Notre Dame visited Alumni Stadium for the first time during the fall of my freshmen year (1994). This was less than a year after BC knocked off the then undefeated Irish in South Bend. I don't think there was a bigger game or more campus excitement in my whole time as a student. Notre Dame was still elite and we were still riding the excitement of the Coughlin years. Coughlin successfully leveraged Notre Dame as part of his rebuild. The Catholic aspect and the chance to take down Goliath were easy sells to a fanbase enjoying a post-Flutie football renaissance.
Do BC fans care about Notre Dame any more?
