Notre Dame Football: What does the RALLY patch mean on the Irish jersey?

When we saw what the Notre Dame Fighting Irish jersey was going to look like this season after Ian Book posted a picture of it on Instagram, a lot of us were a little overwhelmed. I mean — there was a lot going on there. Of course the Under Armour patch was there, and the “C” captain patch — but two more are on there fresh for the 2020 season.

The ACC logo certainly stood out, but anyone that has been paying attention over the last few weeks pretty much figured that was going to happen. Lastly, there is a large patch that read, “RALLY” on the upper right part of the chest.

But what does it mean? We talked about this mystery on the OFD Podcast and hoped that Notre Dame would make an announcement about it soon — in their typical fashion with plenty of explanation.

It wasn’t typical.

2020 has been an extremely historical year (don’t @ me Aaron Sorkin) and this football program has fought through all of it with grace and determination. RALLY isn’t just a slogan for the year — it’s been a way of life and a way of thinking. It means this team fights for social justice and believes that Black Lives Matter. It means fighting for what they want in the middle of a global pandemic.

RALLY means everything to these players, coaches, and staff and I support them and that patch completely. The first word in the Victory March is “rally” and it’s used as an instant call to action — and that’s exactly what this team is doing in 2020.

RALLY!