Notre Dame Football: Names On The Jerseys

You Never Even Called Me By My Name

Today, we’re talking names on the jerseys for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football team. It is one of those things that we don’t think about much because of the tradition and the way that the jerseys have been over the years. However, I’m sure there are some dissenting opinions about the football team members not having names on the jerseys. It is rare in the college football FBS landscape for guys not to have names on their jerseys, and it is especially rare now as we enter into the NIL era of college athletics.

In my opinion, I like that the jerseys do not typically have names on the back of the jerseys. My reasoning is pretty “old guy” and admittedly kind of lame, but I don’t really care. I do like that the ND football jerseys are very simple, and that includes no names on the back. The aspect of the game being about the team and not the individual does still hold some merit with me.

Listen to the man Herb Brooks!

I will say, though, that I do like the names on the jerseys for the bowl games. Maybe I like this more because Ara initially instituted this for when Notre Dame began to play in bowl games under Ara’s coaching regime. It was a nice memento for the players to have the Bowl Game patch and their name on a Notre Dame jersey. A trophy or big game win might mean more, but I think that is still well-received by the guys each year.

Photo by Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

So yeah, I recognize that my opinion on this could be seen as a cop-out. But one other factor is that this seems like players don’t mind that they have no names on the back of the jerseys (or at least we haven’t heard much said publicly on it). Freeman might institute a new era with names always or even no names for the bowl games. The no names still makes us unique and a mentality that each game is for the betterment of the team, not the individual. That is a truly “Notre Dame” sentiment and idea.

Additionally, USC does not put names on their jerseys. When we play our biggest rival, one of the most iconic matchups in the sport, both teams are represented by how their jerseys and helmets look/represent their programs. It is a very cool sight, and one that I don’t want to see go away. As we move toward many more people watching games on TV, it is nicer for people watching and media members seeing names, but I personally don’t think that is a good enough reason. Keep no names during the regular season and I would be fine with names for postseason games.

Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments if you’re with me or you think my take is too old school.