A History of Siegfried and the Mighty Rambler

Rambler History A long time ago, on the frozen waste of the north, a group of Norse Raiders decided to get a college education, and so they rowed their longboats to South Bend's fertile shores. Um, no, not really. Actually, our beautiful building was donated by Robert M. Siegfried ('37) and Raymond H. Siegfried II ('65) and built in 1988 to house women. In a string of brilliant decisions the University decided to move the men of majestic Flanner Hall, the best male residence hall of its day, to Siegfried and Knott, while moving the women to West Quad. This move resulted in the strange friendship and rivalary between Siegfried and Knott that remains today. In honor of the the Flanner "Gamecocks" the men of Siegfried and Knott battle for the golden Flanner Cup in the fall. Year Built: 1988 Capacity: 240 Male Dorm, but... Female until 1997; male since We Call Ourselves: Ramblers, as a nod to the football team’s nickname during the barnstorming days of Knute Rockne. Their Viking image is partially inspired by Siegfried, a Viking warrior in Richard Wagner’s operatic movement “Ride of the Valkyries.” As a women’s dorm, we went by the Slammers. Named For: Benefactors Robert Siegfried ’37 and Raymond H. Siegfried ’65, a former member of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees. Ray Siegfried and his wife, Milann, later also funded the Siegfried Building in the Mendoza College of Business and established the Ray and Milann Siegfried Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies. Ray Siegfried succumbed to ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2005. Distinguishing Features: We have the most full-length mirrors and the biggest closets of any male dorm, left over from our fairer days as a women’s hall. Unlike most quads, Mod Quad actually exists in two quadrangles—one to the south of Siegfried and Knott and one to the north of Pasquerilla East and Pasquerilla West. Made History: Siegfried and Knott are the only two dorms to convert from female to male, in order to preserve Mod Quad’s gender balance when male dorms Flanner and Grace became offices. They Lived Here: Justin Tuck ’05, New York Giants defensive end; Jeff Faine ’03, New Orleans Saints offensive lineman; Sean Mahan ’03, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman; and Katryna Gaither ’97, Minnesota Lynx center (back when it wasn't a male dorm) Viking Connections Although we sport the Rambler name, we asked ourselves, "What the heck is a Rambler?" and the final answer was "I dunno, but Siegfried was a Viking". It seems there is a Wagner character in the "Night of the Valkries" by the name of Siegfried. So, if you see 20 year old boys running around with rambler/viking helmets at pep rallies and hockey games, it's probably us.

Copyright © 2011 Siegfried Hall and the University of Notre Dame