Saturday's football home opener against Temple University brought more than 100,000 people to campus, and Director of Game Day Operations Mike Seamon said the day's overall atmosphere was "absolutely elevated."
"It was definitely above what we would consider a normal standard for a typical opening day," Seamon said. "Everything was energized ... because people are excited about the season and there's a key interest in Notre Dame football. [This weekend] was bigger than any of the home openers in the past two or three years."
Seamon said the stadium boasted a sellout crowd of approximately 82,000 people, and even more fans flooded campus Saturday for other game day events. Nearly 12,000 people attended Friday's pep rally and about 5,000 participated in the tour of the stadium and tunnel on Friday, he said.
The number one concern for Saturday's game was the weather forecast, Seamon said.
"The weather was predicted to be very hot and humid, so we put together a big heat and humidity plan," he said. "We put together a cooling station outside Gate A and worked with the first aid team to be sure we were prepared.
"It was a tough day weather-wise, but it could have been worse, thankfully. We had a good plan in place, and people did a good job watching out for each other so it went fairly well."
Phil Johnson, chief of police for Notre Dame Security Police, said the flow of traffic near campus on game day went smoothly despite construction.
"Area police agencies worked cooperatively to promote public safety and smooth traffic flow," Johnson said. "Everything with the new Douglas Road went very well. ... Construction south of campus along South Bend Avenue didn't adversely impact game day traffic."
Seamon said the outbound traffic was especially smooth after the game because not everybody stayed until the very end.
"The game wasn't very close, so a lot of people didn't feel like they needed to stay until the last play," he said. "It didn't go down to the last minute so people left at different times, which really sped things up."
Police made two custodial arrests on campus Saturday, Johnson said.
"One [arrest] was inside the stadium and one was outside," Johnson said. "Both were arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct."
Seamon said another main concern was the implementation of the stadium's new bag policy.
"People were very receptive and understanding [of the policy] especially in light of the Boston Marathon tragedy," he said. "We found that if you did not bring a bag, you got into the stadium quicker and that's what we'd recommend in the future if you want to get in quickly."
