How Notre Dame’s ‘Play Like a Champion Today’ sign became a lasting tradition

Some college football traditions roar. Others barely make a sound.

Notre Dame’s “Play Like a Champion Today” sign belongs to the second category.

No fireworks. No marching band. No carefully choreographed pregame production. Just a wooden sign at the bottom of the locker room steps, waiting for each Fighting Irish player on his way to the field.

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One quick slap of the hand, then it’s time to play.

The sign was installed by head coach Lou Holtz in 1986 and revived a phrase he encountered while researching the history of the program.

Since then, players have touched the sign before every game, turning it into one of the most recognizable traditions in college football.

Its combination of simplicity and history is what makes the ritual so enduring.

It is not about spectacle. It is about continuity – a physical reminder that every player taking those steps toward Notre Dame Stadium is joining something that began long before him.

That’s why we ranked “Play Like a Champion Today” No. 9 on our list of the 25 best traditions in college football.

Ranking traditions is, of course, subjective – and that’s part of the fun. We expect fans to debate what belongs higher, lower or maybe not on the list at all.

Here’s a closer look at the tradition behind the sign, followed by the rest of our top 25.

The story behind ‘Play Like a Champion Today’

The origin traces back to Holtz’s research into the program’s past.

“I read a lot of books about the history of Notre Dame and its football program. I forget which book I was looking at – it had an old picture in it that showed the slogan ‘Play Like A Champion Today,'” said Holtz, who coached the Irish from 1986 to 1996 and compiled a 100-30-2 record.

“I said, ‘That is really appropriate; it used to be at Notre Dame and we needed to use it again.’ So, I had that sign made up.”

No elaborate production. Just a ritual passed from one Notre Dame team to the next.

That is the appeal. In a sport built on spectacle, this tradition is defined by its restraint. Players reach up, tap the sign and jog toward the tunnel. The moment lasts a second.

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But it links every Fighting Irish player who takes the field to the ones who came before them – a physical connection to a program with more than a century of football history.

It is one reason the sign consistently ranks among the most beloved rituals in college football.

The top 25

• 1. The Hawkeye Wave, Iowa
• 2. Jump Around, Wisconsin
• 3. Enter Sandman, Virginia Tech
• 4. Running Down the Hill, Clemson
• 5. Osceola and Renegade, Florida State
• 6. Ralphie’s Run, Colorado
• 7. White Out Game, Penn State
• 8. Dotting the “i,” Ohio State
• 9. Play Like a Champion Today, Notre Dame
• 10. Touching the Banner, Michigan
• 11. Running Through the T, Tennessee
• 12. 2001: A Space Odyssey, South Carolina
• 13. Entering through the smoke, Miami
• 14. Army-Navy joint postgame alma maters
• 15. The Sooner Schooner, Oklahoma
• 16. War Eagle, Auburn
• 17. Traveler and Tribute to Troy, USC
• 18. Country Roads, West Virginia
• 19. Calling the Dawgs, Georgia
• 20. Gator Chomp, Florida
• 21. Callin’ Baton Rouge, LSU
• 22. The Masked Rider, Texas Tech
• 23. The 12th Man, Texas A&M
• 24. Rammer Jammer, Alabama
• 25. Wabash Cannonball, Kansas State

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Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.

The post How Notre Dame’s ‘Play Like a Champion Today’ sign became a lasting tradition appeared first on Student Section.

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This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 7:28 AM.