The Fighting Irish will have a new look come next football season.
Notre Dame revealed an updated football-specific logo on Thursday, replacing the Leprechaun logo which had been in use since 1964.
The new logo still features the iconic Leprechaun mascot, but rather than having its fists in a sparring position, the insignia is instead running with a football in the university’s effort to make more “sport-specific” secondary logos, according to a statement from the school.
According to NBC News, a spokeswoman from Notre Dame said that the creation of the new logo started in 2024.
“The new mark was designed in-house by Fighting Irish Media, with input from the many around our athletic programs and inspired by photo, fundamentals and running styles from former and current student-athletes,” the university said Thursday.
Despite this change, Notre Dame is keeping its primary “ND” logo — which has been in use since the 1980s — across all sports.
The previous Leprechaun mark was first unveiled on the cover of the Nov. 20, 1964 issue of Time magazine and has been closely associated with the football program’s four NCAA national championships in 1966, 1973, 1977, and 1988.
“The Notre Dame Leprechaun is a secondary spirit mark of Notre Dame athletics. Its long-standing history represents the tenacious spirit of the Fighting Irish and their determination,” Notre Dame said. “The Leprechaun is recognized around the world today as the mascot of Notre Dame athletics dating back to its design in the early 1960s.”
Outside of the logo change, the rest of Notre Dame’s uniforms will seemingly remain untouched, as they are set to play their season-opener on Aug. 31 against No. 10 Miami.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman told reporters last week how he feels confident about his squad headed into this season, saying that the players have made sure they are “connected as a team.”
“We’ve spent a lot of meetings really building our culture; our brotherhood and you get to know a lot of the older guys on a more personal level as they give stories on personal things in their life. I think that’s important. The Xs and Os are important. Personnel is important but the connection of your team, to me, is as important as any other one.
“So, we spend time making sure that we are connected as a team. Like, this is more than just individual football players. This is guys that are willing to sacrifice because there’s a duty and a love for the man next to us. So, in order to have that you have to really build it with the intentional bond.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
