The sound of bagpipes echoed throughout Eddy Street Commons. Members of the Notre Dame marching band blared the celebratory Victory March. Jump-ropers and cheerleaders energized the crowd just south of the Notre Dame campus.
Jack Nolan, the voice of Notre Dame men’s basketball, hosted the 2019 unveiling of The Shirt in front of Hammes Bookstore. Irish fans gathered on Friday afternoon to discover what color shirt they will all sport when Notre Dame kicks off the home season against New Mexico on Sept. 14 next fall.
Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly joined members of The Shirt Committee and actor Patrick Warburton to unveil the latest version of The Shirt.
“[It’s my] 10th year of doing The Shirt,” Kelly said. “You didn’t think I’d make it that long, did you?
“Our Shirt committee is, bar none, the most talented group that they’ve put together since I’ve been here the 10 years, so you will be so pleased with what they put together.”
Kelly also discussed the tradition and importance of The Shirt.
“You’re going to see tradition with this shirt,” he said. “You’re going to see the history of this shirt come out, and you’re going to see something that’s never been done before ever in the history of Notre Dame with this shirt.”
After a countdown from Kelly, members of The Shirt Committee and Warburton unveiled the 2019 edition of The Shirt. The navy-blue tee features “Notre Dame” written across the front in gold text. A white outline of a football stamped with a green shamrock is centered on the front of The Shirt, and Notre Dame Stadium is featured on the back.
In addition to the navy-blue shirt, The Shirt Committee is releasing its first-ever sweatshirt. The navy-blue sweatshirt mimics the design of the original version of The Shirt from 1990. “Notre Dame” is inscribed in green text on the front of the sweatshirt, and “Irish” is written in gold.
After Kelly, Warburton and members of The Shirt committee unveiled the navy-blue shirt for 2019, Irish fans flooded the Hammes Bookstore on the corner of Eddy Street to pick up their own piece of Notre Dame history.
The first edition of The Shirt, a green tee featuring a hand-drawn design of Lou Holtz and the Hesburgh Library on the back, was released in 1990. Sales of the first edition of The Shirt raised money for student activities, a cause that The Shirt Project continues to support today.
“We’re proud that, since the project began in 1990, The Shirt has become the single best-selling unit of collegiate apparel,” said senior Kristin Andrejko, president of The Shirt Committee. “Over the last 29 years, we’ve sold 2.4 million shirts and have raised over 11.5 million dollars.”
Revenues from The Shirt are split among the Student Union and the Student Enrichment endowment. The Student Enrichment provides opportunities for all students — regardless of economic background — to participate in Notre Dame experiences, Andrejko said.
“The Shirt represents all that is wondrous about the Notre Dame family,” said Brennan Harvath, the founder of The Shirt in 1990 and a member of the class of 1991. “It captures the Notre Dame spirit. It brings us together to celebrate being a family and to support each other. The Shirt gives us an opportunity, annually, to reaffirm our common bond, our common love of Notre Dame, our lady.”
The Shirt Committee unveils 2019 design
Photo courtesy of Gretchen Hopkirk
The Shirt Committee unveils the 2019-2020 shirt Friday in front of Hammes Bookstore. The Shirt, pictured above, will be sported by Irish fans during Notre Dame football games next season.
The Shirt Committee unveiled its first-ever sweatshirt Friday afternoon in front of Hammes Bookstore. The sweatshirt replicates The Shirt’s first-ever design in 1990.
