Northwestern Announces Home-and-Home Football Series With Notre Dame
Wildcats, Fighting Irish to play first of two scheduled games in 2014

The last time Northwestern and Notre Dame played in football, head coach Pat Fitzgerald was on his way to winning the Nagurski and Bednarik Awards.

April 14, 2011

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern and Notre Dame, two institutions that first battled on the gridiron in 1889, are renewing their rivalry in 2014, according to Jim Phillips, NU's director of athletics and recreation. The announcement was made on ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning radio show today by Mike Greenberg, a Northwestern alum, and Mike Golic, a Notre Dame alum.

The Wildcats, who last played the Fighting Irish in 1995, will travel to South Bend on Nov. 15, 2014 and then the Fighting Irish will visit Ryan Field during the 2018 season. Northwestern and Notre Dame have played one another 47 times in the last 121 years, making the Fighting Irish the Wildcats' most popular nonconference opponent in program history.

"This is really an exciting time for Chicago's Big Ten team as we continue to upgrade our future nonconference schedule," said Phillips. "With schools such as Boston College, California, Syracuse and Vanderbilt visiting Ryan Field in future years, combined with the addition of Nebraska to our division in the Big Ten, there's no better time to be a Wildcat football fan.

"We're excited about this series and having Notre Dame make its first visit to Evanston since 1976. Northwestern and Notre Dame represent two of the finest academic institutions in the nation, and it's only fitting that we renew our rivalry on the football field."

For the 2014 game in South Bend, Northwestern has secured an additional number of visiting team tickets for Wildcat fans. Northwestern reminds its fan base that tickets to away games are only available to NU football season ticket holders and NU Athletic Department donors. All away games are assigned according to the Wildcat Priority Point System.

Although the Wildcats and Fighting Irish have played one another 47 times, the schools have met just four times--from 1992 to '95--since the 1976 season. Northwestern won the last encounter, a 17-15 victory over Notre Dame on Sept. 2, 1995.

NORTHWESTERN 2014 SCHEDULE
Aug. 30 vs. California
Sept. 6 Open Date
Sept. 13 vs. Vanderbilt
Sept. 20 vs. Western Illinois
Sept. 27 Open Date
Oct. 4 vs. Nebraska
Oct. 11 at Minnesota
Oct. 18 vs. Wisconsin
Oct. 25 at Ohio State
Nov. 1 at Michigan State
Nov. 8 vs. Iowa
Nov. 15 at Notre Dame
Nov. 22 at Michigan
Nov. 29 vs. Illinois

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Thanks for giving us the win at Notre Dame. And I'll take any bowl win . But I have to ask... if NU wins a bowl and there is no one there to see it, does it make a sound?

Mike and Mike segment on the announcement:

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/ncf/news/story?id=6352027

What do you think the odds should be set at that there will be a TicketCity Bowl in 2014? 40%?

Good news for you is that on M&M this morning, Pat said the Wildcat attendance figures were the highest gaining in NCAA except for Louisville. So pretty soon people will be there to see it. And there is always ESPNU TV.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Even the resident NU apologist (me) ain't impressed with the attendance increase... we'll see how bad it is this year with no Wrigley Field event AND an absolutely crap-tastic home schedule. That's ok... better seats for me.