Notre Dame Stadium grass now on sale
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SOUTH BEND — How much would you pay for a living piece of Notre Dame football history?
Some Fighting Irish fans this week are shelling out $149.95 each to purchase 5-by-2-foot pieces of sod from the field in Notre Dame Stadium.
The grass is being removed today and Tuesday in preparation for installation of synthetic FieldTurf in the historic 84-year-old football stadium.
The strips of grass and soil removed for the field will be rolled and shipped Wednesday via UPS for second-day arrival, and will be suitable for immediate planting, according to university officials.
Orders are being taken online at und.com/grass.
The grass comes from Notre Dame Stadium, but it doesn’t have a long and storied history. The entire football field was resodded four times between spring and October 2013, which means the Irish squad played on this turf just a few times.
Each roll of grass will arrive with a certificate of authenticity stating it’s genuine Notre Dame Stadium turf.
The sod removal will be mainly within the playing field, according to John Heisler, senior associate athletic director. Most of the sidelines and end zones already are an artificial surface.
If the entire field is made available for purchase and it sells out, the university could realize more than $800,000 from the sale.
A football field is 360-by-160 square feet, which is 57,600 square feet. That’s 5,760 pieces of sod. If each sells for $150, that’s $864,000.
Don’t expect to see football field lines on the grass. The field lines haven’t been repainted since before the Blue-Gold Game in April, when the field condition was described as poor.
Fans will get their first look at the stadium’s new synthetic turf on Aug. 30, at the Irish season opener against Rice.
MFosmoe@SBTinfo.com 574-235-6329 Twitter: @mfosmoe
