Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Notre Dame agreement is a win-win-win for Marshall
3/5/2019 11:02:00 AM | Football, Word on the Herd
Thundering Herd, Irish set to meet on the football field in 2022
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After seeing the reaction of Monday morning's announcement that Marshall and Notre Dame will meet on the football field in 2022, athletic director Mike Hamrick might have felt like doing a Victory March around his Shewey Building office.
The athletic director, in his 10th season at his alma mater, has negotiated some impressive home-and-home football contracts in his time here. Hamrick has stressed a need to schedule non-conference games with schools in bordering states or states that border those states because of the wide geographic footprint of Conference USA. He has insisted on bringing games to Huntington, stimulating the economy and rewarding a loyal and passionate fan base. Louisville's visit a couple years ago generated an economic impact of about $9 million for the city.
Notre Dame is an exception, although it is a geographically friendly matchup. The money is good, for sure, but a one-game contract for a road game has to be particularly enticing for Hamrick to consider it. The Fighting Irish fit that perfectly. The Marshall fan base seems to agree.
A sampling of the social media reaction:
"Best road trip ever!" read one response. "What a thrill it will be for our players and our fans," read another. Others called it a bucket list game, and thanked Hamrick for negotiating a game in the near future, relative to traditional football schedule announcements.
This game isn't a decade down the road. Marshall has players on its current roster who will make the trip to South Bend, Indiana, on Sept. 10, 2022 to face the Fighting Irish in Notre Dame Stadium, which is one of the most historic and iconic venues in sports. Notre Dame has won national championships, and holds college football records for Heisman Trophy winners, All-Americans and College Football Hall of Fame entrants. They're known for one of the greatest college football fight songs, and Touchdown Jesus can be seen from inside the nearly 90-year-old stadium.
This is even a battle between two of the most well-known based-on-a-true-story college football movies of all-time: "We Are Marshall" and "Rudy." Maybe Matthew McConaughey and Sean Astin can make the trip for the game?
No matter, Hamrick scheduled this game because it puts Marshall University and its football program squarely in the national spotlight. For the next three football seasons, Herd coaches will surely dangle this scheduling carrot in front of recruits. Want to compete against the best? Want to be on the biggest stage? Want a large national television audience?
Notre Dame checks all of those boxes. The Fighting Irish have a long-time television rights agreement with NBC, and those nationally televised games on Saturdays command a ton of eyeballs. Last season, a September game against Michigan pulled in more than seven million viewers. Prior to the 2018 season, Forbes listed Notre Dame as the seventh-most valuable college football program.
Hamrick invested years into scheduling this one game. You know what helped? Everything. Marshall's tradition, including having the longest active bowl winning streak in the nation, provided a boost. The school and program carry a national presence. And there will be a lot of Herd fans make their way to South Bend in three-and-a-half years. The line for tickets might as well already be forming. Fans began planning as soon as the announcement was made.
"Notre Dame is very selective when it comes to football scheduling," read a portion of a Hamrick quote in Monday's announcement, "but Marshall's national brand, history and passionate fan base made us an appealing addition to their home schedule."
Marshall is one of nine opponents Notre Dame has scheduled for 2022. The Irish are set to open the season Sept. 3, 2022 at Ohio State, and then will return home to play its first game of the season at Notre Dame Stadium against Marshall.
The other seven games on Notre Dame's '22 slate: Stanford, at Navy, Clemson, at Southern Cal, Boston College, at North Carolina and at Syracuse. Those are some heavyweights.
Marshall has had its share of these games, too. Hamrick has now scheduled games against Notre Dame, Louisville, N.C. State, Pitt, Navy, Boise State, Purdue, East Carolina, Cincinnati, Liberty, Akron, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Kent State and Appalachian State. A home-and-home series with Virginia Tech was negotiated a couple months ago.
At this point, you should be ready to fly onto the field like little Ruettiger. If not, consider this:
Notre Dame's marching band plays the fight song of its opponent during its field shows as a show of respect. Imagine being able to see the "Word of Life" mural from your seat, knowing that somewhere a football player with a shiny gold helmet smacked a "Play like a champion today" sign before taking the field against the Herd, and then "Sons of Marshall" begins to play in a place where so many college football legends have roamed.
Signing a deal with Notre Dame completes the scheduling hat trick: It is valuable exposure for the school, provides a great opportunity for the football program and will be a unique experience for the fans.
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
