Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MAY 2023 15 55 Years Ago: May 11, 1968 For the first time ever, Notre Dame's spring finale took on a new format known as the Blue- Gold Game. Beginning in 1929 under Knute Rockne and through 1967, spring drills had ended with the annual Old-Timers Game in which the current team would scrimmage against former players, some almost two decades removed. However, it often had a non-competitive environment — and was even perilous to some of the older players — so in 1968 fifth-year head coach Ara Parseghian made it into a scrimmage between the starting Blue team versus the reserve Gold unit. The inaugural event saw the Blue team led by third-year starting quarterback Terry Hanratty notch a 33-14 victory, highlighted by 9 comple- tions for 189 yards and a touchdown to All-Amer- ican Jim Seymour. However, 163-pound freshman quarterback Joe Theismann kept the game inter- esting against the No. 1 defense by completing 20 of 43 passes for 277 yards while adding 33 yards rushing. Theismann's performance throughout the spring prompted Parseghian to switch No. 2 and fellow senior quarterback Coley O'Brien — who helped the Irish to the 1966 national title by rallying against No. 2 Michigan State and then starting in a 51-0 defeat of Pac-8 champ USC — to running back so Theismann could be groomed as Hanratty's successor. 50 Years Ago: May 5, 1973 Following a 40-6 Orange Bowl debacle ver- sus Nebraska that left Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian with his worst record (8-3) and finish (No. 14) in nine seasons with the Fighting Irish, spring practice concluded with the Blue-Gold Game on the same day that Secretariat fin- ished with a record 1:59.40 time in the Kentucky Derby (a mark that still remains). The No. 1 Blue team won easily, 45- 6, while halfbacks Al Samuel and Art Best ran for 119 and 117 yards, re- spectively. Samuel played in place of 1972 leading rusher Eric Penick, who was sidelined with an injury. Starting quarterback Tom Cle- ments completed 6 of 10 passes for 108 yards with 2 interceptions and tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to newly named captain Dave Casper, who moved to tight end after starting at offensive tackle the previous two seasons. 45 Years Ago: May 2, 1978 Reigning national champion Notre Dame had three players selected among the top dozen in the NFL Draft: tight end Ken MacAfee at No. 7 (San Francisco), defensive end Ross Browner at No. 8 (Cincinnati) and de- fensive back Luther Bradley at No. 11 (Detroit). It was the first time since 1955 with quarterback Ralph Guglielmi (No. 4), tackle Frank Varrichione (No. 6) and running back Joe Heap (No. 8) the Irish have such representation in the draft (with five more selected in later rounds). MacAfee was the Walter Camp Award recipient and finished third in the Heisman balloting, Browner had won the Outland, Lombardi and Max- well Awards during his career, and consensus All-American Bradley set a new school standard for career interceptions (17). 15 Years Ago: May 31, 2008 In a bolt from the blue — or Blue Devils — 57-year-old Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White resigned after eight years to take the same post at Duke University. After Joe Alleva left Duke as the AD to move to LSU, White was contacted as an unpaid consul- tant to help the Blue Devils athletic department fill the vacancy. By May 28 he became the top candidate after an advisory meeting in New York, and the backlash from a 3-9 Notre Dame finish in football the previous fall helped precipitate the move. Notre Dame deputy athletics director Missy Conboy was named interim athletics director while the school began its search. Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: May UNDER THE DOME Defensive back Luther Bradley (above) was one of three Irish players taken within the top 11 selections of the 1978 NFL Draft, going No. 11 overall. The reigning national champs also had tight end Ken McAfee (No. 7) and defensive end Ross Browner (No. 8) chosen. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS