Notre Dame's Most Famous Football Symbol Was Never Made For Football

Notre Dame’s most famous football symbol was never created for football. In this video, we uncover the surprising true story behind “Touchdown Jesus,” the iconic mural overlooking Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. From the stands, Christ’s raised arms look exactly like a referee signaling a touchdown, but the artwork was actually created for Hesburgh Library and officially named The Word of Life. This Notre Dame tradition became one of the most recognizable images in college football history almost by accident. Discover how artist Millard Sheets designed the massive mural in the 1960s using thousands of pieces of granite, why Father Theodore Hesburgh wanted the artwork to represent faith, education, knowledge, and generations of learning, and how Notre Dame football fans later gave it a completely different identity. We also explore how television broadcasts helped turn Touchdown Jesus into a national college football icon, why fans fought to preserve the famous stadium sightline, and how crews continue restoring the mural against harsh Indiana weather. If you love Notre Dame football, Fighting Irish history, college football traditions, iconic stadiums, American football culture, legendary game day rituals, and hidden sports history, this story reveals a side of Notre Dame most fans never hear about. The mural was not designed for touchdowns, but generations of fans permanently connected it to Saturday football. One meaning was created by the artist. The other was created by college football itself. #NotreDame #NotreDameFootball #FightingIrish #TouchdownJesus #CollegeFootball #CollegeFootballHistory #NotreDameStadium #FootballTraditions #AmericanFootball #NCAAFootball #SouthBend #HesburghLibrary #FootballHistory #GameDayTraditions #CollegeFootballFans #AmericaUnseen To clarify videos are made for educational purposes! Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.