The Greatest Moments in Notre Dame History

When he died early, in 1920, legendary Notre Dame star George Gipp told Knute Rockne, “Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are 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.” Eight years later, after ND had lost two of its first six and was facing a powerful Army team, Rockne broke out the “Gipper” speech. It worked. The Irish scored two second-half touchdowns and upset the Cadets, 12-6.

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Facing a third-and-nine from its own three and under a minute left, QB Tom Clements connected on a 36-yard pass with Robin Weber to preserve Notre Dame’s 24-23 lead over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and secure the win and a national title. Bob Thomas’ 19-yard field goal with 4:12 remaining gave the Irish the lead, and after an Alabama punt on the ensuing possession pinned the Irish back, Clements made the dramatic throw.

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“Outlined against a blue, gray October sky, the Four Horsemen road again.” So began Grantland Rice’s legendary account of Notre Dame’s 13-7 win over Army at the Polo Grounds. Backs Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, Elmer Layden and Don Miller ran all over the Cadets and keyed a 10-0 season that culminated in a 27-10 win over Stanford in the Rose Bowl and a national title.

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Second-ranked Oklahoma entered the game on a record 47-game winning streak and was considered invincible, while host ND, a three-touchdown underdog, had dropped two in a row under coach Terry Brennan and seemed quite vulnerable. But Dick Lynch’s three-yard run, keyed by a block from Nick Pietrosante, gives ND all it needs in a stunning, 7-0 upset win. Bob Williams’ late interception preserves the landmark victory.

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Seven years after the forward pass had been legalized in college football, Notre Dame popularized the strategy in a groundbreaking 35-13 rout of mighty Army. Thought of solely as a regional force, ND shocked the Eastern football establishment with an aerial circus previously unseen in those parts. Gus Dorais connected repeatedly with end Knute Rockne to flummox the outflanked Cadets and begin the legend of the Fighting Irish.

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