Irish fans from all over gathered to watch the Fighting Irish take off from South Bend on their way to sunny Florida.
Players, family members and staff left campus by bus just after 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Fans bid farewell from campus and the airport carrying mementos like helmets and ND memorabilia. Newscenter 16 spoke with those fans, one coming all the way from Tennessee, another from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Irish took off by charter plane from the South Bend Regional Airport at 1 p.m. Wednesday.