Last Saturday, Nov. 1, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish emerged victorious in a rivalry football game against the Boston College Eagles. The Irish won 25-10, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
This victory adds to the Irish’s winning streak against BC, marking their 10th straight victory with an overall record to 18-9 against their rival.
The rivalry, commonly known as the Holy War, as well as the Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl or the Vatican Bowl, is of great significance to many Notre Dame students, alumni and fans. 44,500 fans attended this year’s sold-out game.
Sophomore Fiona James Gallagher attended the game at Boston College’s Alumni Stadium. For Gallagher, the game was “a fun rivalry between my friends and family,” as her mother and friends from high school attended BC.
She said the game had a slow start and that the Fighting Irish’s performance in the first quarter was underwhelming.
Compared to Notre Dame Stadium, Gallagher thought that Alumni Stadium was smaller and “felt more like a high school football game.”
Boston College freshman Andrea Tirado also attended the game. “Overall, this season hasn’t been the best for our team but I think we were all more excited for the game than usual because of the historic rivalry,” she said.
She added that while her peers at BC were hoping for an upset, they realistically were prepared to simply root for their team and enjoy another afternoon with friends.
Compared to other football games, Tirado felt the Holy War brought extra spirit and energy to Alumni Stadium. “The spirit and vibes in the stadium were great and different than in other games. Both fandoms were rowdy, and the game was more thrilling and close than expected, even though we did not come out victorious in the end,” she said.
BC and Notre Dame first faced off in 1975 and have played each other 27 times since then. For alumni, the Holy War was a staple of their ND experience.
Christopher Letcher, Notre Dame class of 1998, did not know about the significance of the rivalry until he became a Notre Dame student. “I grew up in the Midwest without any real connection to Boston College. I didn’t understand the rivalry until I met other students who were from the East Coast when I was in school. They got me up to speed on the rivalry,” he said.
Additionally, he remembered the BC game as being scarier than other rivalry games, even when Notre Dame was ranked higher than Boston College or had a better record, as “strange things have seemed to happen in that game over the years.”
Juan Ortíz, also class of 1998, remembered arriving on campus “fresh off the gut-wrenching last-minute field goal that BC made to ruin [Notre Dame’s] National Championship chances in 1993.”
“There was a real animosity towards BC for that loss,” he said.
Despite recollections of this animosity, Ortíz generally supports BC football. “You can’t deny the allure of a David vs. Goliath scenario where Boston College has the opportunity to prove that the ‘little guy’ can win if they work hard enough. I find myself cheering for Boston College every weekend they do not play Notre Dame,” he said.
With the modern playoff system, where every game counts toward each team’s playoff chances, Ortíz worries that big or flashy games are replacing decades-old rivalries like the Holy War.
“I hope that the Holy War can survive this era and serve to remind us that there is a place every fall where rivalries still matter,” he said.
The rivalry is set to continue in the 2028 football season, this time with the bout occurring here at Notre Dame.
