SCRANTON -- It was a rowdy bunch of Notre Dame football fans inside Joyce’s Café in South Scranton.
Irish pride was on display as the undefeated Notre Dame took on defending champs Alabama for the BCS title game.
This bar is the home the Minooka Notre Dame Club and Fighting Irish fans say this is the only place to watch the biggest college football game of the year.
“I’ve been coming here since I’m 21, watched most of all of Notre Dame games here since I’m 21 and it’s the best crowd, it’s the best environment,” said Paul Georgetti of Minooka. “We’re all big Notre Dame fans and we really enjoy it. It’s a great place to be.”
“There’s not a better bar in northeastern Pennsylvania to watch Notre Dame games,” said Kyle Ferguson of Dunmore. “It’s the best place to be. The people are fantastic.”
“We’ve had the Minooka Notre Dame Club here since 1967. A group of guys started it, they came in here and as you can see, it still goes on,” said Joyce’s Café owner Tom Barrett.
For Notre Dame fans, this game is huge as the team is going for its first BCS title in more than 20 years.
Diehard fans say they know Notre Dame can wrestle the win from the Crimson Tide.
“This is very important, we’ve been waiting a long time for this win, that we’re going to have,” Shannon Ancherani of Dunmore.
“Oh, it’s great; it’s been a long wait. It’s great to see them back, looking forward to it, big time,” said Paul Roach of Scranton.
“I was 18 last time they won it and it just feels like it’s been forever,” said Georgetti.
“It’s the biggest game I can remember in my lifetime as a Notre Dame fan, so it doesn’t get much better than this,” said Ferguson.
Notre Dame was defeated by Alabama 42 - 14.