The 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Irish, coached by Lou Holtz, ended the season with 12 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No.3 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in the Sunkist Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, by a score of 34–21. The 1988 squad, one of 11 national title squads for the Irish, is considered to be one of the best undefeated teams in the history of college football.[1] The Irish beat the teams which finished the season ranked #2, #4, #5, and #7 in the AP Poll.[1] They also won 10 of 12 games by double digits.[1] The 1988 squad is best remembered for its 31–30 upset of No.1 ranked Miami, ending their 36-game regular season winning streak.[2] The game is remembered to this day as one of the most memorable games in all of college football.[3][4][5]
13th ranked Notre Dame debuted its season against No.9 Michigan in Notre Dame Stadium.[8] In a 19-17 thriller, walk-on kicker Reggie Ho kicked a 26-yard field goal winner with 1:13 remaining.[8]Lou Holtz's concerns about his youthful offense and green receivers were realized as the Irish offense did not score a single offensive touchdown.[8] In addition to Reggie Ho's game winner, the Irish kicker scored 3 other field goals.[9] The lone touchdown from Notre Dame came from a Ricky Watters punt return, an 81-yard runback.[9] Michigan's Mike Gillette, who had given the Wolverines the lead with 5:34 left by kicking a 49-yard field goal, had one final chance to give Michigan the win, narrowly missing from 48 yards as the final gun sounded.[9]
MSU threatened Notre Dame early with a 1st-quarter field goal, but that would be the only points of the day the Notre Dame defense would allow as the Irish downed MSU 20–3.[10] Notre Dame struggled early in the contest, accumulating only 50 yards running on 21 carries.[10]Reggie Ho tied the game with 31-yarder in the second quarter and put the Irish ahead 6–3 at the half with a 22-yard field goal.[10] The second half was a different story for the Irish offense, as quarterback Tony Rice and company amassed 195 yards on 33 carries in the second half.[10] 156 yards came on 19 carries in the third quarter alone.[10] Tony Rice ran for an 8-yard touchdown and Michael Stonebreaker added a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown in the final quarter to end any hopes of a Spartan upset.[10] The star of the game was Notre Dame's defense, which held the Spartans to 89 yards rushing for the game.[10] Running back Mark Green led the Irish rushing attack with 125 yards on the ground.[11]
Tony Rice passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as Notre Dame shredded Purdue 52–7.[12] It was one of the worst losses by Purdue in the history of the series, and its worst loss since a 48-0 drubbing in 1970.[12] Notre Dame scored early and often, starting with a 38-yard Rice option run for a touchdown.[12] Tony Rice's first passing touchdown on the year was an 8-yarder to freshman tight end Derek Brown.[12] The Irish exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, highlighted by a 54-yard Rice touchdown pass to Rocket Ismail.[12] Tailback Mark Green added a 7-yard touchdown run and Ricky Watters returned a punt 66 yards for a score.[12] Coach Lou Holtz used three separate quarterbacks in the second quarter and four total in the game.[12] 3rd-string quarterback Steve Belles hit running back Tony Brooks for a 34-yard score to put the Irish up 42–0 at half-time.[12] The second half saw the Irish score ten points with back-ups, a 44-yard field goal by Billy Hackett and a 36-yard run from freshman fullback Rodney Culver.[12] Purdue's lone touchdown was a fourth quarter 7-yard pass from Brian Fox to Calvin Williams.[12] The Irish improved to 3-0 while the Boilermakers dropped to 1–2 on the year.[12]
Tony Rice rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a third to lead the Fighting Irish to a 42-14 blowout of Stanford.[13] Rice completed 11 of 14 passes for 129 yards and rushed for 107 yards.[13] Rice scored runs of 30 yards and 6 yards while the Irish tailbacks added 3 other scores with touchdowns from Mark Green, Tony Brooks, and Anthony Johnson.[13] Despite the lopsided score, Stanford did mount two of the longest scoring drives against the Irish to date, with a 68-yard drive by quarterback Brian Johnson and a 73-yard drive by back-up quarterback Jason Palumbis.[13] Freshman standout tight end Derek Brown added the Irish's sole passing touchdown in the 3rd quarter.[13] The Irish defense stymied the Cardinal, holding them to just 111 yards in the first half.[13]
Notre Dame, a loser to Pittsburgh three years in a row, narrowly avoided another such upset as the Irish improved to 5–0 on the season.[14] The 30–20 victory in the rain did little to inspire confidence that Notre Dame could beat No.1 Miami the following week.[14] The Panthers made a number of critical mistakes that led the Panthers to believe they did more to lose the game more than Notre Dame did to win it.[14] "We could have won the game," said Panther coach Mike Gottfried, "but we made just enough mistakes to lose it."[14]
Notre Dame struggled to contain Panther quarterback Darnell Dickerson, who at times had 10 seconds or more per play.[14] The Panthers came out strong early, starting the game with an impressive drive, but before the Panthers could score, Irish cornerback Todd Lyght forced a fumble, which Chris Zorich recovered.[14] After a stalled Irish drive, the Panthers got the ball back and took a 7–0 lead on a Dickerson touchdown.[14] Notre Dame answered back with a 52-yard Tony Brooks run to the 2-yard line. The large run was the result of a failed Panther blitz attempt.[14] Tony Rice scored on a 2-yard keeper to tie the game 7-7.[14] After an Anthony Johnson touchdown gave the Irish a 14–7 lead, Dickerson scored his second touchdown to tie the game again at 14-14.[14] Reggie Ho scored a 37-yard field goal to give the Irish a 17-14 half time lead.[14]
The critical moment of the game came in the second half, when late into the fourth quarter the Irish were clinging to a 23–20 lead when the Panthers forced the Irish into a 4th and long from their own 23-yard line.[14] But a late 12 men on the field penalty against the Panthers gave the Irish new life.[14] The 15-yard penalty gave Notre Dame the ball on its 48-yard line, and 11 plays later Mark Green ran for an 8-yard touchdown with 4:30 left in the game to put victory out of reach for the Panthers.[14] Tony Rice went 8-14 passing for the game and a third quarter Braxston Banks touchdown gave the Irish the lead for good.[14]
The October 15, 1988, game between Notre Dame and the University of Miami Hurricanes is colloquially referred to as the "Catholics vs. Convicts" game. The University of Notre Dame was dubbed the "Catholics" and the University of Miami was dubbed as "the Convicts".[15][16]
A potential letdown after defeating No.1 Miami the previous week never materialized for the now 2nd ranked Irish, who used a second half onslaught of power running to down the Falcons 41–13.[17] Coach Holtz admitted he was scared all week of a potential upset of his young Notre Dame squad.[17] Of main concern was Air Force's wishbone ground attack, which came into Notre Dame Stadium averaging 46 points and 432 rushing yards a game.[17] Falcons coach Fisher DeBerry's squad had the best ground gaining offense in the nation.[17] Holtz's fears seemed to be valid during the rain in the first half as Notre Dame only held a 7-point lead at the half.[17]
Air Force opened the game with an impressive ground attack.[17] Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis took his team inside the Irish 20 on the game's first offensive drive.[17] But Pat Terrell, the defensive hero of last week's victory over Miami, stepped into the spotlight again, this time with Stan Smagala.[17] Albert Booker, an Air Force halfback, was carrying the ball on second down when Smagala hit him hard.[17] The ball popped free and Terrell recovered the fumble at the Notre Dame 16.[17] After the turnover, Air Force answered with its first field goal by Steve Yarborough from 22 yards out.[17] But Notre Dame matched that by going 71 yards to score on Mark Green's 7-yard touchdown run.[17] In the second quarter, The Irish continued to run the ball, with quarterback Tony Rice and running back Anthony Johnson both running for touchdowns.[17] Air Force answered before the end of the half with a touchdown to cut Notre Dame's lead to just seven points.[17]
The third quarter was all Irish, as five Irish running backs combined for 283 yards, all running for 23 yards or more.[17] One of the highlights was a 50-yard halfback pass late in the third quarter thrown by 3rd-string quarterback Steve Belles.[17] In at running back, Belles took a pitch from Tony Rice, stepped back to his right and threw to a wide open Ricky Watters.[17] The flanker took the ball inside the Air Force 10 and battled his way just over the goal line late in the third quarter.[17] Other scores included a Tony Brooks 42-yard touchdown in the third quarter and another Ricky Watters touchdown catch; this time a 28-yarder from Rice.[17] In the end, the Irish defense held the explosive Falcons to 54 yards rushing in the second half and 195 for the game, 237 yards below its season average.[17]
Although unbeaten and No.2 Notre Dame posted its 25th consecutive victory of the Naval Academy, coach Lou Holtz was not happy.[18] "We couldn't control the line of scrimmage," Holtz said after the victory.[18] "We couldn't throw consistently, we weren't mentally alert and that's my fault. Our offensive line got beat up, we couldn't run inside. We weren't good enough to beat them inside. We're not a very good team right now. We feel fortunate to win."[18] Favored to beat Navy by five touchdowns, the Irish dropped five passes, lost two fumbles, shanked a punt for a mere 10 yds., and got whistled for having twelve men on the field - all before winning the game 22–7.[19] The Midshipmen fumbled on their second play from scrimmage and six plays later Notre Dame led 7–0 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rice to Derek Brown, before a crowd of 54,926 at Memorial Stadium.[20] Rodney Culver and Ryan Mihalko ran for touchdowns as Notre Dame opened up a 22–0 lead early in the third quarter en route to reaching an 8–0 record for the first time since 1973.[18] One positive Lou Holtz saw was the play of the defense.[18] "Our defense played really well, but was on the field too long."[18] Notre Dame amassed 396 total yards and held Navy to 192 yards, the lowest for an Irish opponent this year.[18]
The Irish scored early and often as Notre Dame dazzled their home crowd of 59,075 with a 54–11 victory.[19] After Rice scored an early field goal in the first quarter, Rocket Ismail returned his first of two kickoffs, a 78-yard return for a score.[19] The Irish offense quickly followed with three touchdowns on their first three offensive possessions.[19] Junior fullback Anthony Johnson rushed for two of Notre Dame's seven TDs, while Tony Brooks and Rodney Culver also added touchdowns.[19] Late in the game, after Rice's third field goal made the score 38–9, Rocket Ismail returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for another touchdown.[19] Ismail became the first Notre Dame player to return two kick-offs for touchdowns in a game since Paul Castner in 1922 against Kalamazoo.[21] After Notre Dame's final touchdown, Rice LB Billy Stone returned the blocked extra-point all the way for two points to account for the final score of 54–11. This was the first time a team scored by returning a failed conversion in NCAA Div I history (the rule allowing for the defense to score this way instituted at the start of the 1988–89 season).
The Irish came into the game at 9-0 while Penn State was 5-5, on the verge of their first losing season in 50 years. Notre Dame got started early, scoring on their first possession, an 87-yard on 12 play drive.[22] On second-and-5 from Penn State's 48-yard line, Tony Rice threw a 17-yard pass to Ricky Watters, who was wide open 15 yards downfield.[22] Five plays later, Notre Dame scored from Penn State's two. Rice optioned left, froze the Penn State linebacker Eddie Johnson with a pump-fake, then ran into the end zone.[22] Reggie Ho's extra point made it 7–0.[22] In the second quarter, Notre Dame drove 60 yards in five plays to go ahead, 14–0.[22] Rice set up the score with another pass to Watters - a 27-yard play that moved the ball to Penn State's 33-yard line.[22] Two plays later, running back Mark Green took a handoff up the middle, then found daylight to his right and ran 22 yards for a touchdown.[22] Penn State's only score came on the last play of the first half, when Eric Etze kicked a 52-yard field goal.[22]
After leading by 14–3 at halftime, Notre Dame struck quickly for its final score in the third quarter.[22] On first down after a Penn State punt, Tony Rice threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Raghib Ismail.[22] It was the first time the Fighting Irish had thrown deep all game, and the long pass caught Penn State defensive backs off guard.[22] Ismail was so wide open, he scored even though he had to wait for Rice's underthrown pass.[22] After making the catch at Penn State's 20-yard line, Ismail broke Eddie Johnson's attempted tackle and jogged into the end zone.[22] The win set the stage for the next week's showdown vs. USC, the final hurdle to the national championship game.
Notre Dame and USC entered the game undefeated and ranked number one and two respectively for the first time ever in their storied series. It was also the 24th time No.1 faced No.2 in college football history.[8][23] In a controversial move, coach Lou Holtz took his 10-0 Irish squad to L.A. without stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, whom he suspended for disciplinary reasons.[24] The USC Trojans were having a great season under head coach Larry Smith and standout quarterback Rodney Peete.[23] The Irish came into the game as underdogs, but spectacular play of defensive end Frank Stams and cornerback Stan Smagala aided the Irish offense, led by Tony Rice, to an Irish victory.[25] Notre Dame started out fast with Tony Rice surprising the crowd by throwing deep to Raghib Ismail on Notre Dame’s first play of scrimmage. On the next drive, Tony Rice optioned left for a 65-yard touchdown play. The Trojans were listless, committing four turnovers, including a back-breaking Rodney Peete interception to Stan Smagala for another Notre Dame touchdown. In the second half, running back Mark Green added the final touchdown of the day(aided by a key 22-yard gain on a 3rd down screen play by Anthony Johnson) to help defeat the Trojans. The sellout crowd of 93,829 was the largest in this rivalry since 1955.[23]
Fiesta Bowl
1989 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl: #3 West Virginia vs. #1 Notre Dame
The 1988 Irish squad won their 11th consensus national title in Lou Holtz's third year as an Irish head coach, equaling the trend of Irish coaches winning the title in their third year.[8] Irish head coaches Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine also won titles in their third years as head coach.[8] Holtz was named national coach of the year for taking the Irish squad from an 8–4 record the previous year to national title winners the following year.[8] His 1989 and 1993 squads narrowly missed repeating the feat.[8]
As of 2023, the 1988 Irish squad is also the most recent to win the national title.[8]
Personnel
1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.[28]
Future NFL players
The following is a list of Notre Dame players that would go on to play or be drafted to play in the National Football League over the next four years. All players listed played for the 1988 team.
Richard James Watters is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Watters played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he played wide receiver on the school's 1988 national champion team. He also won Super Bowl XXIX as a member of the 1994 49ers over the San Diego Chargers. Watters was known throughout his playing career for his outstanding receiving skills and his unique high-step running style, which earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters, from ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman.
The Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and Purdue Boilermakers football of Purdue University.
The 2005 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Charlie Weis and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. The Irish completed the season with a record of 9–3, culminating in an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl and a number 9 ranking in the nation.
The 2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Charlie Weis and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. The team completed the season with a record of ten wins and three losses that culminated in a post-season appearance in the 2007 Sugar Bowl and a number 19 ranking in the nation.
Tony Rice is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and World League of American Football (WLAF). Rice is perhaps best remembered as the dynamic option quarterback of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's 1988 national championship team under coach Lou Holtz. Rice played professional football for three seasons for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Barcelona Dragons of the World League from 1990 to 1992. He also played for Munich Thunder in the Football League of Europe in 1994.
Reginald Arthur Brooks is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, earning second-team All-American honors in 1992.
The 2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Charlie Weis and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. This was Weis's fourth season as Notre Dame's head coach, who entered the season with a 22–15 record, coming off a 3–9 season after posting back-to-back BCS seasons.
The 1989 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, played on Monday, January 2, was the 18th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. It featured the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. With both teams undefeated, the Fiesta Bowl was the stage for the "national championship" for the second time in three years. As in 1987, the Fiesta Bowl featured two independents squaring off for the national title. The Fighting Irish defeated the Mountaineers to win their first national championship since 1977, and their most recent to date.
The Notre Dame–USC football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and USC Trojans football team of the University of Southern California, customarily played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving Day when the game is in Los Angeles or on the second or third Saturday of October when the game is in South Bend, Indiana.
The 2008 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the Big Ten Conference during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Joe Tiller, in his 12th and final season at Purdue, was the team's head coach. The Boilermakers' home games were played at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. They posted a 4–8 record, finishing in a ninth place tie in the Big Ten.
The 1992 Sugar Bowl was the 58th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Wednesday, January 1. Part of the 1991–92 bowl game season, it matched the eighteenth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the #3 Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The 2009 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Charlie Weis and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Weis entered his fifth season as head coach 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 but ended the season with four straight losses, including a second loss to Navy in three years. Weis was fired as head coach the Monday after the Stanford loss at the end of the season. Although Notre Dame was bowl eligible with 6 wins, the University announced on December 4 that the Irish had chosen not to play in a bowl game. Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick hired Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly after a 10-day coaching search.
The 1986 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Lou Holtz and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.
The 2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Brian Kelly and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. They competed as an independent.
The 1951 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1951 college football season. The team compiled a 3–7 record under head coach Tom Hamilton. The team was ranked at No. 58 in the 1951 Litkenhous Ratings.
The 1950 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1950 college football season. The team compiled a 1–8 record under head coach Len Casanova.
The 1948 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1948 college football season. The team compiled a 6–3 record under head coach Mike Milligan.
The 1947 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent in the 1947 college football season. In its first season under head coach Mike Milligan, the team compiled a 1–8 record and was outscored by a total of 267 to 26.
The 1946 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1946 college football season. In their first and only year under head coach Wes Fesler, the Panthers compiled a 3–5–1 record and were outscored by 136 to 88. Three of their losses were to teams ranked in the final AP Poll: No. 1 Notre Dame (0–33); No. 5 Illinois (7–33); and No. 20 Indiana (6–20).
The 2018 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by head coach Brian Kelly, who was in his ninth season at Notre Dame, and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. The Fighting Irish competed as an independent.
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