Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2023 15 50 Years Ago: Jan. 13, 1973 A watershed moment occurred for Notre Dame men's basketball under second-year head coach and 31-year-old Digger Phelps with a 71-69 victory at No. 4 and 11-0 Marquette. After a 6-20 debut his first season and a 1-6 start in his second, the victory over head coach Al McGuire's Warriors was a har- binger to the epic 71-70 win versus No. 1 UCLA just more than one year later on Jan. 19, 1974. • In 1973, the score against Marquette was 71- 69. A year later versus UCLA it was 71-70. • The Irish rallied from 10 down late in the win versus Marquette. They came back from 11 down with 3:32 remaining against UCLA. • With the loss, Marquette's 81-game win- ning streak at home ended. A year later against the Irish, UCLA's record 88-game overall winning streak was snapped. • Versus Marquette, sophomore guard Dwight Clay converted from the corner with 4 seconds left for the winning points. He did the same from the corner versus the Bruins in 1979 with 29 seconds left. • At Marquette, Irish guard Gary Brokaw (28 points) and center John Shumate (21 points) combined for 49 points. Versus UCLA a year later, they would do the same, this time 25 by Brokaw and 24 by Shumate. The difference was while the Irish improved to 4-6 in 1973 on their rise, in 1974 the UCLA win would make them 10-0 and No. 1 for the first time. 45 Years Ago: Jan. 2, 1978 No. 5 Notre Dame demolished No. 1 Texas 38-10 in the Cotton Bowl to make the unprec- edented vault to the 1977 national title. With the score tied 3-3, the Irish scored three unanswered touchdowns in a span of 7:28 — 6- and 10-yard runs by senior Terry Eurick and a 17-yard pass from Joe Montana to running back Vagas Ferguson — for a commanding 24-3 lead. The onslaught continued in the second half with two more Ferguson touchdowns that took him to 100 yards rushing, while fullback Jerome Heavens finished with 101. Led by middle linebacker/nose guard Bob Gol- ic's 17 tackles and a blocked field goal, the de- fense limited Heisman Trophy winner Earl Camp- bell to 4.0 yards per carry (116 on 29 attempts). Most significantly, the Irish defense recorded 6 turnovers (3 interceptions, 3 fumbles) for a plus-5 advantage. The Irish were given a boost when head coach Lou Holtz's Arkansas Razorbacks clobbered No. 2 Oklahoma 31-6 in the Orange Bowl. Third-ranked Alabama also laid a claim to the title after romp- ing past No. 8 and 9-2 Ohio State 35-6 in the Sugar Bowl. However, on the basis of crushing with style points the lone unbeaten and top-ranked team, and in its home state no less, Notre Dame won the Associated Press and United Press Interna- tional (coaches) polls by nearly a two-to-one margin. In the AP, Notre Dame received 37 first-place votes, Alabama 19, Arkansas five and Texas two. In the UPI, the Irish got 23 first-place ballots, Alabama 13 and Arkansas two. 30 Years Ago: Jan. 1, 1993 For a remarkable seventh time since the 1970 season 23 years earlier, Notre Dame defeated an unbeaten and/or No. 1-ranked team in a bowl game, this time with a 28-3 romp versus 12-0 and No. 4 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. The Irish outgained the Aggies 439-165 in total yardage to finish 10-1-1 and No. 4 in the country. Senior Reggie Brooks rushed for 115 yards, while Je- rome Bettis contributed 75 yards and 2 scores, and added a 26-yard scoring reception from Rick Mirer. The first Irish tally was a 40-yard middle screen to Lake Dawson with 36 seconds left until half- time. Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: January UNDER THE DOME In his second season at Notre Dame, 31-year-old head coach Digger Phelps led the Irish to a 71-69 victory at No. 4 and 11-0 Marquette. The impressive win came after the Irish had lost 26 of the first 33 games under his watch and jump-started a rebuilding job that resulted in No. 1 national ranking just one year later. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS