On this day that we celebrate the independence of our country I thought I’d take a look at the history of the relationship between the University of Notre Dame and the United States Navy. As the daughter of a former naval officer myself I have always been intrigued by the long and storied history of ND and the US Navy. (Excerpts taken from Josh Flynt’s piece on the Fighting Irish Blog.)
The bond shared by Notre Dame and the United States Navy seems only natural. There is a shared admiration and reverence by those associated with Notre Dame for the dedication and service of the men and women in the armed forces. The familiar words “God, Country, Notre Dame” are inscribed above the east door of the Sacred Heart Basilica and they could very well serve as the unofficial motto of students and alumni. These three words are also the title of President Emeritus Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh’s autobiography.
During World War II, the Navy established a Navy College Training Program on Notre Dame’s campus, a decision that, according to Father Hesburgh, may have helped save the University. It boosted Notre Dame’s economic status and enrollment, saving the university from decline, amidst the ongoing war.
“We were out of business during World War II,” noted 1952-87 Notre Dame president Rev. Theodore Hesburgh in a 1992 interview with the South Bend Tribune. “Navy came in and kept us afloat until the war was over.”
Hesburgh then made a vow that under his watch the football series between the two schools would be kept as long as Navy wanted it continued. And to this day, Navy has never wanted to back out.
Since the days of the officer-training program, Notre Dame’s relationship with the U.S. Naval Academy has only grown stronger. The Navy ROTC unit is currently the largest on campus, and considered one of the top NROTC programs in the country.
As the daughter of a man who is not only a Loyal Son of Notre Dame, but also a former Naval officer, I greatly appreciate this relationship between ND and the US Navy. What could be better? Two of the things I love the most working hand-in-hand together.
Here is a fantastic video documenting the history of “God, Country, Notre Dame” …
May you have a blessed 4th of July holiday. Please remember those who served and gave their lives for our freedom and those who serve today.
Happy Independence day!
Cheers!
Her Loyal ... Daughter
Lisa Kelly is a multidimensional marketing professional. She has over two decades of marketing experience and earned a bachelor of business administration and marketing from the University of Notre Dame (Class of 1993 ... Siegfried Hall!). She is a Digital Publishing Manager by day and by night is writing her third book, a continuation of "Echoes From the End Zone: The Men We Became" and its sequel "The Men We Became: MORE Echoes From the End Zone." In 2012, Lisa was crowned the "Biggest Fan of the Big East" in a blogging and social media contest, representing Notre Dame.
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Enjoyed your article & the history, of which I was unaware. As a Navy vet it also struck a cord with me.
I loved this article and the history lesson. It’s because of the service from men (and women) like your father that we can enjoy today. My father also served in the Navy.
Thank you for taking time today to submit this article. Happy 4th of July to you and your entire family. And as always, GoIrish!!
Lisa,
Enjoyed this, as I do all of your posts. I’m a ’73 grad (B-P), and former Air Force officer. I was at the ’07 ND-USNA game at which Charlie had the team honor Navy by standing behind them during the singing of “Navy Blue and Gold” before returning to the ND student body for the singing of “Notre Dame Our Mother.” That year, Navy didn’t seem to know how to respond. The following year, however, they reciprocated by honoring ND in the same way.Now that’s a routine part of the game tradition. I don’t believe Navy has ever done that for anyone but the other academies.