium. Despite being known as the House that Rockne built, Rockne only coached one season in the new building prior to his death in a plane crash.

A series of renovations in the 1990's expanded seating to an 80,795 capacity. Renovations included the construction of the current 3-tier press boxes and permanent lighting as well as more than doubling the home team locker space to 8,200 square feet and doubling the visiting team locker space as well. New goal posts were also among the changes made.

The stadium measures a half a mile around and stands 45 feet high. As part of its mystique, no musical or other entertainment events have ever been allowed to use the stadium, maintaining its facilities strictly for the University gridiron team.

From 1966 forward the Notre Dame Stadium has been notorious for its sell out crowds. Twenty thousand parking spaces are available at the stadium.

The field, covered in natural Kentucky Blue grass is overseen by what is characterized as a "Touchdown Jesus'' by football fans, a mural of a resurrected Christ with outstretched arms clearly visible from the stadium. Several similar renderings of the Christ figure exist elsewhere as well.

The tenants of the stadium, the Fighting Irish have been home to seven Heisman Trophy winners and the Notre Dame team is credited with eleven championships.

The stadium continues to be bereft of any giant electronic scoreboards maintaining a traditional feeling that is unadorned by high tech effects of most college stadiums today.

Traditions at the stadium include the playing of all games on Saturdays to avoid night play. Prior to the remodeling in the mid 90's no lights illuminated the field. The lights currently existing were paid for by NBC which has exclusive television broadcasting rights for Notre Dame until 2015. Notre Dame and NBC have an agreement that allows only for to only day play at the stadium thus the lights were designed specifically for enhancing afternoon lighting. Seven home games per season are being played at the Notre Dame Stadium during regular playing season.

Team practice usually occurs at Cartier Field where the team had played its games prior to the 1930 construction of the current park.

The stadium and Notre Dame University is in Notre Dame, Indiana a town that practically consists of the University and 2 other religious colleges as an unincorporated community with no municipal government just to the north of South Bend, Indiana. It is located in the northern part of the state in St. Joseph's County, just below the Southwest corner of Michigan.