Welcome to an upload from the magical year of 1999. We’re all scared of Y2K and on the campus of Notre Dame folks are 3 years into a post-Lou Holtz era with healthy worries about varsity football overflowing dinner conversations.

None of those worries can penetrate the long tradition of Notre Dame interhall football where the passion and commitment runs deep. Now, let’s take a look at this NFL Films program shot from campus 17 years ago.

INTRO- What program didn’t Edge Pro Gel sponsor during this time frame? That shaving gel seemed to be everywhere at all times until Barbasol made a resurgence in recent years. Also, DirecTV’s slogan was, “What are you looking at?” That couldn’t have lasted more than a month or two, right?

Man, RIP Steve Sabol I can’t believe it’s been almost 4 years since he passed away. It just dawned on me that Sabol in the 90’s looked exactly like Gary Kubiak.

1:10- Now our program begins with some Siegfried Hall boys preparing to march as a band or something? I absolutely love the Hasek-era hockey jersey guy with the stick. He’s got this all figured out.

1:28- Those are REAL Irish Guard members dammit!

“It’s a tradition unlike any other in amateur athletics.”

Then a shot to Bob Davie leading the Irish on to the field on what looks like the saddest and most overcast day in the history of the world. That sums up late 1990’s Notre Dame football probably better than anything.

2:22- I’m going to say you can get away with this sweatshirt today. That’s a total power sweatshirt from the Knott Hall head coach AND quarterback. You know it’s made by Champion.

2:33- There’s Sabres jersey kid again! That’s quality atmosphere and cheer from the sidelines–probably exceeded what we saw inside the stadium during this period.

“That was the philosophy by which Knute Rockne founded interhall football in the 1920’s. He believed that if football was good enough for varsity then it was good enough for the whole student body.”

Wait, what? Can you picture students in the 20’s cooped up in the dorms staring out the window with no ability to play football until Rock kicks down the door and gives them football freedom?

Of course interhall football gave Rockne another, and entirely selfish but acceptable, edge for his job. Loads and loads of kids came to Notre Dame to “tryout” and kill themselves against the first, second, and third varsity teams. Afterwards when they didn’t make the team, hey go enjoy dorm football and come back next year!

3:09- This coat is NOT okay anymore. For some reason in the late 90’s a bunch of ND apparel starting incorporating all these strange leather touches and brown shades as seen on Holtz during his last home game. If you own something like this burn it right now.

3:49- Here starts the worst infomercial for Notre Dame football recruiting purposes.

“This one person in particular missed two games because he had to go see his girlfriend. And I understand that relationships are important and that you should give time to the people but I just can’t see missing a football game to go on a date. I often joke that once I find, like, a girl to date that she’s gonna have to be second to football and understand her role.”

This looks, and especially reads, like Notre Dame is still an all-boys school. Women had been attending school for nearly 30 years at this point, for the record. This senior doesn’t have a girlfriend, it appears. I wonder why?

Just when you think this video is going off the rails it totally redeems itself with this completely over-the-top intense banner for the dorm members to run through.

kill everyone

True pioneers. Knott Hall introducing props into stadium intros nearly two decades before the big boy varsity.

6:15- Sweet, sweet victory for our protagonists.

Intense Kid: “You just won the interhall championship of the world. Where are you going?”

Coach/Quarterback: “It’s not Disney World. Not Disney World. Library. No Disney World. Library. Algorithms. Homework. School.”

I always say a mark of a true student-athlete comes when you have the ability to ‘kill everyone’ on the field and then not even celebrate victory for one second for fear of losing quality library time.

See you at the next YouTube upload!