In 2005 Charlie Weis surprised his team with green jerseys for USC’s trip to South Bend and fans were treated with one of the most memorable games of all time. This year when USC travels to town, the green jerseys will be out again and this time Weis has announced it four months in advance.
The Fighting Irish will don their green jerseys when they face USC this fall.
Coach Charlie Weis says the team will wear green jerseys to honor the 1977 team.
Weis was a senior at Notre Dame when the 11th-ranked Irish wore their normal blue jerseys for warmups, then donned green for the game and defeated fifth-ranked USC 49-19 en route to the national championship.
Weis has said that was the game he remembered best from his college days.
I don’t know how I feel about this year. I love the green jerseys, but when they are announced this far in advance the slight motivational factor that the players get from them goes away and it just gives USC just a bit more motivation. I do, however, love that Weis is honoring the 1977 national championship team this way. Its just another in a long line of examples of that Weis truly “gets it” and has a deep devotion to the University.
On October 20, 1977, Notre Dame stunned Southern Cal with a surprise change to green jerseys, sparking a memorable 49-19 victory. The Fighting Irish, led by junior quarterback Joe Montana, capitalized on key turnovers and special teams plays to build a commanding lead. Despite early challenges, Notre Dame’s defense, featuring stars like Bob Golic and Luther Bradley, stifled the Trojans’ offense. This decisive win, coupled with Michigan’s loss, propelled Notre Dame into national title contention, ultimately leading to their triumph in the Cotton Bowl and securing the 1977 national championship, solidifying the legacy of the green jerseys.
Nobody including Weis knows when to pull the trigger on the green jerseys. They have become a joke and a counter motivation for the Irish and opposing teams. Case in point ND vs SC in 05′. ND had no need for additional motivation going into that game. the fact they came out in green jerseys gave the appearence they were already grasping at straws to assist in a win. The moan coming from my living room when they took the field that night was memorable. Ironically – the wearing of the green that night seemed to fly in the face of Weis’ busines as usual approach which I also dont feel has a place in college football. Weis’s failure to simply tap into the energy, emotion, tradition and the tremendous fan base of the Irish is mind boggling. His comment about the pep rally prior to the SC game in 05′ referring to it a a type of cattle call exemplifies this. To me it is not a matter of the team adjusting to Charlie – it is a matter of Charlie adjusting once more to the excitement of college football. Irish will surprize this year.
I’ve always thought that everyone missed the point of the way the green jerseys were introduced in ’77. A large part of the motivation was supplied by the words to the song, “Wearing Of The Green” that coach Devine had sung in the locker room before handing out the green jerseys.