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Notre Dame football to wear green jerseys vs. Ohio State

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka03/17/23

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notre dame green
Notre Dame green jerseys. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Notre Dame understood the assignment. There wasn’t a better day for Fighting Irish football to announce when it would wear green jerseys in the 2023 season than St. Patrick’s Day.

The program delivered.

The university announced Friday that the Irish will wear green at Notre Dame Stadium against Ohio State on Sept. 23. Last year, the Irish wore green jerseys in a 24-17 win over California on Sept. 17.

Here’s a look at how Notre Dame has fared playing in jerseys with any sort of green on them in the last 40 years. The program ran its record in such instances in that span to 10-6 and extended the green-game winning-streak to five games dating back to 2011.

SeasonOpponentSiteW/LFinal ScoreNotes
1983USCSouth BendW27-6
1985USCSouth BendW37-3Changed into green at halftime
1991FloridaNew OrleansW39-28White jerseys with green numbers; 1992 Sugar Bowl
1994ColoradoTempe, Ariz.L41-241995 Fiesta Bowl
1998Georgia TechJacksonville, Fla.L35-281999 Gator Bowl
2002Boston CollegeSouth BendL14-7
2005USCSouth BendL34-31
2006ArmySouth BendW41-9Senior Day
2007USCSouth BendL38-0
2010ArmyNew YorkW27-3Shamrock Series
2011MichiganAnn Arbor, Mich.L35-31White jerseys with green numbers
2011MarylandWashington D.C.W45-21Shamrock Series
2015Boston CollegeBostonW19-16Shamrock Series
2016ArmySan Antonio, TexasW44-6Shamrock Series
2018Florida StateSouth BendW42-13Senior Day
2022CaliforniaSouth BendW24-17

The legend of green grew in 1977 when Notre Dame warmed up for its game against rival USC in traditional home blue uniforms but came back out of the locker room for kickoff in green ones. The Irish beat the No. 5 Trojans, 49-19, to notch their first victory in the rivalry matchup since 1973. Quarterback Joe Montana three two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores. Notre Dame went on to win the national championship.

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Dan Devine was a major proponent of the “Irish wear green” movement, even replacing the blue numbers on Notre Dame’s traditional white road jerseys with green ones. Lou Holtz was much pickier in deciding when to put his Irish in green. And in the nearly three decades since Holtz left his post in South Bend, Notre Dame has only worn green a dozen times.

The color will always be synonymous with the program regardless. How could it not be when Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack posed in a green jersey on the cover of LIFE magazine in 1947? If Notre Dame upsets Ohio State in September, the push for the Irish to wear green in big games will get stronger.

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