Every year, Notre Dame fans wait with bated breath to see what The Shirt, their uniform on football Saturdays, will look like. The wait is over Friday when The Shirt will be unveiled at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore.
Junior Lauren Couey, The Shirt unveiling coordinator, said many student groups will perform at the event, including Project Fresh, the band, cheerleaders, the bagpipe band and the Glee Club, among others.
Former football players will also appear at the event, Couey said.
"Robert Hughes, Golden Tate and Allen Pinkett, who will also be our MC for the day, [are coming]," she said. "Having former players will be pretty exciting, along with [Irish coach Brian] Kelly and the [current] players."
Couey said the event will also feature games and food.
"There will be inflatables for kids, a corn hole toss tournament, trivia with prizes and free food," she said. "Jimmy John's and Hot Box have donated food, so we are pretty excited about that."
Senior Paul Baranay, vice president of The Shirt Committee, said this year's unveiling will showcase the charitable aspect of The Shirt.
Couey said Fr. Tom Doyle, vice-president for student affairs, will appear at the event for the first time to speak about the late Sr. Jean Lenz, one of the founders of The Shirt.
Baranay said the event will highlight not only The Shirt's design but also the charitable efforts made possible by proceeds from The Shirt.
According to The Shirt Project website, the profits from The Shirt support student groups on campus and establish memorial awards for particular Notre Dame students.
Baranay said the final design has been in place since early February, and while he cannot explicitly reveal anything about The Shirt, he said the format of the event gives a hint.
"One thing I can say is that there is a reason we are focusing on players this year," he said. "[This season] is the 125th anniversary of the football program, and that will be worked into the unveiling as well."
Couey said she is excited to see who turns out for the event.
"Since I've been setting everything up, doing all the little pieces, it is hard for me to even picture it all together to see it actually all come together," Couey said. "Seeing everyone there and the excitement is what I am really looking forward [to]."
Baranay said he is excited for the student groups to perform.
"I'm most excited to see the students and the community turn out. It is always a huge event," he said. "As for the program itself, I am actually most excited about the student groups because they are the ones that benefit from The Shirt so it is always great to see them perform."
