Notre Dame's New Field Design: A Lot of Old, A Little Bit of New

This is what Notre Dame football fans have anticipated since Jack Swarbrick announced Notre Dame Stadium would be getting field turf for 2014.

"What will the field look like?"

Well, here it is:

What's New?

Well, just two things really.

The famous monogram "ND" will make it's first appearance on the 50 yard line.

If you look closely, you will see shamrocks on the 35 yard line where the football is placed for kickoffs.

What Didn't Change?

For those expecting an extravagant paint job in the endzone, you are disappointed in this design because nothing changed.

There is a reason behind the lines in the Notre Dame Stadium endzones. Remember how we always talk about the Irish and tradition? Well, here is a little tradition for you.

There are nine lines in each of the endzones. 9x2=18. Each of the 18 lines are at a 42 degree angle. Combine those two numbers and you get 1842. This was the year that the University of Notre Dame was founded. Multiplication, geometry and history all in one paragraph.

So, no. It's not Jack Swarbrick and the athletic department looking to save a buck (if you didn't notice, Notre Dame is not strapped for cash, hence the $400 million stadium renovation that has just begun).
 

So, did Notre Dame get it right with their field design?

Yes.

Here's why.

Whether you call yourself a traditionalist or someone who looks into the future of college football, Notre Dame found common ground in the design.

For those who wanted field turf, they got it. For those who wanted to keep the grass, the university did them a favor by not going all out with an extreme makeover of a blank canvas that is the new field. A nice logo at the 50 and shamrocks at each of the 35-yard lines were two nice touches to an already well recognized college football field.

For those who were expecting blue or gold painted endzones with "Notre Dame" and "Fighting Irish" in the endzones and a larger version of the ND monogram on the 50, you should have known better.