One of the most well-known collegiate fight songs has been finetuned to honor women’s impact on the University.
Copyrighted in 1908, the “Notre Dame Victory March,” will now reference both “sons and daughters” of the University in the penultimate line. University President Father John Jenkins announced the change Thursday during a gala celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of women at Notre Dame.
The official shift mimics the grassroots lyrics fans have been substituting in the stands for several years.
The original version included the following lines:
Cheer, Cheer for old Notre Dame
Wake up the echoes cheering her name.
Send a volley cheer on high.
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small.
Old Notre Dame will win over all.
While her loyal sons are marching.
Onward to victory.
The last two lines of the new version will be sung:
While her loyal sons and daughters.
March on to victory.
Jenkins also announced that the University will re-imagine the iconic Main Circle entrance to commemorate the decision of former University President Fr. Ted Hesburgh to admit women and acknowledge their impact on the University.
“The success Notre Dame enjoys has been shaped by the extraordinary leadership and contributions of the women who have been and are a part of this community, beginning with the four Holy Cross sisters who arrived in the wilderness in 1843,” Jenkins said. “The re-imaging of the Main Circle will be a tribute at the heart of our campus to the ways in which these women have inspired, led and enriched us.”
