BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — When Barry Alvarez arrived in Madison 30 years ago, his first order of business as Wisconsin football coach was to restore the health and well-being of a downtrodden program.
It was a methodical, grueling and ultimately satisfying process that still endures today despite three subsequent coaching changes. Over the past three decades, the Badgers own six Big Ten Conference titles, eight top-10 finishes in the Associated Press poll, 13 10-win seasons, 15 bowl victories, a winning percentage of .679 (258-121-4) and a reputation for having one of the most consistent operations in the country.
Alvarez spent 16 Hall of Fame seasons as UW's coach before taking over as director of athletics in 2004. He's gotten a lot accomplished during that time, but only now, three decades later, is one of his original initiatives coming to life.
That will happen Oct. 3 when Wisconsin opens a two-game, neutral-site arrangement with Notre Dame, rekindling a series that began 120 years ago.
The Fighting Irish will be the host school when the teams play at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, their first meeting since 1964.
The Badgers will be the host club Sept. 25, 2021, when the duel shifts to Soldier Field in Chicago.
Alvarez spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Notre Dame before being hired as head coach at Wisconsin. Mindful of the traditions, legends, accomplishments and aura associated with the Fighting Irish – 11 national titles and seven Heisman Trophy winners – he embarked on a behind-the-scenes crusade to get them on the schedule.
"I've been trying to get them home-and-home since I took this job," Alvarez said of a deal to include Camp Randall Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium. "This is the only way."
In other words, two games that fit into the Shamrock Series, a scheduling format introduced in 2009 where Notre Dame plays an annual neutral-site game at a prominent location. That includes NFL venues such as Lucas Oil Stadium, AT&T Stadium and FedEx Field, as well as Major League Baseball stadiums like Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium.
"We would not get them home-and-home," Alvarez said of the Irish.
The next best thing will begin to play out at iconic Lambeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers have staged their NFL home games since 1957. Kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m. CT.
This is the second time the Badgers have played a neutral-site series featuring a game at Lambeau, which seats 81,441. They hosted LSU in the 2016 season-opener two years after facing the SEC powerhouse at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
According to an agreement between the schools, Wisconsin and Notre Dame will each get approximately 30,000 tickets. The rest, mostly suites and club seats, belong to the Packers. General bowl tickets range from $100 to $250. Student tickets will cost $50.
After accounting for student tickets (3,000) and tickets used for internal purposes (players' families, staff, the UW Marching Band and university needs), approximately 23,500 tickets will be available for UW donors and season ticket holders. As a comparison, that quantity for the 2016 game vs. LSU was approximately 29,700.
Wisconsin officials don't anticipate a general public sale for the game. Tickets may be requested by donors to UW Athletics and football season ticket-holders through the normal order process, which runs mid-March through April 20. The number of tickets available for request will be based on an individual donor's giving level. A complete chart can be found in the FAQs below.
The LSU-Wisconsin matchup was the first major-college football game to be staged at Lambeau and it still reverberates. It was a huge hit for Badgers fans thanks in large part to a 16-14 victory over the No. 5 team in the country, but also with those who made the trek to cheer for the Tigers, who travel extremely well to see their four-time national champions.
Alvarez spoke at an LSU football clinic last year and ran into numerous Tigers fans during the recent College Football Playoff championship game last month. He said their experiences in Green Bay, seeing a historic venue like Lambeau and being treated so well by the locals, left an impression.
"You talk to LSU people and they're still talking about the game at Lambeau, how special it was for them and how great a time they had in our state," Alvarez said.
This will be the 17th meeting between Wisconsin and Notre Dame going back to 1900. The schools met twice in Milwaukee, 1904 and '05, and once in Chicago, in 1929.
Thanks to legendary stories featuring the likes of Knute Rockne, Touchdown Jesus, the Four Horsemen and George Gipp, the Fighting Irish remain one of the most recognizable programs in college football even though their last national title was in 1988.
Alvarez was the Notre Dame defensive coordinator in '88 and remembers a unique environment.
"I wasn't thinking about that (the legends). I went there to work with Lou Holtz and an opportunity to move up in the business.
"But when you get there all of a sudden you realize that the school is special and that there's an aura about it that when you say you're from Notre Dame or that you're coaching at Notre Dame, people pay attention."
Though it's been 32 years since the Fighting Irish won a national championship, they've held up pretty well as a marquee program.
Since 1990, Notre Dame has six top-10 finishes, nine 10-win seasons, 10 bowl victories and a .641 winning percentage (221-123-2).
Looking at just the last decade, Wisconsin's 102 wins rank sixth among Power Five Conference teams while Notre Dame has 92 wins to rank in a tie for 12th. The Badgers have made six New Year's Six bowl game appearances and the Fighting Irish have played in three. The two teams have combined to finish among the top 15 of the AP poll 11 times.
It all adds up to one of the marquee matchups of the 2020 college football season.
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MORE INFORMATION
For fans interested in more information regarding tickets for the Wisconsin-Notre Dame football game at Lambeau Field on Oct. 3, 2020, please click HERE.
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WISCONSIN VS. NOTRE DAME — FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: When will the Wisconsin-Notre Dame game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay be played?
A: Saturday, October 3, 2020
Q: What time is kickoff?
A: The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be televised by NBC.
Q: When will tickets go on sale?
A: We do not anticipate a general public on sale for this game. Tickets may be requested by donors to Wisconsin Athletics and UW football season ticket holders through the normal football season ticket holder order process. That process runs from mid-March through April 20. For more information on that process, please contact the UW Athletic Development Office (608-262-1000 or development@uwbadgers.com) or the UW Athletic Ticket Office (608-262-1440 or tickets@uwbadgers.com).
Q: What is the deadline to be eligible as a donor/football season ticket holder and make a request for tickets to this game?
A: April 20, 2020
Q: What is the price of the tickets and who set the ticket prices?
A: Ticket prices range from $100 to $250. Student tickets will cost $50. The ticket prices were mutually determined by the Wisconsin and Notre Dame Athletic Departments.
Q: What's the seating capacity for Lambeau Field?
A: 81,441
Q: How many tickets does each team get?
A: Because this is a neutral site game and not a Wisconsin home game, Wisconsin's ticket allotment will be approximately 30,000. Notre Dame will also get approximately 30,000 tickets and the rest (mostly suites and club seats) belong to the Green Bay Packers to allocate. In 2016, when Wisconsin played LSU at Lambeau Field, Wisconsin's ticket allotment was 40,000, LSU received 20,000 and the rest (mostly suites and club seats) belonged to the Packers.
Q: Will Wisconsin students have access to tickets?
A: 3,000 tickets will be made available to UW-Madison students for this game. The request process for those tickets will be announced soon. Student tickets will cost $50.
Q: Who determined those ticket allotments?
A: It was mutually agreed upon between Wisconsin and Notre Dame.
Q: Where will the Badgers' ticket allotment be located?
A: Wisconsin's ticket allotment location will be released at a later date. All of the tickets will be located in the general bowl seating. All suites and club seats at Lambeau Field will be made available to Green Bay Packers suite and club seat holders.
Q: How big is the actual ticket pool for Wisconsin football season ticket holders and donors?
A: After removing student tickets and tickets used for internal purposes, approximately 23,500 tickets will be available for donors to Wisconsin Athletics and UW football season ticket holders. (In 2016 for the game against LSU the quantity was 29,700 tickets.)
Q: Donor example: I'm a Champion's Club donor, which means I have or I plan to give between $10,000 and $14,999 to Wisconsin Athletics by April 20. According to the chart provided, I'll get a maximum of six tickets, right?
A: You'll be allowed to REQUEST up to six tickets. That is the maximum amount of tickets you are eligible to request, however the actual quantity received may be less than that depending on the number of requests received and orders processed.
Q: How will suites and club seats at Lambeau be sold for this game?
A: All suites and club seats at Lambeau Field will be made available to Green Bay Packers suite and club seat holders. Wisconsin's approximately 30,000 tickets will be located in the bowl area.
Q: I don't have season tickets for Wisconsin football games, but will or have donated between $50 and $249 to Wisconsin Athletics in by April 20. Will I have access to tickets for the UW-Notre Dame game?
A: An emphasis will be placed on assisting as many donors and season ticket holders to purchase tickets as possible. However, according to the Request and Allocation Priority Rank chart, your request of up to two game tickets would be reviewed after donors who give the same amount and are UW football season ticket holders, and after football season ticket holders (non-donors). For more information, please contact the UW Athletic Development Office (608-262-1000 or development@uwbadgers.com) or the UW Athletic Ticket Office (608-262-1440 or tickets@uwbadgers.com).
Q: I have or am planning to make a request for new UW football season tickets prior to the April 20 deadline. Will I be able to also request tickets for this game, if so how many, and where will I be ranked on the request and allocation priority rank chart?
A: You will be able to request tickets to the UW vs. Notre Dame game at Lambeau Field and request new UW football season tickets for the 2020 season once you make a donation of $50 or more and receive email notification from the UW Athletic Ticket Office. The season and single-game ticket request process runs from mid-March through April 20. Your request for tickets to the UW vs. Notre Dame game will be reviewed as a 'Walk-On Club donor with Football Season Tickets' or at the appropriate giving level based on the chart.
Q: This looks like a very tough ticket. How many Wisconsin fans are in the mix for tickets?
A: Quite a few. There are approximately 13,000 season ticket holders for Badgers football (and they purchase approximately 49,000 season tickets annually). Additionally, there are approximately another 4,000 donors who are not football season ticket holders that are eligible to request tickets.
Q: When will I be notified if my request for Notre Dame tickets was fulfilled?
A: Patrons will be notified by the end of May of their request status, along with all other football single game requests. This communication will come via email.
Q: Is the request process for Notre Dame tickets at Lambeau Field the same as the request process for Notre Dame tickets at Soldier Field in Chicago in 2021?
A: Wisconsin Athletics will release a separate request process for the game at Soldier Field vs. Notre Dame, which takes place on September 25, 2021, at a later date.
