1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

Last updated

1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
ConferenceIndependent
Record7–4
Head coach
Captains
Home stadium Notre Dame Stadium
Seasons
  1978
1980  
1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Florida State    11 1 0
No. 7 Pittsburgh    11 1 0
UNLV    9 1 2
No. 17 Temple    10 2 0
Tulane    9 3 0
Rutgers    8 3 0
Tennessee State    8 3 0
East Carolina    7 3 1
No. 20 Penn State    8 4 0
South Carolina    8 4 0
Navy    7 4 0
Notre Dame    7 4 0
Southern Miss    6 4 1
Syracuse    7 5 0
Colgate    5 4 1
Boston College    5 6 0
Holy Cross    5 6 0
Memphis State    5 6 0
Miami (FL)    5 6 0
North Texas State    5 6 0
Villanova    5 6 0
Virginia Tech    5 6 0
West Virginia    5 6 0
Georgia Tech    4 6 1
Louisville    4 6 1
William & Mary    4 7 0
Illinois State    3 8 0
Northeast Louisiana    3 8 0
Army    2 8 1
Air Force    2 9 0
Cincinnati    2 9 0
Richmond    0 11 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Irish finished unranked in both major polls for the first time since 1963.

Contents

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 153:20 p.m.at No. 6 Michigan No. 9 ABC W 12–10105,111 [1] [2]
September 222:30 p.m.at No. 17 Purdue No. 5L 22–2870,567 [3]
September 292:30 p.m.No. 7 Michigan State No. 15W 27–359,075 [4]
October 62:30 p.m. Georgia Tech No. 10
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 21–1359,075 [5]
October 133:30 p.m.at Air Force No. 10W 38–1334,881 [6]
October 2012:50 p.m.No. 4 USC No. 9
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
ABCL 23–4259,075 [7]
October 272:30 p.m. South Carolina No. 14
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
W 18–1759,075 [8]
November 31:30 p.m. Navy No. 13
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 14–059,075 [9]
November 101:30 p.m.at Tennessee No. 13L 18–4086,489 [10]
November 171:30 p.m.No. 14 Clemson
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
L 10–1659,075 [11]
November 2411:00 p.m.vs. Miami (FL) W 40–1562,574 [12]

[13]

Game summaries

At Michigan

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) at Michigan Wolverines (1–0)
Quarter1234Total
Notre Dame336012
Michigan370010

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Game information

Bob Crable (10 tackles) leaped to block the potential-game winning field in the final seconds.

[14]

At Purdue

Michigan State

Georgia Tech

At Air Force

1234Total
Notre Dame10210738
Air Force076013

[15]

USC

South Carolina

A football gifted by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team to President Gerald Ford, commemorating their 18-17 victory over South Carolina on October 27. Notre Dame Football (1983.384).jpg
A football gifted by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team to President Gerald Ford, commemorating their 18–17 victory over South Carolina on October 27.
1234Total
Navy00000
Notre Dame700714
  • Date: November 3
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium
  • Game attendance: 59,075

[16]

At Tennessee

Clemson

Vs. Miami (FL)

Roster

1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
G 65Bob BurgerJr
WR 80Dave CondeniSo
QB 2 Mike Courey Jr
C 53Jeff CrippinSr
WR 1Ty DickersonJr
RB 32 Vagas Ferguson Sr
OT 73 Tim Foley Sr
WR 31 Pete Holohan Jr
G 78 Tim Huffman Jr
QB 13 Greg Knafelc Jr
QB 6 Rusty Lisch Sr
OT 75Rob MartinovichSr
TE 86Dean MasztakSo
OT 71 Phil Pozderac So
C 57 John Scully Jr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DT 94Tom BockSo
LB 43 Bob Crable So
DL Mark Czaja
S 22 Dave Duerson Fr
CB 27Tom GibbonsJr
DE Joe Gramke
DT Kevin Griffith
DE John Hankerd
DT Don Kidd
DT Pat Kramer
CB 19 John Krimm So
LB 61 Bobby Leopold Sr
DB 34 Dave Waymer Sr
LB 54 Mike Whittington Sr
DE 70Scott ZettekJr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
P Dick Boushka
K Chuck MaleSr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injury icon 2.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Team players in the NFL

PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL club
Vagas Ferguson Running back125 New England Patriots
Dave Waymer Conerback241 New Orleans Saints
Tim FoleyTackle251 Baltimore Colts
Rusty Lisch Quarterback489 St. Louis Cardinals
Bobby Leopold Linebacker8210 San Francisco 49ers
Rob MartinovichTackle10261 Kansas City Chiefs

References

  1. Mick McCabe (September 17, 1979). "Irish upend punchless U-M, 12-10". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1F, 5F via Newspapers.com.
  2. Billy Neff (September 16, 1979). "Irish upend Wolverines, 12-10". The Michigan Daily. pp. 1, 12 via Bentley Historical Library.
  3. "Purdue rallies to upset Notre Dame". The Gloucester County Times. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Notre Dame rips Michigan State 27–3". The Santa Fe New Mexican. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Irish dump Ga. Tech". The Shreveport Times. October 7, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Notre Dame routs Air Force, 38–13". The Kokomo Tribune. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Southern Cal attack grinds Irish, 42–23". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Irish escape Gamecocks". The Indianapolis Star. October 21, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Notre Dame blanks Middies". Great Falls Tribune. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Irish humbles by Vols, 40–18". The Indianapolis Star. November 11, 1979. Retrieved May 8, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Clemson feasts on Irish errors". Dayton Daily News. November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Irish run to victory over Miami". The Kokomo Tribune. November 26, 1979. Retrieved January 18, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  14. "Irish Topple Michigan On Walk-on's Field Goals." Palm Beach Post. 1979 September 16.
  15. Palm Beach Post. 1979 October 14.
  16. Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 November 4. Retrieved 2018-December-22.