Frequently Asked Questions

What is interhall football?

"Interhall football" is the highest level of intramural football at the University of Notre Dame. Each intramural team represents their residence hall, hence the term interHALL. Seventeen halls, plus an "Off-Campus" team for those living off university grounds, form the men's interhall football league (MIFL). The women's interhall football league, established in 1972 with the onset of co-education at Notre Dame, is comprised of sixteen teams. The halls are divided into divisions with a round-robin schedule of four to six games, depending on the number of teams in each division. The best teams advance to the playoffs, where they vie for the coveted interhall championship. While most games can be found on one of Notre Dame's many, many auxiliary football fields, the championship is traditionally decided in Notre Dame Stadium.

Many other colleges also support their own intramural football leagues. However, what sets interhall apart from any other collegiate program in the country is their mandate to play full pads, 11-on-11, tackle football. After West Point and the Naval Academy discontinued their contact programs in the 1990s, Notre Dame became the last remaining post-secondary school to offer intramural tackle football in any capacity. This is yet another purely unique aspect of the N. D. experience!

Who can play?

Interhall football is open to all undergraduate students at Notre Dame who do not play for the varsity football team. While no varsity athletes can play on interhall sports teams, many former interhall athletes have become successful walk-ons for the Fighting Irish. The decision to exclude the varsity in interhall football was made in 1913, when the Irish were trying to combat the tendency of their players to skip practice in favor of playing in an interhall football game. In fact, early players occasionally expressed more allegiance to their hall than the university football team. However unpopular, the ruling has remained in effect for over a hundred years. Its powers were even broadened after the Murphy Controversy brought its application to transfer students into question. The final decision: no matter where you got it, a varsity letter equates to a lifelong ban from the interhall sport of that letter's origin.

However, various exemptions to other aspects of the rule, including the provisions of "Notre Dame student" and "undergrad", have been offered at different times in the league's history. For example, from 1970 to 1974, a team known as St. Joseph Hall was permitted to play interhall football despite its residents attending nearby Holy Cross Community College. The reason for this allowance is unknown, although it did provide the interhall league with one famous addition to their all-time roster: Rudy Ruettiger, a St. Joe team captain in 1973. Given the physical nature of tackle football, players are also required to provide a signed physical before each season and participate in a certain number of practices before every game.

Hall teams may only be comprised of student-athletes who are a current resident of that hall. This is the longest-standing eligibility rule in interhall athletics. It was first explicitly implemented at the end of the nineteenth century to prevent "ringers", or students living in other halls on campus. Before the Rockne Romana, students who did not live on campus but still wished to participate were haphazardly assigned a hall to play for. The Off-Campus team was established in 1920 to alleviate this issue. In the 1990s, Off-Campus students began to fight with the RecSports department to be allowed to play for their former hall team. In 1997, this exception was granted.

For how long has Notre Dame sponsored interhall football?

Interhall is almost as old as the varsity football program. The first recognized interhall football game was played between Brownson and Sorin halls in 1890, although rudimentary football was practiced by Brownson and Carroll, then known as the Senior and Junior Department dormitories respectively, as far back as 1870. With the exception of the late 1930s (see here for details), World War II, and COVID-19, the league has operated continuously since then. For the first decade of its existence, intramural athletics remained chaotic and unorganized. Then, in 1903, the first round-robin schedule was implemented by the new university Athletic Board. By the end of the decade there was the semblance of an organized football league, one that was composed of many players who would go on to long careers on the varsity team, and even professional football.

The number of teams steadily rose from three at the turn of the century to eight by 1922. An eight-team round robin schedule was considered unfeasible, so the first divisions were introduced that season. The winners in each division would play in the first official post-season interhall championship game. Indeed, 1922 marks the beginning of "modern" interhall football and is considered a major benchmark in the league's development. Interhall football underwent one more radical change in 1972, when the university accepted female undergraduates for the first time in its 129-year history.

The Women's Interhall Football League (WIFL), which is flag football, is in many respects more exciting than the men's league. The loss of sluggish pads allows for a higher pace of play, and the games consequently outperform the MIFL in scoring every season. The "Co-Ed Era" as it is so-called, also coincided with the expansion of the post-season from two to four, and eventually eight teams. Today, the football program has never been stronger. Interhall "B" teams, once the punchline to a good Notre Dame football joke, now enjoy their own organized league and trip to the Stadium for championships. Each hall has distinct jerseys, a dedicated coaching staff, and even a band. Rumor has it Marcus Freeman even served as defensive coordinator for Pangborn Hall in 2020.

Would I know any interhall football players by name?

Yes, I believe you would! Before 1913, virtually all of the top interhall players would go on to star for the varsity team. However, this trend steadily declined as the Irish became more of a nationally competitive brand, and by the end of World War II, "the jump" became a rarity. However, there are still some notable names who defied the odds and rose to the varsity ranks. Two years before he was kicking a quartet of field goals to triumph over the Wolverines, Reggie Ho was dropping game-winners for Cavanaugh Hall. In 1973, the St. Joseph Hall football team of Holy Cross Junior College was captained by none other than Daniel Ruettiger, better known by his nickname, Rudy.