Notre Dame football has donned some interesting uniforms for the Shamrock Series.
The Notre Dame football program is full of tradition. In years past, the football teams’ uniforms have rarely changed. The only exceptions were the iconic green jerseys that would make occasional appearances.
So you can understand why a team and a fanbase might get excited to see some fresh new digs. After all, this isn’t the University of Oregon.
Enter the appropriately-named, Shamrock Series.
The Shamrock Series began in 2009. In the beginning, it was just a game wth a cool title played at a neutral site (usually an NFL stadium).
To up the fanfare, Notre Dame starting releasing never-before-seen alternate uniforms for the annual game in 2011. Every year since, Irish fans look forward to the unveiling of the new special uniforms for the upcoming season. The series was put on hold last season, but is set to resume in 2018.
The anticipation leading up to the release is always the same, but the reactions afterward are certainly not. Some receive universal praise. Some earn golf claps. Others draw a mixed bag of confusion and disappointment. The latter being the most rare of the three.
There have been seven unique Shamrock Series’ uniforms (if you include last year’s Rockne uniforms). They’ve been ranked before, and they’ll most definitely be ranked again. I don’t care. I’m gonna rank ’em anyway.
Here is how each of them rank according to yours truly.
No. 7: 2012 vs Miami (Chicago, IL)
After experimenting with some new helmets in 2011, the Irish had all new full uniforms in 2012. These were one of the lowlights of that magical season. Right down there with that Pittsburgh game.
The jerseys on their own looked fine. They were navy blue with gold numbers. The helmets and pants are what brought these uniforms to the bottom of the rankings.
The gold part of the helmets had a wave effect painted on them, similar to what we saw the previous year. A section on the left side of the helmet was painted black with a white outline of the leprechaun logo. The line dividing the two sections of the helmet was intentionally off-center and it looked a bit odd.
To match the helmets, the gold pants also had a dark strip on the left side with a leprechaun logo on them. The idea of making the uniform look different from two sides sounds good in theory, but the final product left a lot to be desired.
No. 6: 2016 vs Army (San Antonio, TX)
I was not crazy about these uniforms. Maybe it’s because they are associated with the misery that was the 2016 season. Maybe it’s the color scheme. Let’s be honest, it’s probably both.
The color scheme was chosen in part because the Irish were playing Army. What they were going for was something close to the green colors typically used in camouflage. It turns out those colors look best when they’re used for military attire and not as the base color for a jersey.
The color of the jersey made the helmet look more yellow than gold — which was a shame — because the design of the helmets was beautiful. Each side of the helmet had a replica of the iconic “God, Country, Notre Dame” engraving found above the East entrance of the basilica.
No. 5: 2011 vs Maryland (Landover, MD)
These uniforms don’t look like anything special, but they played a vital role in the evolution of this series. These were the first unique alternate uniforms that the team wore. In the previous two games, the Irish wore their normal navy uniforms and their common alternate green uniforms.
Those same green uniforms were worn in the 2011 game, but the equipment staff got the chance to experiment with some new-look helmets. They created a wave effect in some brighter gold paint and then added a shamrock decal on each side of the helmet.
The color of the helmet didn’t match the other color accents in the uniform, but I think we can cut them some slack. This was the first display of creativity in this series, and it helped turn the series into what it is today.
No. 4: 2017 vs Navy (South Bend, IN)
This wasn’t technically a Shamrock Series game, but it was a special alternate uniform so I think it qualifies. The Irish paid homage to legendary coach Knute Rockne and the days of old with these unique uniforms.
Each jersey had the name “Rockne” on the back just below three gold stars that symbolized the three championships the team won while he was the coach. A quote from Rockne’s famous speech is printed on each sleeve.
The helmets were a slightly darker shade of gold and they had lines drawn on them to make them resemble the old leather helmets. They emphasized this by pairing the helmets with brown cleats.
No. 3: 2014 vs Purdue (Indianapolis, IN)
There is little differentiating the top three on this list. This is where the debate heats up. But the list must go on.
The 2014 Shamrock Series uniforms were the fist to be designed by Under Armour after Notre Dame decided to end its deal with Adidas the previous year. In their first year taking on this challenge, Under Armour knocked it out of the park.
These all-navy uniforms were sweet. They had gold accents and a design printed on the top of the shoulders that matched the design of the tile mosaic that is directly underneath the dome in the main building.
The helmets were gold with a grid-like pattern and the Notre Dame insignia on both sides. The grid pattern was inspired by the dome itself, which has a similar pattern that can only be seen from a close distance.
No. 2: 2015 vs Boston College (Boston, MA)
The Irish paid tribute to their hosts in 2015 with these all-green uniforms. The game was played in historic Fenway Park. One of the most recognizable features of this ballpark is the YUGE left field wall, which is known as the Green Monster.
The uniform design bore some similarities to the previous iteration, but we can chalk that up to the Under Armour style.
These uniforms were bold yet simple. They had navy and gold accents and the word “Irish” just below the collar on the front.
The helmets were gold with a green and blue stripe down the center. The head of the leprechaun logo was printed on both sides.
No. 1: 2013 vs Arizona State (Dallas, TX)
I’m a sucker for white uniforms, and these were fresh and clean enough to impress Outkast. In the final year of their deal with Notre Dame, Adidas did not fail to deliver.
These uniforms put the “shamrock” in the Shamrock Series. They featured a shamrock logo in five different places: the left hip of the pants, both shoulders, both sides of the helmet. That being said, it did not feel overdone.
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All the shamrock logos were gold with green outlines. There were other green accents on the uniform, and the players wore green undershirts and green shoes.