Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2022 15 45 Years Ago: April 30, 1977 The 47th annual Blue-Gold Game featured the odds-on favorite to win the 1977 national title because all 11 starters returned from a record- setting Notre Dame defense from 1976 that did not permit a touchdown in 20 straight quarters. Two of those All-Americans on defense shined in the Blue's 49-10 win, with end Ross Browner recording four sacks for 24 yards while corner- back Luther Bradley intercepted three passes and returned them for 54 yards. The veteran offense also was slated to return nine of 11 starters, although the top fullback (Je- rome Heavens), top tailback (Al Hunter), tri-cap- tain (Terry Eurick) and top split end (Kris Haines) all were sidelined with injuries. Sophomore tail- back Vagas Ferguson led the attack with 85 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries. With 1976 starting quarterback Rick Slager graduated, junior Rusty Lisch (11-of-17 passing for 111 yards with one touchdown and one in- terception) won the No. 1 quarterback spot over senior Joe Montana (8-of-17 passing for 53 yards with three interceptions), who missed the previ- ous year with a separated shoulder. "When a guy is out for a year, it's hard to come back so quickly," head coach Dan Devine said of Montana. 25 Years Ago: April 19 & 26, 1997 First-year head coach Bob Davie's first spring ended with two different Blue-Gold Games in Moose Krause Stadium behind the Joyce Center while Notre Dame Stadium continued construc- tion in its expansion to more than 80,000 seats for the 1997 season. The first scrimmage in front of 8,240 saw backup quarterback Jarious Jackson's (6-of-11 passing for 121 yards with one touchdown) Gold team eke out a 10-6 win against incumbent Ron Powlus' (11-of-17 passing for 113 yards) Blue squad. The game's first play saw Jackson connect with Malcolm Johnson for an 80-yard score into zone coverage. The second scrimmage, with 9,241 in atten- dance, saw Powlus' (16-of-24 passing for 148 yards with one touchdown) team win, 24-14. Running back Clement Stokes was the game's workhorse for both teams with 24 carries for 139 yards. 20 Years Ago: April 27, 2002 Rain and cold limited the first Blue-Gold Game under new head coach Tyrone Willingham to an attendance of 17,025. Because of the poor conditions, the game lasted only one hour and 22 minutes — includ- ing a 20-minute halftime — and a mere 58 plays were run. The lone score came on a 37-yard field by Nicholas Setta to give the Gold team a 3-0 victory. Willingham, who decided to install a West Coast offense, declined to name a starting quar- terback between 2000 starter Matt LoVecchio (6-of-14 passing for 58 yards with three intercep- tions) and 2001 starter Carlyle Holiday (3-of-7 passing for 27 yards), both juniors. 15 Years Ago: April 21, 2007 Unlike five years earlier, a gorgeous, warm and sunny day saw a record (to this day) crowd of 51,852 in attendance at the Blue-Gold Game, with former Irish head coaches Ara Parseghian (1964-74) and Lou Holtz (1986-96) serving as the honorary coaches under Charlie Weis, then in his third season after back-to-back BCS bids. However, the main attraction was early enrollee freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen, anointed as "the LeBron James of college football" in vari- ous circles, including Sports Illustrated. Bone spurs in Clausen's throwing arm limited him, though, and he completed 3 of 7 passes for 23 yards while splitting time on the Blue team with sophomore Demetrius Jones (3-of-6 passing for 23 yards). Jones completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Robby Parris, but also tossed an interception that Defensive MVP David Bruton returned for a touchdown in the Gold's 10-6 win. Also stealing the show was senior Gold running back Junior Jabbie, who earned the player of the game award on offense with 87 yards on 13 rush- ing attempts for the winners. 10 Years Ago: April 1, 2012 The Notre Dame women's basketball team ad- vanced to the national championship game for the second straight year by defeating archrival Connecticut 83-75 in overtime in a Final Four matchup. The Fighting Irish became just the sixth team to make back-to-back NCAA title game appearances, joining Louisiana Tech (1982-83; 1987-88), South- ern California (1983-84), Auburn (1988-90), Ten- nessee (1995-98; 2003-04, 2007-08) and UConn (2002-04, 2009-10) in that elite company. The Irish (35-3) also beat the Huskies (33-5) in the national semifinals in 2011. The Huskies were 20-2 in the NCAA Tournament from 2009-11, with both losses coming against Notre Dame. This time around, Skylar Diggins led the way with 19 points and an important blocked shot that help tip things in Notre Dame's favor, while Brittany Mallory delivered two clutch three- pointers in overtime to help clinch the victory. "I am euphoric right now for Brittany Mallory," Notre Dame head coach McGraw said. "What a way for a senior to come through in one of the last games of her career." Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics: April UNDER THE DOME Vagas Ferguson rushed for 85 yards and four touchdowns to help the Blue team post a 49-10 victory in the 1977 Blue-Gold Game. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS