Play Like a Champion Today

AP Photo/Joe Raymond

In 1986, at the request of Lou Holtz, the new head coach for the University of Notre Dame’s football program, a sign was commissioned and hung on the stairwell from the locker room to the tunnel leading to Notre Dame stadium.

It’s a tradition for players to touch the sign on the way out of the locker room.

When asked about the sign, Holtz said:

I told my players, ‘Every time you hit this sign, I want you to remember all the great people that played here before you, all the sacrifices that your teammates have made for you, all the people, your coaches, your parents, who are responsible for you being here.’