- Dillon Hall (University of Notre Dame)
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Dillon Hall Motto It's OK to be Jealous Established 1931 Type Residence Hall President Andy Boes Rector Rev. Paul Doyle, CSC Location Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
41°41′59″N 86°14′25″W / 41.699593°N 86.240319°WCoordinates: 41°41′59″N 86°14′25″W / 41.699593°N 86.240319°WCampus South Quad Undergraduate residents 334 Colors Red and Black Mascot Big Red, Princess Javelina Website Dillon Hall Website Dillon Hall is one of the 29 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 15 male dorms. Dillon is located directly west of Alumni Hall and is directly adjacent to South Dining Hall on the west. Dillon has space for 334 undergraduate students.
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History
Dillon Hall is the largest Dormitory on the University of Notre Dame campus, with roughly 334 residents. Named after Fr. Patrick Dillon, CSC, the Hall was completed in 1931. Dillon's chapel is dedicated to Knute Rockne's patron saint, St. Olaf. The dormitory was built with the proceeds, $52,000, from the 1925 Rose Bowl.[1]
Dillon Hall is known as "The Big Red," and few know from where the name comes. In fact, the dorm moniker used to be "the Big D," but when this title began to take on less-than-desirable connotations, the name was changed to "The Big Red," after the dorm's official color.
Dillon's main rival in Recsports events has always been Alumni Hall, situated directly next door to Dillon. The Pinnacle of this rivalry is in mid Fall when both dorms sponsor Rivalry Week, a multievent competition to see which dorm is better. The week culminates in the Big Red Dawg Dance, where the winner of Rivalry Week is announced.
Dillon's signature event of every year is the Dillon Hall Pep Rally. The pep rally is a comedy/variety show performed outside of Dillon the Thursday before the first home football game of the fall. Former Dillon Hall resident and 2001 graduate, Joseph "Crackhead" Parker's antics of smashing plates over his head has become an annual tradition and beloved spectacle at the event.
As early as the 70s, Dillon had a tradition of shouting "Alumni Sucks." This was suppressed by the administration and almost disappeared. In 1999, however, Tony Rice spoke at the Dillon Pep Rally and shouted "Alumni," to which the men responded "sucks!" From that point on, it became anathema to use the chant anymore. And let's not forget Baby New Day, which featured a Dillonite dressed in a diaper bursting through the front doors of Dillon at the stroke of midnight during each night of finals to the cheers of the faithful. Unfortunately, it appears that the Baby New Day tradition was suppressed by the administration in the mid-1990s.
Current Rector
Dillon Hall's main entrance
Fr. Paul Doyle, CSC is the current rector of Dillon Hall, assuming the position in 1997. A benevolent southerner from Lynchburg, Virginia, Fr. Doyle was ordained a Holy Cross priest in 1977. Prior to his appointment as rector. Fr. Doyle had such positions as Director of Old College, Notre Dame's residence for men considering the priesthood, as well as Assistant Superior of Moreau Seminary. From 1980-1985, he also served as pastor of the St Joseph's parish in South Bend. He is also the current chaplain for home football games.
Past Rectors
Prior to Fr. Paul Doyle, CSC serving as rector, Fr. Joseph Carey was rector. In the 1980s, Fr. Mark Poorman served as Rector. In the late 1970s and early 1980s it was Fr. Daniel Jenky, CSC (UND '71, '73), now Bishop of Peoria, IL.
Famous residents
Famous residents, past and present, include:
- Tony Rice, quarterback on the 1988 National Championship team; in 1989 he won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, finished 4th in the Heisman voting, and was named to the All-American Team.
- Paul Hornung, the "Golden Boy," 1956 Heisman Trophy winner, number one overall draft pick in the 1957 NFL Draft, and member of four NFL Championship teams with the Green Bay Packers.
- Bill Laimbeer, won two NBA Championships and was named to the NBA All-Star Game four times while playing with the Detroit Pistons.
- Brady Quinn, finished third in Heisman balloting as a senior and won the Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and was named the Cingular All-American Player of the Year as a senior. Quinn was the 22nd player drafter in the 2007 NFL Draft. He is currently the quarterback for the Denver Broncos.
- George Dohrmann, Pulitzer Prize winner for beat reporting in 2000.[2] He recently wrote the Sports Illustrated article on the Michael Vick dog-fighting investigation, detailing specific allegations of cruelty made in the July 17, 2007 indictment of Michael Vick, and speculating about how the case might affect Vick's football career.[3]
A number of other football players lived in Dillon Hall, including defensive tackles Derek Landri of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Mike Golic of ESPN Radio, tight end Anthony Fasano of the Dallas Cowboys, defensive back Ambrose Wooden, kicker John Carney of the New Orleans Saints, defensive lineman Trevor Laws, defensive lineman Victor Abiamiri of the Philadelphia Eagles, offensive lineman John Sullivan, and punter/kicker D. J. Fitzpatrick.
References
- ^ Dufresne, Chris - When they were riding high. Los Angeles Times, October 2, 2007
- ^ 2000 Pulitzer Prize Winners - BEAT REPORTING, Citation
- ^ SI.com - NFL - George Dohrmann: Ugly details of Vick's indictment - Wednesday July 18, 2007 11:20AM
External links
- Dillon Hall Website
- Dillon Hall Profile at the Office of Residence Life and Housing
- University of Notre Dame Website
- Archive of NBC Article featuring Dillon traditions
Categories:- University of Notre Dame residence halls
- 1931 establishments
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