Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Encyclopedia
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football
team of the University of Notre Dame
. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly
.
Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA
Football Bowl Subdivision
level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series
coalition. It is an independent team, not affiliated with any conference. The team plays its home games on Notre Dame's campus at Notre Dame Stadium
, with a capacity of 80,795. All home games are televised on NBC
.
The Fighting Irish claim 11 national championships, tied for second out of all FBS schools, and produced 96 All-Americans and seven Heisman Trophy
winners – both more than any other Football Bowl Subdivision school.
The following is a list of Notre Dame's 11 claimed national championships:
Here's a list of such games:
Notre Dame has also played in several bowl games considered by many sportswriters to be among the best bowl games played:
by a score of 8–0. Their first win came in the final game of the 1888 season when the Irish defeated Harvard Prep by a score of 20–0. At the end of the 1888 season they had a record of 1–3 with all three losses being at the hands of Michigan
by a combined score of 43–9. Between 1887 and 1899 Notre Dame compiled a record of 31 wins, 15 losses, and four ties against a diverse variety of opponents ranging from local high school teams to other universities.
Notre Dame continued its success near the turn of the century and achieved their first victory over Michigan
in 1909 by the score of 11–3 after which Michigan refused to play Notre Dame again for 33 years. By the end of the 1912 season they had amassed a record of 108 wins, 31 losses, and 13 ties.
Jesse Harper
became head coach in 1913 and remained so until he retired in 1917. During his tenure the Irish began playing only intercollegiate games and posted a record of 34 wins, five losses, and one tie. This period would also mark the beginning of the rivalry with Army
and the continuation of rivalries with Michigan State
.
In 1913, Notre Dame burst into the national consciousness and helped to transform the collegiate game in a single contest. In an effort to gain respect for a regionally successful but small-time Midwestern football program, Harper scheduled games in his first season with national powerhouses Texas
, Penn State
, and Army Black Knights football|Army. On November 1, 1913, the Notre Dame squad stunned the Black Knights of the Hudson 35–13 in a game played at West Point
. Led by quarterback Charlie "Gus" Dorais and end (soon to be legendary coach) Knute Rockne
, the Notre Dame team attacked the Cadets with an offense that featured both the expected powerful running game but also long and accurate downfield forward pass
es from Dorais to Rockne.
in 1925, and produced players such as the "Four Horsemen
",. Knute Rockne has the highest win percentage (.881) in college football history.
Among the events that occurred during Rockne’s tenure none may be more famous than the Rockne’s Win one for the Gipper speech. George "the Gipper" Gipp
was a player on Rockne’s earlier teams who died of strep throat in 1920. Army came into the 1928 matchup undefeated and was the clear favorite. Notre Dame, on the other hand, was having their worst season under Rockne’s leadership and entered the game with a 4–2 record. At the end of the half Army was leading and looked to be in command of the game. Rockne entered the locker room and gave his account of Gipp’s final words: "I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are going wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy." The speech, although possibly fictional, inspired the team and they went on to upset Army and win the game 12–6.
The last game Rockne coached was on December 14, 1930 when he led a group of Notre Dame all-stars against the New York Giants
in New York City. The game raised funds for the Mayor's Relief Committee for the Unemployed and Needy of the city. 50,000 fans turned out to see the reunited "Four Horsemen
" along with players from Rockne's other championship teams take the field against the pros.
Rockne, aged 43, died in the plane crash of TWA Flight 599
in Kansas on March 31, 1931, while on his way to help in the production of the film The Spirit of Notre Dame. The crash site, located in a remote expanse of Kansas known as the Flint Hills
, now features a Rockne Memorial. As Notre Dame's head coach from 1918 to 1930, Rockne posted the all-time highest winiing percentage (.881) for a football coach, either college or professional. During his 13-year tenure as head coach of the Fighting Irish, Rockne collected 105 victories, 12 losses, 5 ties and 3 national championships. Rockne also coached Notre Dame to 5 undefeated seasons without a tie.
Anderson resigned as Irish head coach in 1934 and was replaced by Elmer Layden
, who was one of Rockne’s "Four Horsemen" in the 1920s. After graduating, Layden played professional football for one year and then began a coaching career. The Irish posted a record of 47 wins, 13 losses, and three ties in seven years under Layden, the most successful record of an ND coach not to win a national championship. He left Notre Dame after the 1940 season to become Commissioner of the National Football League.
that helped that team win all but two of their games between 1935 and 1937. He then coached the Boston College Eagles
to a win in the 1941 Sugar Bowl
and a share of the national championship. His move to Notre Dame began a new period of gridiron success for the Irish, and ensured Leahy's place among the winningest coaches in the history of college football.
Leahy coached the team for 11 seasons, from 1941 to 1943 and 1946 to 1953. He has the second highest winning percentage (.864) of any college coach in history. He led the Irish to a record of 87 wins, 11 losses, and nine ties including 39 games without a loss (37–0–2), four national championships, and six undefeated seasons. A fifth national championship was lost because of a tie in 1953 against Iowa, in a game that caused a minor scandal at the time, when it appeared that some Irish players had faked injuries to stop the clock. Leahy retired in 1954 reportedly due to health reasons. Perhaps the best example of this occurred during the Georgia Tech game in 1953. Leahy fell ill during the game, which led to him collapsing during halftime. The situation was so dire that a priest was called in to give Leahy the last rites. However, Leahy recovered, and the consequent diagnosis was that he was suffering from nervous tension and pancreatits.
From 1944 to 1945, Leahy served in the U.S. Navy
and was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant
. Edward McKeever
, Leahy's assistant coach, became interim head coach when Leahy left for the Navy. During his one year at the helm the Irish managed 8 wins and 2 losses. McKeever left Notre Dame in 1945 to take over as head coach of Cornell University
. He was replaced by Hugh Devore
for the 1945 season who led the Irish to a 7–2–1 record.
was hired as the Notre Dame head coach in 1954 and would stay until 1958. He departed with a total of 32 wins and 18 losses. But note: the 32 wins included 17 in 1954 and 1955. From 1956 to 1958 his record was 15–15. Brennan was a former player under Leahy and before joining the Irish had coached the Mount Carmel High School
team in Chicago
and later the freshman squad at Notre Dame. His first two seasons the Irish were ranked fourth and ninth respectively. It was the 1956 season that began to darken his reputation, for it became one of the most dismal in the team’s history and saw them finish the season with a mere two wins, including losses to Michigan State, Oklahoma
, and Iowa
. One bright spot in the 1956 season was the awarding of the Heisman Trophy to Paul Hornung
, who would go on to a legendary NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. To date, Hornung is the only Heisman winner to win the award while playing for a team that had a losing record. The Irish would recover the following season, posting a record of 7–3 and including in their wins a stunning upset of Oklahoma, in Norman, that ended the Sooners' still-standing record of 47 consecutive wins. In Brennan’s final season, though, the Irish finished 6–4. Brennan was fired in mid-December. Brennan's tenure can only be properly framed with the understanding that in a time of zero scholarship limitations in college football, Notre Dame's administration inexplicably began a process of deemphasizing football, severely cutting scholarships and hindering Brennan from building a roster of any meaningful depth.
Joe Kuharich
took over for Brennan in 1959, and during his 4 year tenure as coach the Irish finished 17–23, never finishing better than .500 in a season. Hugh Devore once again filled in the gap between coaches and led the Irish to a 2–7 record in 1963.
Ara Parseghian
was a former college football player for the Miami University Redskins
until 1947 and became their assistant coach in 1950 and head coach in 1951, after a two year stint playing for the Cleveland Browns
. In 1956 he moved to Northwestern University
, where he stayed for eight years.
In 1964, Parseghian was hired to replace Devore as head football coach and immediately brought the team back to a level of success comparable only to Rockne and Leahy in Irish football history. These three coaches have an 80% or greater winning percentage while at Notre Dame – Rockne at .881, Leahy at .864, and Parseghian at .836. Parseghian's teams never won fewer than seven nor lost more than two games during the ten game regular seasons of the era.
In his first year the Irish improved their record to 9–1, earning Parseghian coach of the year honors and a cover story in Time magazine. It was under Parseghian as well that Notre Dame lifted its 40-plus year-old "no bowl games" policy, beginning with the season of 1969, after which the Irish played the number one ranked Texas Longhorns
in the Cotton Bowl Classic, losing in the final minutes in a closely contested game. The following year, Parseghian's 9–1 squad ended Texas' Southwest Conference record 30 game winning streak in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic
.
During his eleven year career, the Irish amassed a record of 95–17–4 and captured two uncontested national championships as well as the MacArthur Bowl in 1964. The Irish also had two undefeated seasons in 1966 and 1973, had three major bowl wins in five appearances, and produced one Heisman Trophy winner. In 1971, Cliff Brown
became the first African-American quarterback to start a game for the program. Parseghian was forced to retire after the 1974 season for medical reasons.
, Missouri
, and the Green Bay Packers
. Devine had been a leading candidate for the head coaching job at Notre Dame in 1964, when Ara Parseghian
was hired. When approached for the job following Parseghian's resignation, Devine accepted immediately, joking that it was probably the shortest job interview in history. When he arrived at Notre Dame he already had a college coaching record of 120 wins, 40 losses, and eight ties and had led his teams to victory in four bowl games. At Notre Dame he would lead the Irish to 53 wins, 16 losses, and a tie as well as three bowl victories.
His lasting achievement came midway through this run, when the Fighting Irish
won the 1977 national championship, led by junior quarterback Joe Montana
. The championship season climaxed with a 38-10 win in the 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic over previously top-ranked Texas
, led by Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell
. The win vaulted the Irish from fifth to first in the polls. Earlier in the season, before the annual game against USC, played at home on October 22, Devine changed the team's jerseys from navy blue
& white to kelly green & gold, later known as the "green jersey game" resulting in a 49-19 victory over the Trojans. The Irish continued to wear green for the rest of Devine's tenure at the school.
was hired to replace Devine for the 1981 season. Prior to Notre Dame, Faust had been one of the more successful high school football coaches in the country. As coach of Moeller High School
in Cincinnati he amassed a 174–17–2 record. Despite his success in the high school ranks, his success at Notre Dame was mixed and his record mediocre at best. In his first season the Irish finished 5–6. The most successful years under Faust were the 1983 and 1984 campaigns where the Irish finished 7–5 and made trips to the Liberty Bowl and Aloha Bowl respectively. His final record at Notre Dame was 30–26–1. Faust resigned at the end of the 1985 season (following fan cries of "Oust Faust") to take over as head coach for the University of Akron
.
, Arkansas
, and Minnesota
. Holtz began in 1986 where his predecessor left off in 1985, finishing with an identical record of 5 wins and 6 losses. However, unlike the 1985 squad, which was generally outcoached and outplayed, Holtz's 1986 edition was competitive in nearly every game, losing five out of those six games by a combined total of 14 points. That would be his only losing season as he posted a record of 95–24–2 over the next ten seasons adding up to a 100–30–2 docket overall.
In contrast to Faust, Holtz was well known as a master motivator and a strict disciplinarian. He displayed the latter trait in spades when two of his top contributing players showed up late for dinner right before the then top-ranked Irish played second-ranked Southern California in the final regular season game of 1988. In a controversial move, coach Lou Holtz took his 10–0 Irish squad to L.A. without stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, who he suspended for disciplinary reasons. This was not the first time these players had gotten into trouble and the players had been warned there would be serious consequences if it happened again. His move was vindicated when the Irish defeated USC anyway.
Holtz was named national coach of the year (Paul "Bear" Bryant Award) in 1988, the same season he took Notre Dame to an upset of #1 Miami in the Catholics vs. Convicts
series and a win over #3 West Virginia
in the Fiesta Bowl
, thus capturing the national championship. His 1989 and 1993 squads narrowly missed repeating the feat. Overall, he took Notre Dame to one undefeated season, nine consecutive New Year’s Day bowl games, and top 10 finishes in the AP poll in five seasons. Holtz resigned from Notre Dame in 1996.
, who had been Holtz's defensive coordinator from 1994 to 1996, was promoted to head coach when Holtz departed. One of his first major decisions was to fire long-time offensive line coach Joe Moore, who then successfully sued the university for age discrimination. On Davie's watch, the team suffered three bowl game losses (1997 Independence Bowl, 1998 Gator Bowl
, and 2001 Fiesta Bowl
), it failed to qualify for a bowl game in two others (1999 and 2001). The highlight of Davie's tenure was a 36–20 upset win in 1998 over fifth ranked Michigan, the defending national champion. Davie also helmed the thrilling 25–24 home game victory over USC in 1999. Davie nearly defeated top ranked Nebraska in 2000, with the Irish comeback bid falling short in overtime 24–27. The aforementioned 2001 Fiesta Bowl was Notre Dame's first invitation to the Bowl Championship Series
. The Irish were humbled by 32 points to Oregon State, but would finish #15 in the AP Poll, Davie's highest ranking as head coach. The 2001 squad was awarded the American Football Coaches Association Achievement Award for its 100% graduation rate.
Following the 1998 season, the team fell into a pattern of frustrating inconsistency, alternating between successful and mediocre seasons. Despite Davie's rocky tenure, new athletic director Kevin White gave the coach a contract extension following the Fiesta Bowl-capped 2000 season, then saw the team start 0–3 in 2001 – the first such start in school history. Disappointed by the on-field results, coupled with the Joe Moore and Kim Dunbar scandals, the administration decided to dismiss Davie. His final record at Notre Dame was 35–25. On December 9, 2001, Notre Dame hired George O'Leary
to replace Davie. However, New Hampshire Union Leader
reporter Jim Fennell – while researching a "local boy done good" story on O'Leary – uncovered misrepresentations in O'Leary's résumé that had influenced the administration's decision to hire him. The resulting media scandal embarrassed Notre Dame officials, and tainted O'Leary; he resigned five days later, before coaching a single practice.
, the head coach at Stanford
. Bringing a feeling of change and excitement to campus, Willingham led the 2002 squad to a 10–2 regular season record, including an 8–0 start with wins over #7 Michigan
and #11 Florida State
, and a #4 ranking. This great early start, however, would be the lone highlight of Willingham's tenure, as Notre Dame finished the year with a heart-breaking loss to Boston College
, then lopsided losses to USC
and North Carolina State
(in the Gator Bowl
). The program faltered over the next two seasons under Willingham, compiling an 11–12 record. During this time, Notre Dame lost a game by at least 30 points on five occasions. Furthermore, Willingham's 2004 recruiting class was judged by analysts to be the worst at Notre Dame in more than two decades. Citing Notre Dame's third consecutive four-touchdown loss to arch-rival USC compounded by another year of sub-par recruiting efforts, the Willingham era ended on November 30, 2004 (after the conclusion of the 2004 season) when the university chose to terminate him and pay out the remainder of Willingham's six-year contract.
Reports circulated that Urban Meyer
might be hired as Willingham's successor. Meyer was a highly sought after coach and a former wide receivers coach at Notre Dame. Following a well-publicized courtship by the Irish, Meyer chose instead to accept the head coaching position at the University of Florida. Notre Dame subsequently hired Charlie Weis, the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots
(who at the time were enroute to their third Super Bowl victory in four years). Weis had graduated from Notre Dame, but had never played for its football team.
became head football coach for the Irish beginning with the 2005 season. In his inaugural season he led Notre Dame to a record of 9–3, including an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl
, where they were defeated by the Ohio State Buckeyes
34–20. Weis's impact was apparent when, in the first half of the first game (against Pittsburgh
), Notre Dame had gained more offensive yards than it had in five games combined, during the previous season. Quarterback Brady Quinn
would go on to break numerous team passing records that season and rise to the national spotlight, by holding 35 Notre Dame records as well as becoming a top Heisman contender. The school administration was so impressed with the turnaround, it made the surprise move of offering Weis a (ten-year) contract extension midway through his inaugural season.
41–14. This marked their ninth consecutive post-season loss, the longest drought in NCAA history. As a result, Notre Dame dropped to #17 in the final rankings.
(3–9) included various negative milestones: the most losses in a single year (9); two of the ten worst losses ever (38–0 losses to both Michigan
and USC
); and the first 6-game losing streak for home games. The Naval Academy recorded their first win over the Irish since 1963
, breaking the NCAA-record 43-game streak; Notre Dame's subsequent loss to Air Force marked the first time the team had lost to two military academies in the same season since 1944. On a positive note, the Irish did manage to close out a season with two straight wins for the first time since 1992.
, the first time that Notre Dame had fallen to an eight-loss team. Despite speculation the university might fire Weis, it was announced he would remain head coach. Weis's Notre Dame squad ended the season breaking the Irish's NCAA record nine-game bowl losing streak by beating Hawaii
49–21.
(1 win), the Cotton Bowl Classic (5 wins, 2 losses), the Orange Bowl (2 wins, 3 losses), the Sugar Bowl
(2 wins, 2 losses), the Gator Bowl
(1 win, 2 losses), the Liberty Bowl
(1 win), the Aloha Bowl
(1 loss), the Fiesta Bowl
(1 win, 3 losses), the Independence Bowl
(1 loss),the Insight Bowl
(1 loss), Hawaii Bowl (1 win) and the Sun Bowl
(1 win). From 1994 to the 2006 football seasons, Notre Dame lost 9 consecutive bowl games and setting an NCAA record for consecutive bowl losses. That streak ended with a 49–21 blowout of Hawaii in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl. In the process, Notre Dame scored its highest point total in post-season play.
Heisman Voting:
Notre Dame's home jersey is dark blue with white numerals, gold outlining, and a small interlocking "ND" logo at the base of the collar. The away jersey is white with blue numerals, gold outlining, and the interlocking "ND" at the collar. In recent years, neither jersey included the player's name on the back, but names were included during the Dan Devine and Gerry Faust eras. However, for the Irish's Hawai'i Bowl
appearance in 2008 vs. the University of Hawai'i
, Notre Dame once again wore last names on their jerseys. Gold pants, with a small ND logo just below the left waist, are worn with both home and away jerseys.
Notre Dame's helmets are solid gold with gray facemasks, the gold being emblematic of the University's famed "Golden Dome." It is a Notre Dame tradition for the team's student managers to spray-paint the team's helmets prior to each game, ensuring that they keep their gold shine each week.
Over the years, Notre Dame has occasionally worn green instead of blue as its home jersey, sometimes adopting the jersey for an entire season – or more – at a time. Currently, Notre Dame reserves its green jerseys for "special" occasions. Often on such occasions, the Irish will take the field for warmups dressed in blue, only to switch to green when they go back to the locker room before kickoff. This tradition was started by Dan Devine in 1977 before the USC game. Notre Dame has also been known to switch jerseys at halftime, as during the 1985 USC game, and in the loss to Nile Kinnick
-led Iowa
in 1939, although this was to help avoid confusion between their navy uniforms and Iowa's black ones. The current design of the jersey is kelly green with gold numbers and white outlining. For the 2006 Army game, Coach Charlie Weis broke out the Green jerseys as a reward to his senior players, as well finally ending the string of losses by the Irish when wearing green. Notre Dame wore throwback green jerseys in 2007 against USC in honor of the 30th anniversary of the 1977 National Championship team. On at least one occasion (1992 Sugar Bowl) Notre Dame has worn an away variant of the jersey: a white jersey with green numbers.
Adidas
is the current outfitter of Notre Dame football and all Notre Dame athletics.
During Gerry Faust's tenure (1981–85), Notre Dame's blue jerseys switched from the traditional navy to royal blue with gold and white stripes on the sleeves. The navy blue jerseys returned in 1984.
No uniform numbers have been retired by Notre Dame. Upon being issued a number, each player is given a card which lists some of the more famous players who have worn that particular number. Number 3 is perhaps the most famous number in Irish football history, having been worn by Ralph Guglielmi
, George Izo
, Daryle Lamonica
, Coley O'Brien, Joe Montana
, Michael Floyd, Rick Mirer
and Ron Powlus
, among others. Number 5 is also notable, as it is the only number to be worn by one of the Four Horsemen (Elmer Layden
) a Heisman Trophy Winner (Paul Hornung
) and a National Title winning Quarterback (Terry Hanratty
). Number 7 has been worn by such Irish greats as 1964 Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte, 1970 Heisman runner-up Joe Theismann, Steve Beuerlein, Jimmy Clausen and Jarious Jackson.
Notre Dame Stadium is the home football stadium for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. Located on the southeast part of the university's campus in Notre Dame, Indiana and with a seating capacity of 80,795, Notre Dame Stadium is one of the most renowned venues in college football. The Sporting News ranks Notre Dame Stadium as # 2 on its list of "College Football Cathedrals". With no JumboTron
and just two modest scoreboards, the stadium experience evokes a more traditional feel. Notre Dame Stadium is used for football related activities and for Commencement (since 2010).
USC, Michigan
, Michigan State
, and Navy
are among Notre Dame's rivals.
. Other than during World War II, the teams have played each other since 1926. Notre Dame leads the series 43–33–5.
is considered Notre Dame's other major rival. The rivalry is Notre Dame's first and oldest, although the two teams did not play each other for many years. It is heightened by the two schools' competition for all-time win percentage, which Michigan leads. The 2011 meeting was won by Michigan 35–31 in Ann Arbor. Michigan leads the all-time series 23–15–1, though 6 of the Wolverine victories came before 1900.
are one of Notre Dame's most important rivals with the two teams playing for the Megaphone Trophy
. Notre Dame holds an all-time 46–28–1 series winning margin. The one tie was the Game of the Century, one of the greatest college football games ever played. The Spartans' 28 victories over Notre Dame are second-most of any school after USC. The Megaphone Trophy series record is 32–26–1 in favor of Notre Dame. Michigan State won the Megaphone Trophy in 2010 after beating the Irish 34–31 in East Lansing on an overtime fake field goal play known as "Little Giants". In 2011, the Irish reclaimed the trophy with a 31–13 victory in which they led all the way.
Due to its long and storied history, Notre Dame football boasts many traditions unique to Notre Dame. Some of these are:
, second only to USC (11).
*McNally graduated from St. John's (MN), but started his career at Notre Dame and is listed as a hall of famer under both schools in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
. The 2006 ND vs. Air Force game was broadcast on CSTV, a CBS affiliate who had an exclusive contract with the Mountain West Conference
, of which Air Force is a member (the Irish have only hosted Mountain West teams since, to keep all of its games on one of the four aforementioned networks). Notre Dame is also famous for being the first team to leave the College Football Association, which controlled TV rights, and establish its own network TV deal with NBC. They now feature in the "adidas is all in" advert.
NBC has been televising Notre Dame Home football games since the 1991 season. Notre Dame is the only Division 1-A football team to have all of its home games televised exclusively by one television network. In addition to TV broadcasts, NBC also maintains several dedicated websites to ND football, and Notre Dame Central, which provides complete coverage, full game replays and commentary of the Notre Dame team. NBC's television contract with Notre Dame was renewed in June, 2008 and is set to continue through the 2015 football season.
Current Broadcast Team:
Current announcers:
ISP (2008–present)
In February 2008, Notre Dame and ISP Sports agreed to a 10 year deal to serve as the exclusive rights holder of all Notre Dame football radio broadcasts. ISP will broadcast all Notre Dame football games beginning with the 2008 football season and extending through the 2017 season.
Westwood One (1968–2008)
Westwood One
broadcast Notre Dame football nationally on radio for 40 consecutive years (after taking over from the Mutual Radio Network). Notre Dame ended its relationship with Westwood One at the conclusion of the 2007 football season citing financial reasons.
Former announcers:
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team of the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly (coach)
Brian Keith Kelly is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, a position he has held since the 2010 season...
.
Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Football Bowl Subdivision
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
coalition. It is an independent team, not affiliated with any conference. The team plays its home games on Notre Dame's campus at Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame Stadium is the home football stadium for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. The stadium is located on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States, just north of the city of South Bend....
, with a capacity of 80,795. All home games are televised on NBC
Notre Dame Football on NBC
Notre Dame Football on NBC is a presentation of the Notre Dame football television package on NBC. The television network broadcasts all Notre Dame home games.-History:...
.
The Fighting Irish claim 11 national championships, tied for second out of all FBS schools, and produced 96 All-Americans and seven Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winners – both more than any other Football Bowl Subdivision school.
National championships
- Notre Dame has won eight wire serviceNews agencyA news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
(AP or Coaches) national championships.
- Notre Dame claims national championships in an additional three seasons, for a total of 11. Notre Dame, however, is often credited with 13 in total. The 1938 and 1953 seasons are the reason for the discrepancy. In 19381938 college football seasonThe 1938 college football season ended with the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University being named the nation’s #1 team by 55 of the 77 electors in the Associated Press writers' poll. The AP poll was in its second year, and seven votes were taken during the final weeks of the 1937 season,...
, 8–1 Notre Dame was awarded the national championship by the Dickinson SystemDickinson SystemThe Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G...
, while Texas Christian (which finished 11–0) was awarded the championship by the Associated Press. In the 1953 season, an undefeated Notre Dame team (9–0–1) was named national champion by every major selector except the AP and UPI (Coaches) polls, where the Irish finished second in both to 10–1 Maryland1953 Maryland Terrapins football teamThe 1953 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association college football in its first season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference . Maryland outscored its opponents 298–38 and recorded six defensive shutouts. Jim Tatum...
. As Notre Dame has a policy of only recognizing AP and Coaches Poll national championships post-1936, the school does not officially recognize the 1938 and 1953 national championships.
- Notre Dame has been voted national champion by at least one selector in an additional ten seasons (1919, 1920, 1927, 1938, 1953, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1993).
The following is a list of Notre Dame's 11 claimed national championships:
|
||||
Distinctions
- As of the end of the 2011 regular season, Notre Dame has the second highest-winning percentage in NCAA history (.732), behind MichiganMichigan Wolverines footballThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
(.734). - As of the end of the 2011 regular season, Notre Dame has the 3rd most wins in NCAA history (853), trailing only MichiganMichigan Wolverines footballThe Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
(894) and TexasTexas Longhorns footballThe Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
(857). - As of the end of the 2011 regular season, Notre Dame also has the fewest losses of any Division I-A program (299) (minimum 700 games played).
- As of 2011, Notre Dame has 104 winning seasons in 123 years of football, and only 13 losing seasons.
- The football program has the most individual Heisman trophy winners at seven (Ohio State has seven Heisman trophies that were won by six players).
- As of 2009, Notre Dame has produced more All-Americans (99), consensus All-Americans (80) and unanimous All-Americans (31) in football than any other college program.
- Notre Dame is represented by 48 players and coaches in the College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, the most of any university. - Ten former players are in the Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
, second only to USC(11). Notre Dame has produced the second largest number of players drafted into the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
of any program in the country. As of the 2011 NFL draft, 469 players have been drafted, second only to USC's 472.
- Helped by its status as a highly regarded academic institution (ranked 19th by U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
), Notre Dame is second only to Nebraska in Academic All-Americans (43). - Since 1962, Notre Dame has graduated 98.74% of its football players in four years. As of 2006, only 13 football players in this time have left Notre Dame without finishing their degree requirements. Also of note is the 90% graduation rate of ND's African-American players (only Navy and Boston College have higher African American graduation rates).
- Notre Dame holds the NCAA record for Most consecutive wins over one opponent, beating the US Naval Academy (USNA)Navy Midshipmen footballThe Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
43 times in a row before falling to them in 2007. - The football program is also known for ending the Oklahoma Sooners' NCAA record winning streak of 47 games in 1957. Coincidentally, Oklahoma's 28–21 loss to Notre Dame to open the 1953 season was the last loss before the beginning of the streak.
- Notre Dame has had 12 undefeated seasons and 10 others with at most one loss or tie.
- Notre Dame is 3–3–1 in games where the national title winners from the previous two years have met in a regular season game. There have only been 12 of these games played in college football history, the most recent being Florida (2008 winner) vs. Alabama (2009 winner) in 2010. Notre Dame has played in 7 of the 12 games:
- 1945 – Army def. Notre Dame 48–0
- 1947 – Notre Dame def. Army 27–7
- 1968 – Notre Dame tie USC 21–21
- 1974 – USC def. Notre Dame 55–24
- 1978 – Notre Dame def. Pitt 26–17
- 1989 – Miami def. Notre Dame 27–10
- 1990 – Notre Dame def. Miami 29–20
- The Bowl Championship Series' "Notre Dame rule" gives the university unique privileges in the postseason among independents. If Notre Dame finishes in the top eight of BCS teams, it is automatically selected. The university receives $4.5 million for playing in a BCS game and $1.3 million when it does not. In essence, Notre Dame is treated like a conference team in either case. The university's athletic director acts as an equal to the commissioners of the 11 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences when they discuss BCS issues.
- Notre Dame is one of only three out of the current 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams to have never played a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team since the divisions were created in 1978. The other two are UCLAUCLA Bruins FootballThe UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
and USC. - Notre Dame is one of only two Catholic universities that field a team in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the other being Boston CollegeBoston College Eagles footballThe Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
.
Number one vs. number two
Notre Dame has participated in nine "#1 vs #2" matchups since the AP poll began in 1936. They have a record of 5–2–2 in such games, with a 4–0–1 record as the #1 team in such matchups.Here's a list of such games:
| Date | #1 Team | #2 Team | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 October 1943 | Notre Dame | Michigan | W 35–14 |
| 20 November 1943 | Notre Dame | Iowa Pre-Flight | W 14–13 |
| 10 November 1945 | Army | Notre Dame | L 48–0 |
| 9 November 1946 | Army | Notre Dame | T 0–0 |
| 19 November 1966 | Notre Dame | Michigan State | T 10–10 |
| 28 September 1968 | Purdue | Notre Dame | L 37–22 |
| 26 November 1988 | Notre Dame | Southern California | W 27–10 |
| 16 September 1989 | Notre Dame | Michigan | W 24–19 |
| 13 November 1993 | Florida State | Notre Dame | W 31–24 |
Historic games
Notre Dame has played in many regular season games that have been widely regarded by both the media and sports historians as historic or famous games. Notre Dame has played in many games labeled as "game of the century" games as well as several #1 vs #2 matchups, It has also participated in several games that ended record streaks in college football. The games listed are widely regarded as of historical importance to the game of college football and are written about by sports historians and make many sports writer’s lists.- 1913 Notre Dame vs. Army ("The Forward Pass")
- 1935 Notre Dame vs. Ohio State ("Game of the Century")
- 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame ("Game of the Century")1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football gameThe 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football game was a regular season college football game played on November 9, 1946. Army , then ranked Number 1 in the Associated Press college football poll, played the University of Notre Dame, of South Bend, Indiana, ranked Number 2, at Yankee Stadium in New York City...
- 1957 Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma (End of Oklahoma's NCAA record 47 game win streak)
- 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan St. ("Game of the Century")
- 1988 Miami vs. Notre Dame (Catholics vs. Convicts)Catholics vs. ConvictsThe 1988 Notre Dame vs. Miami football game, colloquially known as "Catholics vs. Convicts", was played on October 15, 1988. The two teams were undefeated when they met at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won the closely contested game by a final score of 31-30.The name "Catholics vs...
- 1993 Florida St. vs. Notre Dame ("Game of the Century")1993 Florida State vs. Notre Dame football gameThe 1993 Florida State vs. Notre Dame Game was a regular season college football game between the unbeaten Florida State Seminoles , and the unbeaten Notre Dame Fighting Irish . The game took place at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana on the campus of the University of Notre Dame...
- 2005 USC vs. Notre Dame ("Bush Push" game)
Notre Dame has also played in several bowl games considered by many sportswriters to be among the best bowl games played:
- 1970 Cotton Bowl Classic1970 Cotton Bowl ClassicThe 1970 Cotton Bowl Classic was a postseason college football bowl game between the Texas Longhorns and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Texas won the game, 21–17, and secured its second consensus National Championship in school history.-External links:...
vs. Texas - 1973 Sugar Bowl1973 Sugar BowlThe 1973 Sugar Bowl, part of the 1973 bowl game season, took place on December 31, 1973, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference , and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, competing as a football independent...
vs. Alabama - 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic vs. Houston (Chicken soup game)
The beginning (1887–1917)
American football did not have an auspicious beginning at the University of Notre Dame. In their inaugural game on November 23, 1887 the Irish lost to Michigan1887 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1887 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1887 college football season. The team compiled a 5–0 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 102 to 10. The 1887 season capped three consecutive undefeated seasons in which Michigan won its...
by a score of 8–0. Their first win came in the final game of the 1888 season when the Irish defeated Harvard Prep by a score of 20–0. At the end of the 1888 season they had a record of 1–3 with all three losses being at the hands of Michigan
1888 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1888 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1888 college football season. The team compiled a 2–1 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 94 to 36. The captain of the 1888 team was James E. Duffy....
by a combined score of 43–9. Between 1887 and 1899 Notre Dame compiled a record of 31 wins, 15 losses, and four ties against a diverse variety of opponents ranging from local high school teams to other universities.
Notre Dame continued its success near the turn of the century and achieved their first victory over Michigan
1909 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1909 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1909 college football season. The team's head coach was Fielding H. Yost...
in 1909 by the score of 11–3 after which Michigan refused to play Notre Dame again for 33 years. By the end of the 1912 season they had amassed a record of 108 wins, 31 losses, and 13 ties.
Jesse Harper
Jesse Harper
-External links:* * at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com...
became head coach in 1913 and remained so until he retired in 1917. During his tenure the Irish began playing only intercollegiate games and posted a record of 34 wins, five losses, and one tie. This period would also mark the beginning of the rivalry with Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
and the continuation of rivalries with Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
.
In 1913, Notre Dame burst into the national consciousness and helped to transform the collegiate game in a single contest. In an effort to gain respect for a regionally successful but small-time Midwestern football program, Harper scheduled games in his first season with national powerhouses Texas
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
, Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions football
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...
, and Army Black Knights football|Army. On November 1, 1913, the Notre Dame squad stunned the Black Knights of the Hudson 35–13 in a game played at West Point
Michie Stadium
Michie Stadium is an outdoor football stadium located on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. It is the home field for the Army Black Knights. It opened in 1924 and has a current seating capacity of 38,000....
. Led by quarterback Charlie "Gus" Dorais and end (soon to be legendary coach) Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
, the Notre Dame team attacked the Cadets with an offense that featured both the expected powerful running game but also long and accurate downfield forward pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
es from Dorais to Rockne.
Rockne era (1918–1930)
Knute Rockne became head coach in 1918. Under Rockne the Irish would post a record of 105 wins, 12 losses, and five ties. During his 13 years the Irish won six national championships, had five undefeated seasons, won the Rose Bowl1925 Rose Bowl
The 1925 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was the 11th Rose Bowl Game. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated Stanford University, 27-10. The game featured two legendary coaches, Knute Rockne of Notre Dame, and Glenn "Pop" Warner in his first year at Stanford. The game also featured...
in 1925, and produced players such as the "Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (football)
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team...
",. Knute Rockne has the highest win percentage (.881) in college football history.
Among the events that occurred during Rockne’s tenure none may be more famous than the Rockne’s Win one for the Gipper speech. George "the Gipper" Gipp
George Gipp
George "The Gipper" Gipp was a college football player who played for the University of Notre Dame. Gipp was selected as Notre Dame's first All-American and is Notre Dame's second consensus All-American , after Gus Dorais. Gipp played multiple positions, most notably halfback, quarterback, and...
was a player on Rockne’s earlier teams who died of strep throat in 1920. Army came into the 1928 matchup undefeated and was the clear favorite. Notre Dame, on the other hand, was having their worst season under Rockne’s leadership and entered the game with a 4–2 record. At the end of the half Army was leading and looked to be in command of the game. Rockne entered the locker room and gave his account of Gipp’s final words: "I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are going wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy." The speech, although possibly fictional, inspired the team and they went on to upset Army and win the game 12–6.
The last game Rockne coached was on December 14, 1930 when he led a group of Notre Dame all-stars against the New York Giants
1930 New York Giants season
The 1930 New York Giants season was the sixth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:*...
in New York City. The game raised funds for the Mayor's Relief Committee for the Unemployed and Needy of the city. 50,000 fans turned out to see the reunited "Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (football)
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team...
" along with players from Rockne's other championship teams take the field against the pros.
Rockne, aged 43, died in the plane crash of TWA Flight 599
TWA Flight 599
Transcontinental and Western Air Flight 599 was a Fokker F.10 Trimotor en route from Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California, on March 31, 1931. It crashed a few miles north west of Bazaar, Kansas; all eight on board died...
in Kansas on March 31, 1931, while on his way to help in the production of the film The Spirit of Notre Dame. The crash site, located in a remote expanse of Kansas known as the Flint Hills
Flint Hills
The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a band of hills in eastern Kansas stretching into north-central Oklahoma, extending from Marshall County, Kansas and Washington County, Kansas in the north to Cowley County, Kansas and Osage County, Oklahoma in the south...
, now features a Rockne Memorial. As Notre Dame's head coach from 1918 to 1930, Rockne posted the all-time highest winiing percentage (.881) for a football coach, either college or professional. During his 13-year tenure as head coach of the Fighting Irish, Rockne collected 105 victories, 12 losses, 5 ties and 3 national championships. Rockne also coached Notre Dame to 5 undefeated seasons without a tie.
After Rockne (1931–1940)
Upon Rockne’s death Heartley "Hunk" Anderson took the helm of the Irish leading them to a record of 16 wins, nine losses, and two ties. Anderson was a former Irish player under Rockne and was serving as an assistant coach at the time of Rockne's death.Anderson resigned as Irish head coach in 1934 and was replaced by Elmer Layden
Elmer Layden
Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...
, who was one of Rockne’s "Four Horsemen" in the 1920s. After graduating, Layden played professional football for one year and then began a coaching career. The Irish posted a record of 47 wins, 13 losses, and three ties in seven years under Layden, the most successful record of an ND coach not to win a national championship. He left Notre Dame after the 1940 season to become Commissioner of the National Football League.
Leahy era (1941–1953)
Frank Leahy was hired by Notre Dame to take over for Layden in 1941, and was another former Irish player who played during the Rockne era. After graduating from Notre Dame, Leahy held several coaching positions, including line coach of the "Seven Blocks of Granite" of Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
that helped that team win all but two of their games between 1935 and 1937. He then coached the Boston College Eagles
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
to a win in the 1941 Sugar Bowl
1941 Sugar Bowl
The 1941 edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the fourth ranked Tennessee Volunteers and the fifth ranked Boston College Eagles, both with records of 10–0....
and a share of the national championship. His move to Notre Dame began a new period of gridiron success for the Irish, and ensured Leahy's place among the winningest coaches in the history of college football.
Leahy coached the team for 11 seasons, from 1941 to 1943 and 1946 to 1953. He has the second highest winning percentage (.864) of any college coach in history. He led the Irish to a record of 87 wins, 11 losses, and nine ties including 39 games without a loss (37–0–2), four national championships, and six undefeated seasons. A fifth national championship was lost because of a tie in 1953 against Iowa, in a game that caused a minor scandal at the time, when it appeared that some Irish players had faked injuries to stop the clock. Leahy retired in 1954 reportedly due to health reasons. Perhaps the best example of this occurred during the Georgia Tech game in 1953. Leahy fell ill during the game, which led to him collapsing during halftime. The situation was so dire that a priest was called in to give Leahy the last rites. However, Leahy recovered, and the consequent diagnosis was that he was suffering from nervous tension and pancreatits.
From 1944 to 1945, Leahy served in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. Edward McKeever
Edward McKeever
Edward Clark Timothy McKeever was an American football player, coach, and executive. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame and Cornell University and the University of San Francisco , compiling a career college football record of 25–12–1...
, Leahy's assistant coach, became interim head coach when Leahy left for the Navy. During his one year at the helm the Irish managed 8 wins and 2 losses. McKeever left Notre Dame in 1945 to take over as head coach of Cornell University
Cornell Big Red football
The Cornell Big Red football team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Ivy League. It is one of the oldest and most storied football programs in the nation...
. He was replaced by Hugh Devore
Hugh Devore
Hugh John Devore was a football player and coach whose close connection to the University of Notre Dame saw him serve in both capacities, while also seeing time as head coach at two other colleges as well as the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles.-Early career:Devore was born and...
for the 1945 season who led the Irish to a 7–2–1 record.
After Leahy (1954–1963)
The departure of Leahy ushered in a downward slope in Notre Dame’s performance, referred to in various circles as a period of deemphasis. Terry BrennanTerry Brennan
Terence Patrick Brennan is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1954 to 1958, compiling a record of 32–18.-Early life and playing career:...
was hired as the Notre Dame head coach in 1954 and would stay until 1958. He departed with a total of 32 wins and 18 losses. But note: the 32 wins included 17 in 1954 and 1955. From 1956 to 1958 his record was 15–15. Brennan was a former player under Leahy and before joining the Irish had coached the Mount Carmel High School
Mount Carmel High School (Chicago)
Mount Carmel High School is an all boys, Catholic high school in the city of Chicago, Illinois. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, the school has been operated by the Carmelite order of priests and brothers since 1900...
team in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and later the freshman squad at Notre Dame. His first two seasons the Irish were ranked fourth and ninth respectively. It was the 1956 season that began to darken his reputation, for it became one of the most dismal in the team’s history and saw them finish the season with a mere two wins, including losses to Michigan State, Oklahoma
1956 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 1956 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 1956-1957. It was the 62nd season of play for the Sooners. The team was led by Hall of Fame head coach Bud Wilkinson...
, and Iowa
1956 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 1956 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 1956 college football season. The Hawkeyes were champions of the Big Ten Conference and beat the Oregon State Beavers in the Rose Bowl, a rematch of a regular season game....
. One bright spot in the 1956 season was the awarding of the Heisman Trophy to Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung
Paul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66...
, who would go on to a legendary NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. To date, Hornung is the only Heisman winner to win the award while playing for a team that had a losing record. The Irish would recover the following season, posting a record of 7–3 and including in their wins a stunning upset of Oklahoma, in Norman, that ended the Sooners' still-standing record of 47 consecutive wins. In Brennan’s final season, though, the Irish finished 6–4. Brennan was fired in mid-December. Brennan's tenure can only be properly framed with the understanding that in a time of zero scholarship limitations in college football, Notre Dame's administration inexplicably began a process of deemphasizing football, severely cutting scholarships and hindering Brennan from building a roster of any meaningful depth.
Joe Kuharich
Joe Kuharich
Joseph Lawrence Kuharich was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of San Francisco from 1948 to 1951 and at the University of Notre Dame from 1959 to 1962, compiling a career college football record of 43–37...
took over for Brennan in 1959, and during his 4 year tenure as coach the Irish finished 17–23, never finishing better than .500 in a season. Hugh Devore once again filled in the gap between coaches and led the Irish to a 2–7 record in 1963.
Parseghian era (1964–1974)
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
was a former college football player for the Miami University Redskins
Miami RedHawks football
The Miami University RedHawks, known as the Miami Redskins before 1996, are a NCAA Division I FBS college football program that competes in the Mid-American Conference...
until 1947 and became their assistant coach in 1950 and head coach in 1951, after a two year stint playing for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In 1956 he moved to Northwestern University
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
, where he stayed for eight years.
In 1964, Parseghian was hired to replace Devore as head football coach and immediately brought the team back to a level of success comparable only to Rockne and Leahy in Irish football history. These three coaches have an 80% or greater winning percentage while at Notre Dame – Rockne at .881, Leahy at .864, and Parseghian at .836. Parseghian's teams never won fewer than seven nor lost more than two games during the ten game regular seasons of the era.
In his first year the Irish improved their record to 9–1, earning Parseghian coach of the year honors and a cover story in Time magazine. It was under Parseghian as well that Notre Dame lifted its 40-plus year-old "no bowl games" policy, beginning with the season of 1969, after which the Irish played the number one ranked Texas Longhorns
1969 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1969 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1969 college football season. The Longhorns won all of their games to finish 11-0 and win their second consensus National Championship in school history...
in the Cotton Bowl Classic, losing in the final minutes in a closely contested game. The following year, Parseghian's 9–1 squad ended Texas' Southwest Conference record 30 game winning streak in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic
1971 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic was held at Cotton Bowl stadium, Dallas, Texas on 1 January 1971. It featured the Texas Longhorns versus the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish . Notre Dame won the contest 24 to 11...
.
During his eleven year career, the Irish amassed a record of 95–17–4 and captured two uncontested national championships as well as the MacArthur Bowl in 1964. The Irish also had two undefeated seasons in 1966 and 1973, had three major bowl wins in five appearances, and produced one Heisman Trophy winner. In 1971, Cliff Brown
Cliff Brown
Cliff Brown is a former American football quarterback for the University of Notre Dame, and was the first African American quarterback to start a game for the prestigious program....
became the first African-American quarterback to start a game for the program. Parseghian was forced to retire after the 1974 season for medical reasons.
Devine era (1975–1980)
Dan Devine was hired to take over as head coach upon Parseghian's resignation in 1975. Devine was already a highly successful coach and had led Arizona StateArizona State Sun Devils football
The Arizona State Sun Devils' football program represents Arizona State University in college football, and competes in NCAA Division I FBS as a member of the Pacific-12 Conference....
, Missouri
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
, and the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. Devine had been a leading candidate for the head coaching job at Notre Dame in 1964, when Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
was hired. When approached for the job following Parseghian's resignation, Devine accepted immediately, joking that it was probably the shortest job interview in history. When he arrived at Notre Dame he already had a college coaching record of 120 wins, 40 losses, and eight ties and had led his teams to victory in four bowl games. At Notre Dame he would lead the Irish to 53 wins, 16 losses, and a tie as well as three bowl victories.
His lasting achievement came midway through this run, when the Fighting Irish
1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1977 college football season. The Irish, coached by Dan Devine, ended the season with 11 wins and one loss, winning the national championship...
won the 1977 national championship, led by junior quarterback Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
. The championship season climaxed with a 38-10 win in the 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic over previously top-ranked Texas
1977 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1977 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1977 college football season.-Regular season:The Longhorns finished the regular season with a 11-0-0 record. As a collegiate football player at the University of Texas at Austin, Earl Campbell won the...
, led by Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
. The win vaulted the Irish from fifth to first in the polls. Earlier in the season, before the annual game against USC, played at home on October 22, Devine changed the team's jerseys from navy blue
Navy blue
Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world....
& white to kelly green & gold, later known as the "green jersey game" resulting in a 49-19 victory over the Trojans. The Irish continued to wear green for the rest of Devine's tenure at the school.
Faust era (1981–85)
Gerry FaustGerry Faust
Gerard Anthony "Gerry" Faust is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1981 to 1985 and at the University of Akron from 1986 to 1994, compiling a career college football record of 73–79–4...
was hired to replace Devine for the 1981 season. Prior to Notre Dame, Faust had been one of the more successful high school football coaches in the country. As coach of Moeller High School
Moeller High School
Archbishop Moeller High School , known as Moeller, is a private, all-male, college-preparatory high school in the suburbs of Cincinnati, in Hamilton County, Ohio...
in Cincinnati he amassed a 174–17–2 record. Despite his success in the high school ranks, his success at Notre Dame was mixed and his record mediocre at best. In his first season the Irish finished 5–6. The most successful years under Faust were the 1983 and 1984 campaigns where the Irish finished 7–5 and made trips to the Liberty Bowl and Aloha Bowl respectively. His final record at Notre Dame was 30–26–1. Faust resigned at the end of the 1985 season (following fan cries of "Oust Faust") to take over as head coach for the University of Akron
Akron Zips football
The University of Akron Zips are a college football program representing the University of Akron that competes in NCAA Division I FBS Mid-American Conference football...
.
Holtz era (1986–1996)
Lou Holtz had 17 years of coaching experience by the time he was hired to lead the Irish. He had previously been head coach of William and Mary, North Carolina State, the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, and Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
. Holtz began in 1986 where his predecessor left off in 1985, finishing with an identical record of 5 wins and 6 losses. However, unlike the 1985 squad, which was generally outcoached and outplayed, Holtz's 1986 edition was competitive in nearly every game, losing five out of those six games by a combined total of 14 points. That would be his only losing season as he posted a record of 95–24–2 over the next ten seasons adding up to a 100–30–2 docket overall.
In contrast to Faust, Holtz was well known as a master motivator and a strict disciplinarian. He displayed the latter trait in spades when two of his top contributing players showed up late for dinner right before the then top-ranked Irish played second-ranked Southern California in the final regular season game of 1988. In a controversial move, coach Lou Holtz took his 10–0 Irish squad to L.A. without stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, who he suspended for disciplinary reasons. This was not the first time these players had gotten into trouble and the players had been warned there would be serious consequences if it happened again. His move was vindicated when the Irish defeated USC anyway.
Holtz was named national coach of the year (Paul "Bear" Bryant Award) in 1988, the same season he took Notre Dame to an upset of #1 Miami in the Catholics vs. Convicts
Catholics vs. Convicts
The 1988 Notre Dame vs. Miami football game, colloquially known as "Catholics vs. Convicts", was played on October 15, 1988. The two teams were undefeated when they met at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won the closely contested game by a final score of 31-30.The name "Catholics vs...
series and a win over #3 West Virginia
1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team
The 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with a 11–0 and traveled to the Fiesta Bowl to decide the National Championship, where they lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34–21.-1988 Schedule:-1988 season:...
in the Fiesta Bowl
1989 Fiesta Bowl
The 1989 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 1989, was the 18th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game featured the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the West Virginia Mountaineers....
, thus capturing the national championship. His 1989 and 1993 squads narrowly missed repeating the feat. Overall, he took Notre Dame to one undefeated season, nine consecutive New Year’s Day bowl games, and top 10 finishes in the AP poll in five seasons. Holtz resigned from Notre Dame in 1996.
Davie era (1997–2001)
Bob DavieBob Davie (coach)
Robert Edwin "Bob" Davie, Jr. is the head coach for the University of New Mexico Lobos. He is a former ESPN analyst and former American football player...
, who had been Holtz's defensive coordinator from 1994 to 1996, was promoted to head coach when Holtz departed. One of his first major decisions was to fire long-time offensive line coach Joe Moore, who then successfully sued the university for age discrimination. On Davie's watch, the team suffered three bowl game losses (1997 Independence Bowl, 1998 Gator Bowl
1998 Gator Bowl
The 1998 Gator Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the and the Tar Heels from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on January 1, 1998...
, and 2001 Fiesta Bowl
2001 Fiesta Bowl
The 2001 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2001, was the 30th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Oregon State Beavers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish .In the game, Oregon State quarterback Jonathan Smith threw for 305 yards...
), it failed to qualify for a bowl game in two others (1999 and 2001). The highlight of Davie's tenure was a 36–20 upset win in 1998 over fifth ranked Michigan, the defending national champion. Davie also helmed the thrilling 25–24 home game victory over USC in 1999. Davie nearly defeated top ranked Nebraska in 2000, with the Irish comeback bid falling short in overtime 24–27. The aforementioned 2001 Fiesta Bowl was Notre Dame's first invitation to the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
. The Irish were humbled by 32 points to Oregon State, but would finish #15 in the AP Poll, Davie's highest ranking as head coach. The 2001 squad was awarded the American Football Coaches Association Achievement Award for its 100% graduation rate.
Following the 1998 season, the team fell into a pattern of frustrating inconsistency, alternating between successful and mediocre seasons. Despite Davie's rocky tenure, new athletic director Kevin White gave the coach a contract extension following the Fiesta Bowl-capped 2000 season, then saw the team start 0–3 in 2001 – the first such start in school history. Disappointed by the on-field results, coupled with the Joe Moore and Kim Dunbar scandals, the administration decided to dismiss Davie. His final record at Notre Dame was 35–25. On December 9, 2001, Notre Dame hired George O'Leary
George O'Leary
George Joseph O'Leary is the head football coach of the UCF Knights football team that represents the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida; he previously coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 1994 to 2001, and served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota...
to replace Davie. However, New Hampshire Union Leader
New Hampshire Union Leader
The New Hampshire Union Leader is the daily newspaper of Manchester, the largest city in the state of New Hampshire. As of September 2010 it had a daily circulation of 48,342 and the circulation of its Sunday paper, the New Hampshire Sunday News, was 63,991. It was founded in 1863.It was called...
reporter Jim Fennell – while researching a "local boy done good" story on O'Leary – uncovered misrepresentations in O'Leary's résumé that had influenced the administration's decision to hire him. The resulting media scandal embarrassed Notre Dame officials, and tainted O'Leary; he resigned five days later, before coaching a single practice.
Willingham era (2002–04)
Once again in need of a new head coach, the school turned to Tyrone WillinghamTyrone Willingham
Lionel Tyrone "Ty" Willingham is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University , the University of Notre Dame , and the University of Washington , compiling a career college football record of 76–88–1.-Early career:Willingham attended...
, the head coach at Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
. Bringing a feeling of change and excitement to campus, Willingham led the 2002 squad to a 10–2 regular season record, including an 8–0 start with wins over #7 Michigan
2002 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2002 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2002 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium. The team was led by All-Americans Bennie Joppru and Marlin Jackson as well as...
and #11 Florida State
2002 Florida State Seminoles football team
-Schedule:...
, and a #4 ranking. This great early start, however, would be the lone highlight of Willingham's tenure, as Notre Dame finished the year with a heart-breaking loss to Boston College
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
, then lopsided losses to USC
2002 USC Trojans football team
The 2002 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2002-2003 NCAA Division I-A college football season....
and North Carolina State
NC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
(in the Gator Bowl
2003 Gator Bowl
The 2003 Gator Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the NC State Wolfpack and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on January 1, 2003. The game was the final contest of the 2002 NCAA Division I–A football season for both teams and...
). The program faltered over the next two seasons under Willingham, compiling an 11–12 record. During this time, Notre Dame lost a game by at least 30 points on five occasions. Furthermore, Willingham's 2004 recruiting class was judged by analysts to be the worst at Notre Dame in more than two decades. Citing Notre Dame's third consecutive four-touchdown loss to arch-rival USC compounded by another year of sub-par recruiting efforts, the Willingham era ended on November 30, 2004 (after the conclusion of the 2004 season) when the university chose to terminate him and pay out the remainder of Willingham's six-year contract.
Reports circulated that Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011...
might be hired as Willingham's successor. Meyer was a highly sought after coach and a former wide receivers coach at Notre Dame. Following a well-publicized courtship by the Irish, Meyer chose instead to accept the head coaching position at the University of Florida. Notre Dame subsequently hired Charlie Weis, the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
(who at the time were enroute to their third Super Bowl victory in four years). Weis had graduated from Notre Dame, but had never played for its football team.
2005
Charlie WeisCharlie Weis
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame...
became head football coach for the Irish beginning with the 2005 season. In his inaugural season he led Notre Dame to a record of 9–3, including an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl
2006 Fiesta Bowl
The 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2006, was the 35th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, featuring Notre Dame and Ohio State. Ohio State won the game 34–20....
, where they were defeated by the Ohio State Buckeyes
2005 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2005 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented The Ohio State University in the college football season of 2005-2006. The team's head football coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 10 and 2, and...
34–20. Weis's impact was apparent when, in the first half of the first game (against Pittsburgh
2005 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 2005 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2005 college football season.-Schedule:-Team Players drafted into in the NFL:...
), Notre Dame had gained more offensive yards than it had in five games combined, during the previous season. Quarterback Brady Quinn
Brady Quinn
Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
would go on to break numerous team passing records that season and rise to the national spotlight, by holding 35 Notre Dame records as well as becoming a top Heisman contender. The school administration was so impressed with the turnaround, it made the surprise move of offering Weis a (ten-year) contract extension midway through his inaugural season.
2006
Weis and the Irish went into the 2006 season with a #2 preseason ranking in the ESPN/Coaches Poll. They finished the regular season with a 10–2 record, losing only to Michigan and USC. Notre Dame accepted a bid to the 2007 Sugar Bowl, losing to LSU2006 LSU Tigers football team
The 2006 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2006–2007. The team's coach was former Oklahoma State coach Les Miles. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
41–14. This marked their ninth consecutive post-season loss, the longest drought in NCAA history. As a result, Notre Dame dropped to #17 in the final rankings.
2007
In the wake of a graduating class that sent eleven players to the NFL, the 2007 season2007 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 2007 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was the college football team that represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2007 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Charlie Weis in his third year as head coach, and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre...
(3–9) included various negative milestones: the most losses in a single year (9); two of the ten worst losses ever (38–0 losses to both Michigan
2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2007 college football season. This was Lloyd Carr's final season as Michigan head coach. The 2007 season began with a stunning loss to Appalachian State, but the Wolverines won eight straight games after...
and USC
2007 USC Trojans football team
The 2007 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference Championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl...
); and the first 6-game losing streak for home games. The Naval Academy recorded their first win over the Irish since 1963
2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game
The 2007 Navy vs. Notre Dame football game ended the longest all-time college football consecutive wins streak by one team over another. On November 3, 2007, the Navy Midshipmen defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 46–44 in triple-overtime at Notre Dame's home field, Notre Dame Stadium in...
, breaking the NCAA-record 43-game streak; Notre Dame's subsequent loss to Air Force marked the first time the team had lost to two military academies in the same season since 1944. On a positive note, the Irish did manage to close out a season with two straight wins for the first time since 1992.
2008
In 2008, the Irish started 4–1, but completed the regular season with a 6–6 record, including a 24–23 home loss to Syracuse2008 Syracuse Orange football team
The 2008 Syracuse Orange football team is the football team representing Syracuse University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange is coached by Greg Robinson and plays their home games in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York....
, the first time that Notre Dame had fallen to an eight-loss team. Despite speculation the university might fire Weis, it was announced he would remain head coach. Weis's Notre Dame squad ended the season breaking the Irish's NCAA record nine-game bowl losing streak by beating Hawaii
2008 Hawaii Warriors football team
The 2008 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS college football season....
49–21.
2009
Charlie Weis entered the 2009 season with the expectation from the Notre Dame administration that his team would be in position to compete for a BCS Bowl berth. Notre Dame started the first part of the season 4–2, with close losses to Michigan and USC. Many of their wins were also close, aside from a 35–0 victory over Nevada and a 40–14 thrashing of Washington State. Sitting at 6–2, however, Notre Dame lost a close game at Notre Dame Stadium to an unranked Navy team, 23–21. This loss was the second to Navy in the last three years, after Notre Dame had beaten Navy forty three straight times dating back to 1963. The Navy game, however, was the first of a four game losing skid, as Notre Dame followed up the Navy loss with losses to a top-10 Pittsburgh team, an overtime loss to Connecticut at home, and a season ending loss at Stanford. Weis was fired on November 30, 2009, exactly five years after his predecessor.Kelly era (2010–present)
Brian Kelly became the 29th head coach of the Fighting Irish on December 10, 2009, after coaching Cincinnati to a 12–0 record and BCS bowl berth. In his first season, he led the Fighting Irish to a 7–5 regular season, including winning his last three games against #14 Utah, Army in Yankee Stadium, and breaking the eight year losing streak to USC in the LA Coliseum. Kelly guided the Irish to a 33 – 17 Sun Bowl victory over Miami (FL) to finish 2010 with a 8–5 mark. In his second season, he got Notre Dame to not much better 8-4 record and had 2 4-winning streaks during the season, breaking Navy's 2-winning streak over Notre Dame (2009-10).All-time records
Notre Dame's all time record through the 2011 regular season stands at 853 wins, 299 losses, and 42 ties. The winning percentage of .732 is second behind Michigan. Its 853 wins are third behind Michigan and Texas, while its 299 losses are the lowest of any college programs that have been playing football for 70 years or more.Coaching records
| Years | Coach | Seasons | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887–89, 1892–93 | None | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | .625 |
| 1894 | J.L. Morison James L. Morison James L. Morison was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Notre Dame in 1894, tallying a mark of 3–1–1.-Head coaching record:-External links:... |
1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .700 |
| 1895 | H.G. Hadden H.G. Hadden Harry Graydon Hadden was an American football player and coach. Hadden was born in 1874 and raised in the Englewood section of Chicago. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law Department with an LLB degree in 1895. While attending law school, Hadden played tackle for the 1894 Michigan... |
1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 |
| 1896–98 | Frank E. Hering Frank E. Hering Frank Earl Hering was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, an baseball. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1896 to 1898, compiling a record of 12–6–1... |
3 | 12 | 6 | 1 | .658 |
| 1899 | James McWeeney James McWeeney James McWeeney was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Notre Dame in 1899, tallying a mark of 6–3–1.-Head coaching record:-External links:... |
1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | .650 |
| 1900–01 | Pat O'Dea Pat O'Dea -External links:* Australian Dictionary of Biography... |
2 | 14 | 4 | 2 | .750 |
| 1902–03 | James F. Faragher James Farragher -Sources:* Sperber, Murray . Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football. New York: Henry Holt and Company.-External links:... |
2 | 14 | 2 | 2 | .843 |
| 1904 | Red Salmon Louis J. Salmon Louis J. "Red" Salmon is considered to be the first outstanding fullback for the University of Notre Dame football team. He was the first "Fighting Irish" player to win an All-American mention, and some sports historians argue that he served as the team's de facto coach during the 1902–1903... |
1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 |
| 1905 | Henry J. McGlew Henry J. McGlew Henry J. "Fuzzy" McGlew of Chelsea, Massachusetts was a quarterback and head coach of the Notre Dame college football program.In his two years as a starting quarterback from 1901 to 1902, the team achieved a combined record of 14–3–2... |
1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 |
| 1906–07 | Thomas A. Barry Thomas A. Barry Thomas Austin Barry was an American college football coach and player, lawyer, and industrial adviser. He served as the head coach at Tulane University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Denver... |
2 | 12 | 1 | 1 | .893 |
| 1908 | Victor M. Place Victor M. Place -External links:... |
1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 |
| 1909–10 | Shorty Longman Frank Longman -External links:... |
2 | 11 | 1 | 2 | .857 |
| 1911–12 | Jack Marks John L. Marks -External links:... |
2 | 13 | 0 | 2 | .933 |
| 1913–17 | Jesse Harper Jesse Harper -External links:* * at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com... |
5 | 34 | 5 | 1 | .863 |
| 1918–30 | Knute Rockne Knute Rockne Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history... |
13 | 105 | 12 | 5 | .881 |
| 1931–33 | Hunk Anderson | 3 | 16 | 9 | 2 | .630 |
| 1934–40 | Elmer Layden Elmer Layden Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield... |
7 | 47 | 13 | 3 | .770 |
| 1941–43, 1946–53 | Frank Leahy Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive... |
11 | 87 | 11 | 9 | .855 |
| 1944 | Ed McKeever Edward McKeever Edward Clark Timothy McKeever was an American football player, coach, and executive. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame and Cornell University and the University of San Francisco , compiling a career college football record of 25–12–1... |
1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | .800 |
| 1945, 1963 | Hugh Devore Hugh Devore Hugh John Devore was a football player and coach whose close connection to the University of Notre Dame saw him serve in both capacities, while also seeing time as head coach at two other colleges as well as the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles.-Early career:Devore was born and... |
2 | 9 | 9 | 1 | .500 |
| 1954–58 | Terry Brennan Terry Brennan Terence Patrick Brennan is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1954 to 1958, compiling a record of 32–18.-Early life and playing career:... |
5 | 32 | 18 | 0 | .640 |
| 1959–62 | Joe Kuharich Joe Kuharich Joseph Lawrence Kuharich was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of San Francisco from 1948 to 1951 and at the University of Notre Dame from 1959 to 1962, compiling a career college football record of 43–37... |
4 | 17 | 23 | 0 | .425 |
| 1964–74 | Ara Parseghian Ara Parseghian Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6... |
11 | 95 | 17 | 4 | .836 |
| 1975–80 | Dan Devine Dan Devine Daniel John Devine was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980, compiling a career college football mark of... |
6 | 53 | 16 | 1 | .764 |
| 1981–85 | Gerry Faust Gerry Faust Gerard Anthony "Gerry" Faust is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame from 1981 to 1985 and at the University of Akron from 1986 to 1994, compiling a career college football record of 73–79–4... |
5 | 30 | 26 | 1 | .535 |
| 1986–96 | Lou Holtz Lou Holtz Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States... |
11 | 100 | 30 | 2 | .765 |
| 1997–01 | Bob Davie Bob Davie (coach) Robert Edwin "Bob" Davie, Jr. is the head coach for the University of New Mexico Lobos. He is a former ESPN analyst and former American football player... |
5 | 35 | 25 | – | .583 |
| 2001* | George O'Leary George O'Leary George Joseph O'Leary is the head football coach of the UCF Knights football team that represents the University of Central Florida located in Orlando, Florida; he previously coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 1994 to 2001, and served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota... |
0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| 2002–04 | Tyrone Willingham Tyrone Willingham Lionel Tyrone "Ty" Willingham is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University , the University of Notre Dame , and the University of Washington , compiling a career college football record of 76–88–1.-Early career:Willingham attended... |
3 | 21 | 15 | – | .583 |
| 2004† | Kent Baer Kent Baer Kent Baer was a football assistant coach and defensive coordinator at the University of Notre Dame under Tyrone Willingham. When Willingham was fired as coach on November 30, 2004, Baer was named interim head coach until Charlie Weis was hired in early 2005... |
0 | 0 | 1 | – | .000 |
| 2005–09 | Charlie Weis Charlie Weis Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame... |
5 | 35 | 27 | – | .564 |
| 2010–11 | Brian Kelly Brian Kelly (coach) Brian Keith Kelly is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, a position he has held since the 2010 season... |
2 | 16 | 9 | – | .640 |
| Totals | Coaches | Seasons | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887–2011 | 31 | 123 | 853 | 299 | 42 | .732 |
| * George O'Leary did not coach a single practice or game, resigning five days after being hired; O'Leary misrepresented his academic credentials. | ||||||
| † Kent Baer served as interim head coach for one game at the 2004 Insight Bowl Insight Bowl The Insight Bowl is an NCAA college football bowl game played in Arizona since 1989. From 1989 to 1999, the games were played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game moved to Phoenix in 2000 and was played at Chase Field until 2005. After the 2005 playing the Insight Bowl moved to Sun Devil Stadium... after Tyrone Willingham was fired. |
||||||
Bowl games
Notre Dame has made 30 Bowl appearances, winning 15 and losing 15. It has played in the Rose BowlRose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
(1 win), the Cotton Bowl Classic (5 wins, 2 losses), the Orange Bowl (2 wins, 3 losses), the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
(2 wins, 2 losses), the Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
(1 win, 2 losses), the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
(1 win), the Aloha Bowl
Aloha Bowl
The Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. With the exception of the 1983-86 playings, the Aloha Bowl was traditionally played on Christmas morning in Honolulu. For most of its...
(1 loss), the Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
(1 win, 3 losses), the Independence Bowl
Independence Bowl
The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976....
(1 loss),the Insight Bowl
Insight Bowl
The Insight Bowl is an NCAA college football bowl game played in Arizona since 1989. From 1989 to 1999, the games were played at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. The game moved to Phoenix in 2000 and was played at Chase Field until 2005. After the 2005 playing the Insight Bowl moved to Sun Devil Stadium...
(1 loss), Hawaii Bowl (1 win) and the Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
(1 win). From 1994 to the 2006 football seasons, Notre Dame lost 9 consecutive bowl games and setting an NCAA record for consecutive bowl losses. That streak ended with a 49–21 blowout of Hawaii in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl. In the process, Notre Dame scored its highest point total in post-season play.
| Date | Bowl | W/L | Opponent | PF | PA |
| January 1, 1925 | Rose Bowl 1925 Rose Bowl The 1925 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was the 11th Rose Bowl Game. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated Stanford University, 27-10. The game featured two legendary coaches, Knute Rockne of Notre Dame, and Glenn "Pop" Warner in his first year at Stanford. The game also featured... |
W | Stanford Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The... |
27 | 10 |
| January 1, 1970 | Cotton Bowl Classic | L | Texas Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
17 | 21 |
| January 1, 1971 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W | Texas Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
24 | 11 |
| January 1, 1973 | Orange Bowl | L | Nebraska Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A... |
6 | 40 |
| December 31, 1973 | Sugar Bowl | W | Alabama Alabama Crimson Tide football |TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team... |
24 | 23 |
| January 1, 1975 | Orange Bowl | W | Alabama Alabama Crimson Tide football |TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team... |
13 | 11 |
| December 27, 1976 | Gator Bowl | W | Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the... |
20 | 9 |
| January 2, 1978 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W | Texas Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
38 | 10 |
| January 1, 1979 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W | Houston Houston Cougars football The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by... |
35 | 34 |
| January 1, 1981 | Sugar Bowl 1981 Sugar Bowl The 1981 edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the top ranked Georgia Bulldogs, and the seventh ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.In the first quarter, Notre Dame scored on a 50 yard Oliver field goal, giving the Irish a 3-0 lead. Another Notre Dame scoring opportunity in the first quarter was foiled... |
L | Georgia | 10 | 17 |
| December 29, 1983 | Liberty Bowl | W | Boston College Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division... |
19 | 18 |
| December 29, 1984 | Aloha Bowl | L | SMU SMU Mustangs football The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA... |
20 | 27 |
| January 1, 1988 | Cotton Bowl Classic | L | Texas A&M Texas A&M Aggies football The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18... |
10 | 35 |
| January 2, 1989 | Fiesta Bowl 1989 Fiesta Bowl The 1989 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 1989, was the 18th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game featured the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the West Virginia Mountaineers.... |
W | West Virginia 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with a 11–0 and traveled to the Fiesta Bowl to decide the National Championship, where they lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34–21.-1988 Schedule:-1988 season:... |
34 | 21 |
| January 1, 1990 | Orange Bowl | W | Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
21 | 6 |
| January 1, 1991 | Orange Bowl 1991 Orange Bowl The 1991 Orange Bowl was a 1990–1991 college football bowl game that was played on January 1, 1991, for the national championship. The 57th edition of the Orange Bowl featured the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Colorado Buffaloes. Colorado came into the game with a 10–1–1 record and #1 AP... |
L | Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
9 | 10 |
| January 1, 1992 | Sugar Bowl 1992 Sugar Bowl The 1992 Sugar Bowl was the 58th edition to the annual game. It featured the third-ranked Florida Gators and the 18th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Using a come-from-behind performance, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish upset the highly favored Gators 39–28... |
W | Florida | 39 | 28 |
| January 1, 1993 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W | Texas A&M Texas A&M Aggies football The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18... |
28 | 3 |
| January 1, 1994 | Cotton Bowl Classic | W | Texas A&M Texas A&M Aggies football The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18... |
24 | 21 |
| January 2, 1995 | Fiesta Bowl | L | Colorado Colorado Buffaloes football The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,... |
24 | 41 |
| January 1, 1996 | Orange Bowl 1996 Orange Bowl (January) The 62nd Orange Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on January 1, 1996, at The Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. Florida State defeated Notre Dame, 31-26. The game was part of the 1995-1996 Bowl Alliance of the 1995 NCAA Division I-A... |
L | Florida State Florida State Seminoles football The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
26 | 31 |
| December 28, 1997 | Independence Bowl | L | LSU LSU Tigers football The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as... |
9 | 27 |
| January 1, 1999 | Gator Bowl | L | Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference... |
28 | 35 |
| January 1, 2001 | Fiesta Bowl 2001 Fiesta Bowl The 2001 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2001, was the 30th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Oregon State Beavers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish .In the game, Oregon State quarterback Jonathan Smith threw for 305 yards... |
L | Oregon State Oregon State Beavers football The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive... |
9 | 41 |
| January 1, 2003 | Gator Bowl | L | North Carolina State NC State Wolfpack football The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.... |
6 | 28 |
| December 28, 2004 | Insight Bowl 2004 Insight Bowl The 2004 Insight Bowl was the 16th edition of the bowl game. It featured the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the .Oregon State scored first on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Derek Anderson to wide receiver George Gillett to take a 7–0 lead... |
L | Oregon State Oregon State Beavers football The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive... |
21 | 38 |
| January 2, 2006 | Fiesta Bowl 2006 Fiesta Bowl The 2006 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2006, was the 35th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, featuring Notre Dame and Ohio State. Ohio State won the game 34–20.... |
L | Ohio State Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state... |
20 | 34 |
| January 3, 2007 | Sugar Bowl 2007 Sugar Bowl The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl Game was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 NCAA Division I-BS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl... |
L | LSU 2006 LSU Tigers football team The 2006 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2006–2007. The team's coach was former Oklahoma State coach Les Miles. They played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana... |
14 | 41 |
| December 24, 2008 | Hawaii Bowl 2008 Hawai'i Bowl The 2008 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Hawaii Warriors against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on December 24, 2008, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was part of the 2008-2009 bowl game schedule of the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS... |
W | Hawaii 2008 Hawaii Warriors football team The 2008 Hawaii Warriors football team represented the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS college football season.... |
49 | 21 |
| December 31, 2010 | Sun Bowl 2010 Sun Bowl The 2010 Hyundai Sun Bowl game was the 77th edition of the annual college football bowl game known as the Sun Bowl. It was played on December 31, 2010 between the Miami Hurricanes from the ACC and the independent Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in a revival of a long-dormant rivalry. CBS television... |
W | Miami (FL) 2010 Miami Hurricanes football team The 2010 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hurricanes were coached by Randy Shannon during the regular season, then coached by Jeff Stoutland during their bowl game and played their home games at Sun Life... |
33 | 17 |
| Total | 30 bowl games | 15–15 | 657 | 709 |
Players and coaches
Heisman Trophy
Seven Notre Dame football players have won the prestigious Heisman Trophy, more than any other university (Ohio State has 7 trophies won by 6 players; USC has 6 trophies, following R. Bush's forfeit of the 2006 award due to NCAA violations).- Angelo BertelliAngelo BertelliAngelo Bortolo Bertelli was an American football player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1943 playing as a quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.-Early life:...
– 1943 - Johnny LujackJohnny LujackJohn Christopher Lujack Jr. is a former American football quarterback and 1947 Heisman Trophy winner.Lujack was born on January 4, 1925, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame, and professionally for the Chicago Bears. Lujack was the first of...
– 1947 - Leon HartLeon HartLeon Joseph Hart was an American football tight end and defensive end. He was raised in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh....
– 1949 - Johnny LattnerJohnny LattnerJohn Joseph "Johnny" Lattner is a former American football player in the United States. He was a halfback for the University of Notre Dame where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1953, and won the Maxwell Award twice, in 1952 and 1953....
– 1953 - Paul HornungPaul HornungPaul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66...
– 1956 - John HuarteJohn HuarteJohn Gregory Huarte is a former American football quarterback and the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner.-Early years:Huarte played for the University of Notre Dame after graduating from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. During his sophomore and junior years at Notre Dame, he played for...
– 1964 - Tim Brown – 19871987 NCAA Division I-A football seasonThe 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second national championship during the 80s in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare #1 vs...
Heisman Voting:
- 1938 – Whitney Beinor, 9th
- 1943 – Angelo BertelliAngelo BertelliAngelo Bortolo Bertelli was an American football player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1943 playing as a quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.-Early life:...
, 1st, Creighton MillerCreighton MillerCreighton Miller was an American football player. As an attorney, he was critical in helping to organize the National Football League Players Association....
, 4th, Jim White, 9th - 1944 – Bob Kelly, 6th
- 1945 – Frank DancewiczFrank DancewiczFrancis Joseph "Boley" Dancewicz was an American football quarterback who played professionally in the National Football League...
, 6th - 1947 – Johnny LujackJohnny LujackJohn Christopher Lujack Jr. is a former American football quarterback and 1947 Heisman Trophy winner.Lujack was born on January 4, 1925, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame, and professionally for the Chicago Bears. Lujack was the first of...
, 1st - 1949 – Leon HartLeon HartLeon Joseph Hart was an American football tight end and defensive end. He was raised in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh....
, 1st, Bob WilliamsBob Williams (quarterback)Robert "Bob" Allen Williams is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Early years:After graduating from Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson, Maryland, Williams attended Notre Dame, where, as a nineteen year-old junior quarterback, he won the National...
, 5th, Emil SitkoEmil SitkoEmil "Red" Sitko was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on September 7, 1923. He earned the nickname of "Red" due to his red hair. He attended Central High School in Fort Wayne. At only 5'8" and 180 pounds he was not considered a big man. "Emil wasn't very big as football players go -- even for those...
, 8th - 1950 – Bob WilliamsBob Williams (quarterback)Robert "Bob" Allen Williams is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Early years:After graduating from Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson, Maryland, Williams attended Notre Dame, where, as a nineteen year-old junior quarterback, he won the National...
, 6th - 1953 – Johnny LattnerJohnny LattnerJohn Joseph "Johnny" Lattner is a former American football player in the United States. He was a halfback for the University of Notre Dame where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1953, and won the Maxwell Award twice, in 1952 and 1953....
, 1st - 1954 – Ralph GuglielmiRalph GuglielmiRalph Vincent Guglielmi is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles...
, 4th - 1956 – Paul HornungPaul HornungPaul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66...
, 1st - 1958 – Nick PietrosanteNick PietrosanteNick Pietrosante was an All-Pro fullback in the National Football League. Raised in Ansonia, Connecticut, he attended Notre Dame High School of West Haven, Connecticut, graduating with the Class of 1954. He was the first All State athlete at Notre Dame High School...
, 10th - 1959 – Monty SticklesMonty SticklesMontford Anthony "Monty" Stickles was an American football tight end in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints. He also served as a color commentator on Oakland Raiders radio broadcasts. He died of heart failure after a brief illness. He was...
, 9th - 1964 – John HuarteJohn HuarteJohn Gregory Huarte is a former American football quarterback and the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner.-Early years:Huarte played for the University of Notre Dame after graduating from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. During his sophomore and junior years at Notre Dame, he played for...
, 1st, Jack Snow, 5th - 1965 – Bill Wolski, 11th
- 1966 – Nick EddyNick EddyNicholas Matthew Eddy was raised in Tracy, California. A broad-shouldered 6 feet, 195 lbs, he attended the University of Notre Dame on a football scholarship. Eddy was a standout running back and kick returner. Eddy was an All-American halfback, leading Notre Dame to the 1966 National...
, 3rd, Terry HanrattyTerry HanrattyTerrence Hugh "Terry" Hanratty was a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL during the 1960s and 1970s, he earned two Super Bowl rings as the backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his hometown team....
, 6th - 1967 – Terry HanrattyTerry HanrattyTerrence Hugh "Terry" Hanratty was a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL during the 1960s and 1970s, he earned two Super Bowl rings as the backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his hometown team....
, 9th - 1968 – Terry HanrattyTerry HanrattyTerrence Hugh "Terry" Hanratty was a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL during the 1960s and 1970s, he earned two Super Bowl rings as the backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his hometown team....
, 3rd
- 1969 – Mike McCoyMike McCoy (defensive tackle)Michael Patrick McCoy played for the Green Bay Packers, the Oakland Raiders, the New York Giants, and the Detroit Lions. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame, where he was a unanimous first-team All-American and Heisman Trophy candidate in 1969...
, 6th - 1970 – Joe TheismannJoe TheismannJoseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...
, 2nd - 1971 – Walt PatulskiWalt PatulskiWalter George Patulski is a former American football defensive end at the University of Notre Dame and the National Football League.-High school:...
, 9th - 1974 – Tom Clements, 4th
- 1975 – Steve NiehausSteve NiehausSteve Niehaus was a defensive lineman in the NFL. He was the first ever draft pick for the Seattle Seahawks and the second player taken in the 1976 NFL Draft. Niehaus was the 1976 NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and holds the Seahawk rookie record for sacks in a season with 9½.He suffered multiple...
, 12th - 1977 – Ken MacAfeeKen MacAfeeKenneth Adams MacAfee, Jr. , is a former college and professional American football player. He played collegiately at the University of Notre Dame and professionally for the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:...
, 3rd, Ross BrownerRoss BrownerRoss Browner is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the father of current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks, and brother of Joey Browner and Keith Browner...
, 5th - 1979 – Vagas FergusonVagas FergusonVagas Ferguson was a star running back for the University of Notre Dame who continued on to the National Football League for three seasons with the New England Patriots, who drafted him in the first round, the Cleveland Browns, and the Houston Oilers.In 1979, his senior season at Notre Dame,...
, 5th - 1983 – Allen PinkettAllen PinkettAllen Pinkett is a former professional American football player who played running back for six seasons for the Houston Oilers. He grew up in the Sterling, Virginia area and attended Park View High School there in the early 1980s.-Playing career:Pinkett was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame...
, 16th - 1985 – Allen PinkettAllen PinkettAllen Pinkett is a former professional American football player who played running back for six seasons for the Houston Oilers. He grew up in the Sterling, Virginia area and attended Park View High School there in the early 1980s.-Playing career:Pinkett was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame...
, 8th - 1987 – Tim Brown, 1st
- 1989 – Tony Rice, 4th, Raghib IsmailRaghib IsmailRaghib Ramadian Ismail is a retired professional American and Canadian football player, who played Wide receiver in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League. He played college football at Notre Dame...
, tie 10th - 1990 – Raghib IsmailRaghib IsmailRaghib Ramadian Ismail is a retired professional American and Canadian football player, who played Wide receiver in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League. He played college football at Notre Dame...
, 2nd - 1992 – Reggie BrooksReggie BrooksReginald Arthur Brooks is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He attended Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.-College:...
, 5th - 2005 – Brady QuinnBrady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
, 4th - 2006 – Brady QuinnBrady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
, 3rd - 2009 – Golden TateGolden TateGolden H. Tate III is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football and college baseball at Notre Dame.-Early years:Tate was born in...
, 10th
Other national award winners
- Maxwell AwardMaxwell AwardThe Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
- Leon HartLeon HartLeon Joseph Hart was an American football tight end and defensive end. He was raised in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh....
– 1949 - Johnny LattnerJohnny LattnerJohn Joseph "Johnny" Lattner is a former American football player in the United States. He was a halfback for the University of Notre Dame where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1953, and won the Maxwell Award twice, in 1952 and 1953....
– 1952, 1953 - Jim LynchJim LynchJames Robert Lynch is a former American football linebacker who spent his entire eleven-year professional career with the American Football League and National Football League Kansas City Chiefs.-Early years:...
– 1966 - Ross BrownerRoss BrownerRoss Browner is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the father of current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks, and brother of Joey Browner and Keith Browner...
– 1977 - Brady QuinnBrady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
– 2006- Walter Camp AwardWalter Camp AwardThe Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
- Walter Camp Award
- Ken MacAfeeKen MacAfeeKenneth Adams MacAfee, Jr. , is a former college and professional American football player. He played collegiately at the University of Notre Dame and professionally for the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:...
– 1977 - Tim Brown – 19871987 NCAA Division I-A football seasonThe 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second national championship during the 80s in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare #1 vs...
- Raghib IsmailRaghib IsmailRaghib Ramadian Ismail is a retired professional American and Canadian football player, who played Wide receiver in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League. He played college football at Notre Dame...
– 19901990 NCAA Division I-A football seasonThe 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split championship and the ensuing controversy led to the creation of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series. The title was split between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets...
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardJohnny Unitas Golden Arm AwardThe Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's outstanding senior quarterback in college football. It was established in 1987 by a foundation named for Johnny Unitas , the Hall of Fame quarterback who played his college career at the University of...
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
- Tony Rice – 19891989 NCAA Division I-A football seasonThe 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its third National Championship during the 80s, cementing its claim as the decade's top team, winning more titles than any other program....
- Brady QuinnBrady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
– 2006- AT&T ESPN All-America PlayerAT&T ESPN All-America PlayerThe AT&T ESPN All-America Player is a joint marketing venture between AT&T and ESPN that allows fans to select college football's player of the week and player of the year respectively. Each "vote" counts as an entry into an AT&T sweepstakes, usually for a trip to the BCS National Championship...
- AT&T ESPN All-America Player
- Brady QuinnBrady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
– 2006
- Biletnikoff Award
- Golden TateGolden TateGolden H. Tate III is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football and college baseball at Notre Dame.-Early years:Tate was born in...
– 2009
- Outland TrophyOutland TrophyThe Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
- George ConnorGeorge Connor (American football)George Leo Connor was an American football offensive tackle/linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1948 to 1955. He was originally a number one draft pick by the New York Giants in 1946. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and of the College Football Hall of Fame. He attended the...
– 1946 - Bill Fischer – 1948
- Ross BrownerRoss BrownerRoss Browner is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the father of current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks, and brother of Joey Browner and Keith Browner...
– 1976- Lombardi AwardLombardi AwardThe Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
- Lombardi Award
- Walt PatulskiWalt PatulskiWalter George Patulski is a former American football defensive end at the University of Notre Dame and the National Football League.-High school:...
– 1971 - Ross BrownerRoss BrownerRoss Browner is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the father of current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks, and brother of Joey Browner and Keith Browner...
– 1977 - Chris ZorichChris ZorichChristopher Robert Zorich is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins.-Early life:...
– 19901990 NCAA Division I-A football seasonThe 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split championship and the ensuing controversy led to the creation of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series. The title was split between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets... - Aaron Taylor – 19931993 NCAA Division I-A football seasonThe 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State crowned national champions, but not without controversy.Under the Bowl Coalition, undefeated Big 8 champ and #2 ranked Nebraska hosted ACC champ and #1 ranked Florida State in the Orange Bowl...
- Sammy Baugh TrophySammy Baugh TrophyThe Sammy Baugh Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's top college passer. The award is named in honor of former Texas Christian University and Washington Redskins quarterback "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh. The trophy has been given out by the Touchdown Club of Columbus since 1959...
- Sammy Baugh Trophy
- Terry HanrattyTerry HanrattyTerrence Hugh "Terry" Hanratty was a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL during the 1960s and 1970s, he earned two Super Bowl rings as the backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his hometown team....
– 1967 - Brady QuinnBrady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
– 2005
Coaching awards
- Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
- Ara ParseghianAra ParseghianAra Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
– 1964 - Lou HoltzLou HoltzLouis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
– 1988- Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearEddie Robinson Coach of the YearThe Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award is given annually to a college football coach by the Football Writers Association of America. The award honors Eddie Robinson, former coach at Grambling State who holds the second best record for most Division I wins with 408 behind only Joe...
Award
- Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
- Ara ParseghianAra ParseghianAra Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
– 1964 - Lou HoltzLou HoltzLouis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
– 1988 - Charlie WeisCharlie WeisCharles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame...
– 2005- Home Depot Coach of the Year AwardThe Home Depot Coach of the Year AwardThe Home Depot Coach of the Year Award is given annually to college football's top head coach. The award for the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision is selected by ESPN and ABC college football analysts. No coach has ever won the award twice.-Winners:...
- Home Depot Coach of the Year Award
- Tyrone WillinghamTyrone WillinghamLionel Tyrone "Ty" Willingham is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University , the University of Notre Dame , and the University of Washington , compiling a career college football record of 76–88–1.-Early career:Willingham attended...
– 2002- George Munger AwardGeorge Munger AwardThe George Munger Award was presented to the NCAA Division I college football coach of the year by the Maxwell Football Club from 1989 to 2009. The award was named after former University of Pennsylvania head coach George Munger...
- George Munger Award
- Tyrone WillinghamTyrone WillinghamLionel Tyrone "Ty" Willingham is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University , the University of Notre Dame , and the University of Washington , compiling a career college football record of 76–88–1.-Early career:Willingham attended...
– 2002
College Football Hall of Fame
49 former Notre Dame players and coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.| Name | Position | Year Inducted |
|---|---|---|
| Hunk Anderson | Guard | 1974 |
| Angelo Bertelli Angelo Bertelli Angelo Bortolo Bertelli was an American football player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1943 playing as a quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.-Early life:... |
Quarterback | 1972 |
| Tim Brown | Wide Receiver | 2009 |
| Ross Browner Ross Browner Ross Browner is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is the father of current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks, and brother of Joey Browner and Keith Browner... |
Defensive End | 1999 |
| Jack Cannon | Guard | 1965 |
| Frank Carideo Frank Carideo -External links:... |
Quarterback | 1954 |
| George Connor George Connor (American football) George Leo Connor was an American football offensive tackle/linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1948 to 1955. He was originally a number one draft pick by the New York Giants in 1946. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and of the College Football Hall of Fame. He attended the... |
Tackle | 1963 |
| Jim Crowley Jim Crowley James Harold "Jim" Crowley was an American football player and coach. He gained fame as one-fourth of the University of Notre Dame's legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield where he played halfback from 1922 to 1924. After a brief career as a professional football player, Crowley turned to coaching... |
Halfback | 1966 |
| Zygmont Czarobski Zygmont Czarobski Zygmont "Ziggy" Peter Czarobski was an American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977.-External links:*... |
Tackle | 1977 |
| Dan Devine Dan Devine Daniel John Devine was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the University of Notre Dame from 1975 to 1980, compiling a career college football mark of... |
Coach | 1985 |
| Bob Dove Bob Dove Robert Leo Patrick "Grandpappy" Dove served as an All-America end at the University of Notre Dame and went on to play for eight seasons in the National Football League. Following his retirement as a professional player, Dove embarked on a 37-year coaching career at the professional and collegiate... |
End | 2000 |
| Ray Eichenlaub Ray Eichenlaub Ray "Iron Eich" Eichenlaub was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.... |
Fullback | 1972 |
| Bill Fischer | Tackle/Guard | 1983 |
| George Gipp George Gipp George "The Gipper" Gipp was a college football player who played for the University of Notre Dame. Gipp was selected as Notre Dame's first All-American and is Notre Dame's second consensus All-American , after Gus Dorais. Gipp played multiple positions, most notably halfback, quarterback, and... |
Halfback | 1951 |
| Jerry Groom Jerry Groom Jerome Paul "Boomer" Groom was a professional American football defensive tackle/linebacker/center in the National Football League. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he graduated from Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines. He went to one Pro Bowl during his 5-year career with the Chicago Cardinals... |
Center | 1994 |
| Ralph Guglielmi Ralph Guglielmi Ralph Vincent Guglielmi is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles... |
Quarterback | 2001 |
| Jesse Harper Jesse Harper -External links:* * at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com... |
Coach | 1994 |
| Leon Hart Leon Hart Leon Joseph Hart was an American football tight end and defensive end. He was raised in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.... |
End | 1973 |
| Frank Hoffman Frank Hoffman For the Louisiana politician, see Frank Hoffmann.For the 19th-century baseball player, see Frank Hoffman .Frank Hoffman was an American football player. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978.... |
Guard | 1978 |
| Lou Holtz Lou Holtz Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States... |
Coach | 2008 |
| Paul Hornung Paul Hornung Paul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66... |
Quarterback | 1985 |
| John Huarte John Huarte John Gregory Huarte is a former American football quarterback and the 1964 Heisman Trophy winner.-Early years:Huarte played for the University of Notre Dame after graduating from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. During his sophomore and junior years at Notre Dame, he played for... |
Quarterback | 2005 |
| Johnny Lattner Johnny Lattner John Joseph "Johnny" Lattner is a former American football player in the United States. He was a halfback for the University of Notre Dame where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1953, and won the Maxwell Award twice, in 1952 and 1953.... |
Halfback | 1979 |
| Elmer Layden Elmer Layden Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield... |
Fullback | 1951 |
| Frank Leahy Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive... |
Coach | 1970 |
| Johnny Lujack Johnny Lujack John Christopher Lujack Jr. is a former American football quarterback and 1947 Heisman Trophy winner.Lujack was born on January 4, 1925, in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame, and professionally for the Chicago Bears. Lujack was the first of... |
Quarterback | 1960 |
| Jim Lynch Jim Lynch James Robert Lynch is a former American football linebacker who spent his entire eleven-year professional career with the American Football League and National Football League Kansas City Chiefs.-Early years:... |
Linebacker | 1992 |
| Ken MacAfee Ken MacAfee Kenneth Adams MacAfee, Jr. , is a former college and professional American football player. He played collegiately at the University of Notre Dame and professionally for the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:... |
Tight End | 1997 |
| Jim Martin Jim Martin (American football) Jim Richard "Jungle Jim" Martin was an American football linebacker and placekicker who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League, from 1950–1961 and 1963–1964, mainly for the Detroit Lions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1961 season. In 1962 he was an assistant coach... |
End/Tackle | 1995 |
| Bert Metzger Bert Metzger Bert Metzger was an American football player.A 5'9", 152 pound guard from Chicago, Metzger played at the University of Notre Dame and was nicknamed the "watch-charm guard" because of his relatively small size. Metzger played a key role on the Fighting Irish teams that won National Championships... |
Guard | 1982 |
| Creighton Miller Creighton Miller Creighton Miller was an American football player. As an attorney, he was critical in helping to organize the National Football League Players Association.... |
Halfback | 1976 |
| Don Miller Don Miller (football) Don "Midnight" Miller was an American football player and coach. He was one of the famous "Four Horsemen" of the University of Notre Dame's backfield in 1924. Miller was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1970.Miller's three brothers attended Notre Dame before him... |
Halfback | 1970 |
| Edgar Miller Edgar Miller Edgar E. "Rip" Miller was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. Miller played college football as a tackle at the University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924. He was a member of the "Seven Mules" line that blocked for the famous "Four Horsemen" backfield on... |
Tackle | 1966 |
| Fred Miller Fred Miller (football b. 1906) Fred Miller was an All American college football offensive tackle. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985. Miller, the heir to the Miller Brewing Company, was killed in a plane crash with his son on December 17, 1954.... |
Tackle | 1985 |
| Wayne Millner Wayne Millner Wayne Vernal Millner was an American football player who was known for his clutch play as an offensive and defensive end for both the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and for the National Football League's Washington Redskins.-Early life:Millner grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts and played high school... |
End | 1990 |
| Alan Page Alan Page Alan Cedric Page is a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1963, received his B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1967, and received his J.D. from the University of... |
Defensive End | 1993 |
| Ara Parseghian Ara Parseghian Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6... |
Coach | 1980 |
| Knute Rockne Knute Rockne Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history... |
Coach | 1951 |
| Louis Salmon | Fullback | 1971 |
| Marchy Schwartz | Halfback | 1974 |
| Bill Shakespeare William Shakespeare (football) William Valentine Shakespeare was an American football player. He played at the halfback position, and also handled punting, for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football teams from 1933 to 1935... |
Halfback | 1983 |
| Red Sitko | Halfback/Fullback | 1984 |
| John "Clipper" Smith | Guard | 1975 |
| Harry Stuhldreher Harry Stuhldreher Harry Augustus Stuhldreher was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played quarterback at University of Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924, where he was a three-time All-American and member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield... |
Quarterback | 1958 |
| Joe Theismann Joe Theismann Joseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII... |
Quarterback | 2003 |
| Adam Walsh Adam Walsh (football coach) Adam Walsh was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a center at the University of Notre Dame where he was an All-American and captain of the 1924 team under Knute Rockne... |
Center | 1968 |
| Bob Williams Bob Williams (quarterback) Robert "Bob" Allen Williams is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Early years:After graduating from Loyola Blakefield High School in Towson, Maryland, Williams attended Notre Dame, where, as a nineteen year-old junior quarterback, he won the National... |
Quarterback | 1988 |
| Tommy Yarr Tommy Yarr Tommy Yarr was an American football center. He played college football for the University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He played one season of professional ball for the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in... |
Center | 1987 |
| Chris Zorich Chris Zorich Christopher Robert Zorich is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins.-Early life:... |
Defensive Tackle | 2007 |
Current coaching staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Brian Kelly | Head Coach |
| Bob Diaco | Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach |
| Charley Molnar | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach |
| Ed Warriner | Offensive Line Coach |
| Mike Denbrock | Tight Ends Coach |
| Tony Alford | Wide Receivers Coach |
| Tim Hinton | Running Backs Coach |
| Chuck Martin | Defensive Backs Coach |
| Mike Elston | Defensive Line Coach |
| Kerry Cooks Kerry Cooks Kerry Cooks is the Cornerbacks Coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.-Biography:Cooks was born on March 28, 1974 in Dallas, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa, where he was a team captain on the football team, and is married with two children.-Professional playing career:Cooks was... |
Outside Linebackers Coach |
Uniforms
Hawaii Bowl
The Hawaii Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played annually at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii since 2002. Typically played on either Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, the game matches teams from either...
appearance in 2008 vs. the University of Hawai'i
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
, Notre Dame once again wore last names on their jerseys. Gold pants, with a small ND logo just below the left waist, are worn with both home and away jerseys.
Notre Dame's helmets are solid gold with gray facemasks, the gold being emblematic of the University's famed "Golden Dome." It is a Notre Dame tradition for the team's student managers to spray-paint the team's helmets prior to each game, ensuring that they keep their gold shine each week.
Over the years, Notre Dame has occasionally worn green instead of blue as its home jersey, sometimes adopting the jersey for an entire season – or more – at a time. Currently, Notre Dame reserves its green jerseys for "special" occasions. Often on such occasions, the Irish will take the field for warmups dressed in blue, only to switch to green when they go back to the locker room before kickoff. This tradition was started by Dan Devine in 1977 before the USC game. Notre Dame has also been known to switch jerseys at halftime, as during the 1985 USC game, and in the loss to Nile Kinnick
Nile Kinnick
Nile Clarke Kinnick, Jr. was a student and a college football player at the University of Iowa. He won the 1939 Heisman Trophy and was a consensus All-American. He died during a training flight while serving as a U.S Navy aviator in World War II...
-led Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
in 1939, although this was to help avoid confusion between their navy uniforms and Iowa's black ones. The current design of the jersey is kelly green with gold numbers and white outlining. For the 2006 Army game, Coach Charlie Weis broke out the Green jerseys as a reward to his senior players, as well finally ending the string of losses by the Irish when wearing green. Notre Dame wore throwback green jerseys in 2007 against USC in honor of the 30th anniversary of the 1977 National Championship team. On at least one occasion (1992 Sugar Bowl) Notre Dame has worn an away variant of the jersey: a white jersey with green numbers.
Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
is the current outfitter of Notre Dame football and all Notre Dame athletics.
During Gerry Faust's tenure (1981–85), Notre Dame's blue jerseys switched from the traditional navy to royal blue with gold and white stripes on the sleeves. The navy blue jerseys returned in 1984.
No uniform numbers have been retired by Notre Dame. Upon being issued a number, each player is given a card which lists some of the more famous players who have worn that particular number. Number 3 is perhaps the most famous number in Irish football history, having been worn by Ralph Guglielmi
Ralph Guglielmi
Ralph Vincent Guglielmi is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles...
, George Izo
George Izo
George William Izo is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, as well as the St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and the Pittsburgh Steelers...
, Daryle Lamonica
Daryle Lamonica
Daryle Pat Lamonica is a former American collegiate and professional football quarterback who played in the American Football League, and later in the NFL....
, Coley O'Brien, Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
, Michael Floyd, Rick Mirer
Rick Mirer
Richard Franklin Mirer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. After a successful collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame, Mirer was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the second pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. Mirer was traded to the Chicago Bears during...
and Ron Powlus
Ron Powlus
Ronald Lee Powlus is a former American football quarterback, former quarterbacks coach for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, and current quarterbacks coach for the University of Akron Zips football team....
, among others. Number 5 is also notable, as it is the only number to be worn by one of the Four Horsemen (Elmer Layden
Elmer Layden
Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...
) a Heisman Trophy Winner (Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung
Paul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66...
) and a National Title winning Quarterback (Terry Hanratty
Terry Hanratty
Terrence Hugh "Terry" Hanratty was a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL during the 1960s and 1970s, he earned two Super Bowl rings as the backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, his hometown team....
). Number 7 has been worn by such Irish greats as 1964 Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte, 1970 Heisman runner-up Joe Theismann, Steve Beuerlein, Jimmy Clausen and Jarious Jackson.
Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame Stadium is the home football stadium for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. Located on the southeast part of the university's campus in Notre Dame, Indiana and with a seating capacity of 80,795, Notre Dame Stadium is one of the most renowned venues in college football. The Sporting News ranks Notre Dame Stadium as # 2 on its list of "College Football Cathedrals". With no JumboTron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
and just two modest scoreboards, the stadium experience evokes a more traditional feel. Notre Dame Stadium is used for football related activities and for Commencement (since 2010).
Cartier Field
Cartier Field was the original playing field of the Fighting Irish. In 1930, it was replaced by Notre Dame Stadium, due to the growing popularity of ND football. Notre Dame's practice facility still bears the Cartier Field name. Most ND practices take place on Cartier Field.Guglielmino Athletics Complex
Known by fans as "the Gug" , the Guglielmino Athletics Complex is Notre Dame's brand new athletics complex. The Gug houses the new football offices, a brand new state-of-the-art weight room, and practice week locker rooms for the football team. The Gug is utilized by all Notre Dame athletes. The complex was underwritten by Don F. Guglielmino and his family.Rivalries
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
, Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
, and Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
are among Notre Dame's rivals.
USC
USC is Notre Dame's primary rival. The rivalry has produced more national titles, Heisman trophies, and All-Americans than any other. It is considered one of the most important rivalries in college football, and is often called the greatest rivalry not dictated by conference affiliation or geographyGeography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
. Other than during World War II, the teams have played each other since 1926. Notre Dame leads the series 43–33–5.
Michigan
MichiganMichigan-Notre Dame rivalry
The Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry is an American college football rivalry game played by the Michigan Wolverines football team of the University of Michigan and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame....
is considered Notre Dame's other major rival. The rivalry is Notre Dame's first and oldest, although the two teams did not play each other for many years. It is heightened by the two schools' competition for all-time win percentage, which Michigan leads. The 2011 meeting was won by Michigan 35–31 in Ann Arbor. Michigan leads the all-time series 23–15–1, though 6 of the Wolverine victories came before 1900.
Michigan State
The Michigan State SpartansMichigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
are one of Notre Dame's most important rivals with the two teams playing for the Megaphone Trophy
Megaphone Trophy
Started in 1949 the Megaphone Trophy is awarded each year to the winner of the football game between the University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University. Notre Dame and Michigan State started competing against each other 114 years ago in 1897...
. Notre Dame holds an all-time 46–28–1 series winning margin. The one tie was the Game of the Century, one of the greatest college football games ever played. The Spartans' 28 victories over Notre Dame are second-most of any school after USC. The Megaphone Trophy series record is 32–26–1 in favor of Notre Dame. Michigan State won the Megaphone Trophy in 2010 after beating the Irish 34–31 in East Lansing on an overtime fake field goal play known as "Little Giants". In 2011, the Irish reclaimed the trophy with a 31–13 victory in which they led all the way.
Navy
Navy and Notre Dame have one of the longest continuous series in college football, having played 83 games without interruption since 1927. Notre Dame had a 43 game win streak, the longest in Division 1-A football, which ended in 2007. Navy won in 2007, 2009, and 2010.Game day traditions
- On Monday evenings, prior to each game, the team's student members paint all football helmets gold, using paint containing real gold dust. The gold particles that are used on the helmet were collected from the re-gilding on the Notre Dame dome in 2007.
- Prior to the start of the game, the team attends mass in semi-formal attire at the Sacred Heart BasilicaBasilica of the Sacred Heart, IndianaThe Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana, is a Catholic Church on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, also serving as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. The neo-gothic church features 44 large stained glass windows and murals completed...
. At the conclusion of mass, fans form a line from the chapel to the stadium, which the team walks through.
- Coming out of the locker room, players slap the famous "Play Like a Champion Today" sign.
- Between the third and fourth quarters of home games, the Notre Dame Marching Band plays the finale to the 1812 Overture1812 OvertureThe Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
, as the crowd reacts with synchronized waving of arms, with their fingers in the shape of a "K" for Kelly. ("W" for both Weis and Willingham and "L" for Lou Holtz) - Since 1961, Sergeant Tim McCarthy for the Indiana State Police has read out a driving safety announcement to the crowd during the fourth quarter. When Sergeant McCarthy begins his announcement, the crowd goes silent to hear his message, which invariably ends with a pun.
- At the conclusion of every home game, the team turns to the student section to salute them by raising their helmets in the air. They do this after a win or after a loss.
- At the conclusion of every home game, the band plays the Alma Mater, "Notre Dame, Our Mother". Those who stay link arms and sing the lyrics.
Irish in the NFL
| Irish in the NFL | |
|---|---|
| NFL Draft Selections | |
| Total selected: | 469 |
| First picks in draft: | 5 |
| 1st Round: | 61 |
| NFL Achievements | |
| In the Super Bowl Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather... : |
42 |
| Won the Super Bowl Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather... : |
36 |
| Hall of Fame Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees... rs: |
10 |
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Ten former Notre Dame players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
, second only to USC (11).
- 1963: Curly LambeauCurly LambeauEarl Louis "Curly" Lambeau was founder, player, and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team...
– Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
1919–49 - 1963: John McNallyJohn McNallyJohn Victor "Blood" McNally was an American football player who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
* – Milwaukee BadgersMilwaukee BadgersThe Milwaukee Badgers were a professional American football team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that played in the National Football League from 1922 to 1926. The team played its home games at Athletic Park, later known as Borchert Field, on Milwaukee's north side...
1925–1926, Duluth Eskimos 1926–1927, Pottsville MaroonsPottsville MaroonsThe Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1920, they went on to play in the National Football League for four seasons, from 1925–1928...
1928, Green Bay Packers 1929–1933, 1935–1936, Pittsburgh Pirates (Steelers) 1934, 1937–1938 - 1964: George TraftonGeorge TraftonGeorge Edward Trafton , was an American football player. He played as a center for the Decatur Staleys of the National Football League from 1920 to 1921 and 1923–1932. He is credited as being the first center to snap the ball with one hand...
– Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
1920–22 - 1968: Wayne MillnerWayne MillnerWayne Vernal Millner was an American football player who was known for his clutch play as an offensive and defensive end for both the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and for the National Football League's Washington Redskins.-Early life:Millner grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts and played high school...
– Boston and Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
1936–41, 1945 - 1975: George ConnorGeorge Connor (American football)George Leo Connor was an American football offensive tackle/linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1948 to 1955. He was originally a number one draft pick by the New York Giants in 1946. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and of the College Football Hall of Fame. He attended the...
– Chicago Bears 1948–55 - 1986: Paul HornungPaul HornungPaul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66...
– Green Bay Packers 1957–62, 1964–66 - 1988: Alan PageAlan PageAlan Cedric Page is a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1963, received his B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1967, and received his J.D. from the University of...
– Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
1967–78, Chicago 1978–81 - 2000: Joe MontanaJoe MontanaJoseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
– San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
1979–92, Kansas City 1993–94 - 2001: Nick BuonicontiNick BuonicontiNicholas Anthony Buoniconti is a former American Football League and NFL Hall of Fame middle linebacker, who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins....
– Boston Patriots 1962–68, Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
1969–74, 1976 - 2002: Dave CasperDave CasperDavid John Casper , nicknamed "The Ghost." is a former American football player. He was an offensive lineman and tight end.-High school:...
– Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
1974–80, Houston Oilers 1980–83, Minnesota Vikings 1983
Current NFL players
- Armando Allen – Running BackRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Arnaz BattleArnaz BattleArnaz Jerome Battle is an American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
– Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... - Jordan Black – Offensive Tackle, Houston TexansHouston TexansThe Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
- Sergio BrownSergio BrownSergio Brown is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early years:...
– SafetySafetySafety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
, New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... - David BrutonDavid Bruton (American football)David Lee Bruton, Jr. is an American football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted in the fourth round, 114th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school:Bruton attended Miamisburg High School in Miamisburg, Ohio...
– Safety, Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - John Carlson – Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
, Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... - Jimmy ClausenJimmy ClausenJames Richard "Jimmy" Clausen is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school career:Clausen had an outstanding prep career...
– QuarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... - Jeff FaineJeff FaineJeffrey Kalei Faine is an American football center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns 21st overall in the 2003 NFL Draft...
– CenterCenter (American football)Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
, Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... - Anthony FasanoAnthony FasanoAnthony Joseph Fasano is an American football tight end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame...
– Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
, Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Ryan GrantRyan GrantRyan Brett Grant is a running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005 but was traded to the Packers shortly before the 2007 season in exchange for a future sixth-round draft pick...
– Running BackRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... - J. J. JansenJ. J. JansenJeffrey Richard "J. J." Jansen is an American football long snapper for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
– Longsnapper, Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... - Trevor LawsTrevor LawsTrevor David Laws is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame....
– Defensive Tackle, Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
- Mark LeVoirMark LeVoirMark Jacob LeVoir is an American football offensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
– Offensive Tackle, St. Louis RamsSt. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... - Chinedum NdukweChinedum NdukweChinedum "Nedu" Ndukwe is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
– Safety, Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Eric OlsenEric Olsen (American football)Eric Olsen was projected to be drafted in the fifth or sixth round during the 2010 NFL Draft. He was one of the top performers at the bench press, vertical jump and the 3-cone drill. Olsen was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round . He was expected to compete with J.D. Walton for the...
– CenterCenter (American football)Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
, Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... - Brady QuinnBrady QuinnBrayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Quinn was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early Years:Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn was born on...
– QuarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Kyle RudolphKyle RudolphKyle Rudolph is an American football tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.-Early years:...
– Tight EndTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
, Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... - Maurice StovallMaurice StovallMaurice Aurilius Stovall is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early years:Stovall grew up in Philadelphia and went...
– Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... - John SullivanJohn Sullivan (American football)John Sullivan is an American football center for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League...
– CenterCenter (American football)Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
, Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... - Golden TateGolden TateGolden H. Tate III is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football and college baseball at Notre Dame.-Early years:Tate was born in...
– Wide ReceiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... - Justin TuckJustin TuckJustin Lee Tuck is an American football defensive end for the National Football League's New York Giants.A former standout defensive end for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Tuck currently plays in the National Football League for the New York Giants. His cousin Adalius Thomas was also a former...
– Defensive EndDefensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Ian WilliamsIan Williams (American football)Ian Williams is an American football defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Notre Dame.-Early years:...
– Nose Tackle, San Francisco 49'ers - Sam Young– Offensive Tackle, Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
- Tom ZbikowskiTom ZbikowskiThomas Michael Zbikowski is an American football safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, and an occasional professional boxer. He was drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
– Safety, Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
- Victor AbiamiriVictor AbiamiriVictor Ikechukwu Abiamiri is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
- Defensive EndDefensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Derek LandriDerek LandriDerek Landri is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
- Defensive Tackle, Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Ian WilliamsIan WilliamsIan Williams is an American rock guitarist. He became noted for his finger tapping guitar playing in bands such as Don Caballero, Storm & Stress and currently in Battles.-Biography:...
- Defensive Tackle, San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... - Kyle McCarthyKyle McCarthyKyle Justin McCarthy is an American football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Notre Dame....
- Saftey, Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Darrin WallsDarrin WallsDarrin Walls is an American football cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was signed by the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Notre Dame....
- CBCB-Architectural/engineering:* Block coefficient , determining fullness of ship's hull* Chrysler Building, a skyscraper in New York City, New York* Concrete block/cinder block, also breeze block [UK], foundation block [US], see concrete masonry unit...
, Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
Media
The Irish are the only team, professional or college, to have all of its game broadcast nationally on the radio and is the only team have all of its home games televised nationally (NBC). Until the 2006 Air Force game, Notre Dame had a record 169 consecutive games broadcast nationally on either NBC, ABC, ESPN, or CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. The 2006 ND vs. Air Force game was broadcast on CSTV, a CBS affiliate who had an exclusive contract with the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
, of which Air Force is a member (the Irish have only hosted Mountain West teams since, to keep all of its games on one of the four aforementioned networks). Notre Dame is also famous for being the first team to leave the College Football Association, which controlled TV rights, and establish its own network TV deal with NBC. They now feature in the "adidas is all in" advert.
Television
NBCNBC has been televising Notre Dame Home football games since the 1991 season. Notre Dame is the only Division 1-A football team to have all of its home games televised exclusively by one television network. In addition to TV broadcasts, NBC also maintains several dedicated websites to ND football, and Notre Dame Central, which provides complete coverage, full game replays and commentary of the Notre Dame team. NBC's television contract with Notre Dame was renewed in June, 2008 and is set to continue through the 2015 football season.
Current Broadcast Team:
- Mike MayockMike MayockMichael Francis Mayock is a former professional football player, a safety with the New York Giants of the National Football League...
(game analyst) - Tom HammondTom HammondTom Hammond is an American sportscaster for NBC Sports television. Hammond is one of the network's staple on-air presenters, along with Bob Costas and Dan Hicks...
(play-by-play) - Alex FlanaganAlex FlanaganAlex Flanagan is an American sportscaster who is a graduate of the University of Arizona and Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona...
(Sideline reporterSideline reporterA sideline reporter, also known as a field reporter, courtside reporter , clubhouse reporter or dugout reporter , rinkside reporter or inside-the-glass reporter , on-court reporter , hole reporter , or boundary rider , is a member of the...
)
Radio
Notre Dame is the only team, professional or college, to have all of its games broadcast nationally in the USA on the radio.Current announcers:
- Don CriquiDon CriquiDon Criqui is an American sportscaster, currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports. Criqui's duties include occasional television coverage of National Football League games, women's and men's college basketball, occasional college football and radio play-by-play of ISP Sports'...
(play-by-play) – 1974–1976, 2006–current - Allen PinkettAllen PinkettAllen Pinkett is a former professional American football player who played running back for six seasons for the Houston Oilers. He grew up in the Sterling, Virginia area and attended Park View High School there in the early 1980s.-Playing career:Pinkett was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame...
(color commentary) - Jeff Jeffers (pre and post-game)
ISP (2008–present)
In February 2008, Notre Dame and ISP Sports agreed to a 10 year deal to serve as the exclusive rights holder of all Notre Dame football radio broadcasts. ISP will broadcast all Notre Dame football games beginning with the 2008 football season and extending through the 2017 season.
Westwood One (1968–2008)
Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
broadcast Notre Dame football nationally on radio for 40 consecutive years (after taking over from the Mutual Radio Network). Notre Dame ended its relationship with Westwood One at the conclusion of the 2007 football season citing financial reasons.
Former announcers:
- Tony Roberts (play-by-play) – 1980–2005
- Al Wester (play-by-play and/or color commentary) – 1968–1983
- Tom Pagna (color commentary)
- Ralph GuglielmiRalph GuglielmiRalph Vincent Guglielmi is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles...
- Lindsey NelsonLindsey NelsonLindsey Nelson was an American sportscaster best known for his broadcasts of college football and New York Mets baseball.-Early life and career:...