Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546494
14 SEPT. 12, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY ERIC HANSEN W ith all the truly functional opulence and nods to Notre Dame's resonant history that don't feel disconnected the least bit from the ongoing football re- naissance, perhaps the most breathtak- ing aspect of the new Shields Hall is the inspiration behind it. That's the Jack and Kathy Shields Fam- ily Hall, a 162,032-square-foot facility, as breathtaking inside as it is pragmatic in its mission to help put the 2026 Irish — and those teams to follow — in the best position to be successful on Saturdays. Another goal of the facility is to pre- pare players to be successful in the life that awaits after Notre Dame football. You can feel that spirit of Jack Shields' own personal history as well as his vi- sion in every corridor and every corner of the building that provides so much more than a 50 percent upgrade in space from the football program's former weekday home, the Guglielmino Ath- letics Complex. A FIRSTHAND LOOK The Notre Dame football core beat media got a chance to tour Shields Hall Aug. 25 after a media practice viewing across the street at the grass practice fields adjacent to the Irish Athletics Complex. The tour started with the Hall of Cham- pions, which features all kinds of ways to interact with Notre Dame's storied past. It's also the only space that will be regularly open to the public. Visitors can check out the hall every Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. On home football weekends, a Friday window will be added from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Former Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus, once upon a time (1993) the na- tion's top recruit at any position, gave the tour. In May, Powlus was named the athletic department's first chief operat- ing officer in school history. His day-to- day oversight of the football program and the department's NIL division continues. "What impresses me so much with Jack Shields is his passion for Notre Dame," Powlus said of the man behind Notre Dame's new, bold leap and com- mitment. "Passion for the student-ath- lete, passion for the success of the stu- dent-athletes — both on the field and off the field — to really put people in a posi- tion to have success, to have a place to be in their mind and in their world when the game isn't what they're doing anymore. "And that's how we got to know Jack early on, was his passion for helping for- mer student-athletes. And, you know, we're thrilled that he took such a lead on giving so generously of his thoughts and financially to make this happen." PASSION PROJECT Jack Shields embodies the inspiration behind Notre Dame's brand-new, state-of-the-art football headquarters Shields Family Hall features an elite sports performance center, an immaculate locker room, an expansive auditorium, an augmented reality walkthrough room, academic support spaces, a spacious training room and much more. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS