Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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60 AUGUST 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI I t took 1978-81 Notre Dame line- backer and two-time consensus All-American Bob Crable six ap- pearances on the College Foot- ball Hall of Fame ballot before he was enshrined in 2018. Maybe six will be the lucky num- ber likewise for Raghib "Rocket" Is- mail (1988-90), who this June made the ballot for the sixth straight year. Joining him is 1990-93 Fighting Irish offensive lineman Aaron Taylor, who like Crable was a two-time consensus All-American. This year's ballot contains the names of 76 players and six coaches, and about a dozen get selected for enshrinement. The announcement of the 2019 class will be made on Jan. 7, 2019, the day of the national championship game. Even a Heisman Trophy winner such as Notre Dame's John Huarte (1964) had to wait 41 years. Among the criteria to be eligible, a player must have been named a first-team All-American by an NCAA recognized source — thereby making someone such as Joe Montana, an Associated Press honorable mention choice in 1978, ineligible. In addition, they cannot have played a college game in at least 10 years and can no longer be playing in the pros. Three other national title/first- team All-American quarterbacks at Notre Dame — Terry Hanratty (1966), Tom Clements (1973) and Tony Rice (1988) — also are not in the Hall and unlikely to make it be- cause their numbers and statistics are dwarfed by today's game. Other Notre Dame luminaries not on the ballot include 1969 consensus All-American defensive tackle Mike McCoy, 1971 Lombardi Award win- ner and consensus All-American Walt Patulski, two-time All-American line- man Steve Niehaus (1974-75), wide re- ceiver Jim Seymour (1966-68) and line- backer Michael Stonebreaker (1986-90). Here are our top five (plus one) eligible Irish players not in the Hall: 1. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail (1988‑90) In three seasons, Ismail became the first Notre Dame player to eclipse 1,000 career yards in three different cat- egories: rushing, receiving and returns (Theo Riddick later did it in four years). The 1990 Walter Camp Award win- ner and Heisman runner-up as a ju- nior averaged 7.7 yards per carry, holds the Irish career record for yards per catch (22.0) and had six returns of kickoffs or punts for scores. He helped the Irish to a 24-1 ledger (including a school-record 23-game winning streak) and a national title his first two seasons. His mere presence on the field made the entire team better. 2. Luther Bradley (1973, 1975‑77) Bradley has never been nominated and put on the ballot, an egregious oversight. A freshman strong safety for the 1973 national champs — he led the team with six interceptions and 11 passes broken up — and a consensus All-American cornerback on the 1977 national champs, Bradley started all 46 games during his college career. He also received some first-team All-America recognition as a junior and as a sophomore. His 17 career in- terceptions are the school record, and his 27 passes broken up are third. 3. Todd Lyght (1987‑90) Recruited to be 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown's successor in 1988 (a role Ismail took the following year), Lyght was crestfallen when he was shifted to defense, where he started two games at free safety his freshman year. He then started at cornerback as a sophomore for the 1988 national champs, and in 1989 he became a consensus All-American, highlighted by recording eight interceptions. The following year as a senior he became one of 16 players in school his- tory to earn two-time consensus All- America recognition. The current Irish assistant made the ballot for the first time in 2015 — but not the past three. 4. Bob Golic (1975‑78) Second to Crable in career tackles (479, not including bowls) at Notre Dame, he was an AP and UPI sec- ond-team All-America selection for the 1977 national champs at middle linebacker and nose guard, and a consensus All-America pick in 1978 at middle linebacker. In the 38-10 Cotton Bowl win over No. 1 Texas to win the national title, he was named Defensive MVP with 17 tackles and blocked a kick. He was powerful enough to line up at nose, yet fluid enough to play linebacker, making six career interceptions. He also was an All-American heavyweight wrestler. 5t. George Kunz (1966‑68) & Aaron Taylor (1990‑93) Consensus All-American offensive tackle Kunz, also a tight end, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft (behind O.J. Simpson) and went on to play in eight Pro Bowls, although that has no bearing on his college career. A two-time consensus All-Amer- ican for the Irish, Taylor lined up at both guard and tackle for the Irish, and was the 1993 Lombardi Award recipient while being a tremendous leader during a 17-game winning streak. He was on the 2017 ballot, as well as 2013. ✦ A LONG HAUL TO THE HALL Raghib Ismail and Aaron Taylor are on the 2019 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame Ismail became the first Fighting Irish player to eclipse 1,000 career yards in rushing, receiving and returns while starring for the Irish from 1988‑90. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS