Ranking The Shirt | by Pat
In a previous post, the 2005 version of "The Shirt" was awarded one star. Judging from internet message boards and the like, both the color and design are not exactly causing Irish fans to line up at the Bookstore, cash in hand. But where does it fall compared to previous versions of The Shirt? Here now is one man's rankings of one of Notre Dame's newer traditions: The Shirt.
(For any of the shirts, click on the year to bring up a larger picture. These pictures and more info can be found at theshirt.nd.edu)
#1 - 1992The shirt that solidified "The Shirt" tradition is also probably one of the most inspired. The official induction of Lou Holtz to the pantheon of great Irish head coaches and the declaration that merely playing football isn't tradition at Notre Dame; winning is. An instant classic.
#2 - 2002Perhaps a controversial pick here, since any mention of "Return to Glory" brings back painful memories of the lackluster Willingham era. But going on design alone, it's still a great shirt. While other shirts reference things like spirit and love, this shirt comes right out with a battle-scarred helmet raised high in victory and a quote from Rockne about destroying your opponent on the field of play. The ghosts of Rockne and the Four Horsemen remind us of ND's rich history while the "Return to Glory" is a public admission of the mistake that was hiring Bob Davie. A great shirt, unfortunately marred by the coach who couldn't live up to its logo.
#3 - 1990The one that started it all. Nothing pretentious here and no signs of the over-commercialization of later shirts. Just a fun shirt to be worn by students to the game for a good cause. A simple direct front and a "highlights of ND" design on the back make it a great shirt to wear around anytime. Simple and successful.
#4 - 1994Another shirt that calls upon the past glory of Notre Dame football. The Four Horsemen, Gipp, and Rockne might be a bit oversold when it comes to Notre Dame football paraphernalia, but this is the first "The Shirt" to use them, so it gets a pass. After 1993's attempt at a dark shirt, the color is wisely brought back to something that stands out in the stadium.
#5 - 1996Another green shirt and while it is in the Top 5, it's more of a lack of competition than anything else. Nothing too special about this shirt. Just a solid design that keeps it all about football and doesn't try anything too fancy. Bonus points for taking the "Win Over All" Victory March lyrics out of context. No longer just about Ol' Notre Dame overcoming adversity, it now also clearly spells out what fans expect Notre Dame coaches to do against future opponents.
#6 - 1999The first non-green shirt on the list, the '99 version took a break from previous designs and opted for the final line from the Alma Mater. Maybe it's a bit sappy, but it's one of the few that I'll still throw on and wear around, so I guess that counts for something. It's also the last shirt to feature the Golden Dome on the front.
#7 - 1993Just before the mid-way point finds the first shirt to use the a line from the Victory March. The '93 shirt is also the first to use the raised helmet graphic that showed up on the 1999 and 2002 shirt. Other than that, it's a pretty average shirt. The dark color isn't ideal if you want it to stick out in the stadium, but the design itself isn't that bad.
#8 - 2000Not much to say about this shirt. Another year where they simply took a line from the Victory March, stuck in a picture of some football players, and called it a day. Again, some credit for the green color since it stands out in the stadium (I'll leave the 'but it's not our school colors' complaint for others) Not terribly inspiring, not ugly either. Hence a slot firmly in the middle of our countdown.
#9 - 2004To be honest, I kind of like this shirt. The previous four in the list are all boring variations on a theme. At least they took a design chance with this one. The decision to include Joe Montana was a nice touch. The line from When Irish Backs Go Marching By is decent change from plucking lines out of the Victory March. But where this shirt goes wrong is the approximately 47 font types used on the front and back. This is probably the shirt that draws the most varied responses. Some love it. Some hate it.
#10 - 2001Another boring cookie cutter shirt in the mold of #5-8. No surprise this was the last of the "Victory March quote" shirts. A bit odd that they leave the end of the Knute Rockne "Gipper" speech hanging.
To Go In There With All They've GotWin just one? What happened to winning all of them? Was this a subtle attempt by Davie to lower the bar? Hmmm....
And Win Just One...
#11 - 1997
#12 - 1998
#13 - 1991
#14 - 2003
#15 - 1995
#16 - 2005
Well, that's my take on things. Disagree with any of my choices? Here's an online poll where you can pick your favorite iteration of The Shirt. When you're done voting, click here for the results. Thanks for playing.