When the idea of a club for Notre Dame varsity athletes first was proposed in 1898, fewer than 100 athletes had competed for the gold and blue in four sports - football, baseball, basketball and track - with Notre Dame now sponsoring 13 varsity sports in both men's and women's athletics. Listed below are the men's and women's varsity sports and the year started.

It is believed that the original organization was called the Varsity Club. This club came into being during the innovative years of Frank Hering as coach and director of athletics. Hering previously was a monogram winner in football in 1896 and in baseball in 1897. Despite his efforts, interest in the Varsity Club waned.

One reason for the decreased interest might have been the lack of continuity in the existing sports. In football, from 1887-1893, the team captain also served as coach. The first "non-captain" coach was appointed in 1894. He only served one year and - for the next 19 years (1894-1913) - Notre Dame had 14 different football coaches. From 1899-1907, basketball existed only as a intramural sport, because a fire destroyed the Fieldhouse in 1899. In four seasons, from 1892-1896, there were no baseball coaches - and from 1903-18 the team captain in track also served as the track coach, until Bertram Maris took over the program in 1908.

Exactly when the block ND letter or monogram first was worn, or awarded, seems to be obscured in history, although some early pictures show players wearing a large ND on their jerseys. A reference is made in the 1899 constitution of the Athletic Association of the University that "ND" was to be the official athletic insignia of Notre Dame. They also referenced a team cap with "ND" on it, only to be worn by qualifying members of the varsity teams. The current football yearbooks list the first players in 1887 and 1888 as "monogram winners," an honor bestowed after the fact when the awarding of letters first started.

When Jesse Harper was director of athletics and head football coach, assisted by Knute Rockne, an unofficial gathering of monogram men took place on March 25, 1916. It was resolved at that time to form an official Notre Dame National Monogram Club. Its first president was football center J. Hugh O'Donnell, who in 1940 became the 13th president of Notre Dame.

Some time after 1935, there was a distinction in the Club between the national group and the campus group, with the current structure comprising former monogram winners from across the globe.

Here's a listing of the individuals who have served as president of the Notre Dame Monogram Club:

1915 - Rev. Hugh O'Donnell ('16, football)
1916 - James Phelan ('17, football)
1917 - Francis Andrews ('18, football)
1918-19 - Edward "Slip" Madigan ('20, football)
1920-21 - Gus Desch ('23, football/track and field)
1922-23 - Harvey Brown ('24, football)
1924 - Elmer Layden ('25, football/track and field)
1925 - John Wallace ('26, football)
1926 - Charles Walsh ('27)
1927 - Fritz Wilson ('28)
1928 - August Grams ('29)
1929 - Clarence Donovan ('31, basketball)
1930 - Arthur McMahon ('31, football)
1931 - Nordy Hoffman ('33, football)
1932 - James Harris ('33, football)
1933 - Thomas Roach ('34, football)
1934 - Rocco Schiralli ('35, football)
1935 - Mike Layden ('36, football/track and field)
1936 - Jack Meehan ('20, basketball/track and field)
1936 - John Lataur ('37, football)
1937 - Paul Nowak ('38, basketball)
1938 - Ed Simonich ('39, football)
1939 - Steve Coughlin ('40, track and field)
1940 - William Schmitt ('10, football/track and field)
1941-44, '59-'61 - Chuck Sweeney ('38, football)
1944 - Roger Kiley ('23, football/basketball/baseball)
1945 - Chet Wynne ('22, football/track and field)
1946 - Joe Brandy ('21, football/basketball)
1947 - Joe Boland ('27, football)
1948 - Fred Miller ('29, football)
1949 - Ray Roy ('42, track and field)
1950 - Bill Sheehan ('49, basketball/baseball)
1951 - Frank Miles ('22, football/baseball)
1952 - Mike Kolen ('33, football)
1953 - Joe Abbott ('30, track and field)
1954 - Jack Elder ('30, football/track and field)
1955-56 - Bill Earley ('43, football)
1957 - Paul Lillis ('42, football)
1958 - John Panelli ('49, football)
1962 - Larry "Moon" Mullins ('31, football)
1964 - Leo Barnhorst ('49, basketball)
1965 - Bernie Crimmins ('42, football/baseball)
1968 - John Murphy ('42)
1969 - Bob McBride ('44, football)
1971 - Leo Klier ('46, basketball)
1972 - Leon Hart ('50, football)
1973-74 - Bill Hassett ('47, basketball/baseball)
1975-76 - Ed Mieszowski ('46, football)
1977-78 - Mike Carr ('51, student manager)
1979-81 - Harvey Foster ('39, football)
1982 - Bill Fischer ('49, football)
1983-84 - Jim Lynch ('67, football/track and field)
1985-86 - Bob McGoldrick ('56, student manager)
1987-88 - Lancaster Smith ('50, football)
1989-90 - Mary O'Connor ('51, basketball)
1991-92 - Ray Sobota ('49, track and field)
1993-94 - Jack Stephens ('55, football/basketball)
1995-96 - Dan Shannon ('55, football)
1997-98 - Marty Allen ('58, student manager)
1999-2000 - Mike Heaton ('68, football/golf)
2001-02 - Jim Carroll ('65, football)
2003-04 - Dave Duerson ('83, football)

Note: current first vice president Julie Pierson-Doyle ('85, volleyball) is slated to serve her two-year term as the Monogram Club president from June, 2005, to June, 2007 (officially listed as 2005-06) while second vice-president Marc Kelly ('82, basketball) is in line to be the Club's president from 2007-08.