The University of Notre Dame has changed the lyrics of its fight song to include “daughters,” the Catholic university announced on Friday.
The “Notre Dame Victory March” update celebrates the 50th anniversary of the university’s move to admit female undergraduate students.
“The success Notre Dame enjoys has been shaped by the extraordinary leadership and contributions of the women who have been and are a part of the Notre Dame community — beginning with the four Holy Cross sisters who arrived in the Indiana wilderness in 1843, to those who lead, teach, learn, minister and work here today,” University President Rev. John Jenkins said in a statement to Notre Dame News.
“On this occasion of the anniversary of the admission of undergraduate women in 1972, we celebrate the invaluable contributions of women as students and graduates. The re-imaging of the Main Circle will be a tribute at the heart of our campus to the ways in which these women have inspired, led and enriched us,” he added.
It's official ☘️
Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons & DAUGHTERS
MARCH ON to victory pic.twitter.com/aheZD7cQt1— University of Notre Dame (@NotreDame) June 3, 2022
The report added that the original song, written by Rev. Michael Shea and his brother John in 1908, includes the lines:
Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame.
Wake up the echoes cheering her name.
Send a volley cheer on high.
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small,
Old Notre Dame will win over all.
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to victory.
Going forward, “Notre Dame Victory March” will be sung as follows:
While her loyal sons and daughters
March on to victory.
The song has become one of the most legendary tunes in college sports. It has been played for more than a century at the school’s campus.
“The song has been played on the school’s campus since 1909, making its debut at athletic events a decade later. Former band director Joseph Casasanta rearranged the lyrics in 1928 to the version most famous today, going unchanged until the university unveiled the new version last week,” Fox News reported.