Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2024 15 50 Years Ago: Jan. 19, 1974 Notre Dame capped off perhaps the most amazing 20 days in NCAA history when it staged a one-in- a-million rally to end No. 1 UCLA's record 88-game winning streak in men's basketball. Trailing 70-59 with 3:32 remaining, no shot clock and no three-point line, Notre Dame scored the game's final 12 points, the last coming on a corner jump shot from Dwight "The Iceman" Clay with 29 seconds remaining. The Bruins took five last shot or tip-in attempts, but failed to convert. The victory elevated 10-0 Notre Dame to the No. 1 slot in the Associated Press poll for the first time in the program's history. A day earlier, the Notre Dame hockey team also entertained the nation's No. 1 team, Michigan Tech. Led by goalie Mark Kronholm's 44 saves and two goals apiece by Larry Israelson and Alex Pirus — and the jacked- up student body filing over to the hockey rink after the UCLA pep rally — the Irish romped to a 7-1 victory. The month began with head coach Ara Parseghian's 11-0 football team earning the consensus national title after defeating another No. 1 — Alabama — 24-23 on New Year's Eve in the Sugar Bowl. Quarterback Tom Clements was named the MVP after completing 7 of 12 passes (not including a crucial two-pointer) for 169 yards, highlighted by a 35-yard completion from his end zone to backup tight end Robin Weber on third- and-8 from the Irish 3-yard line with two minutes remaining. Clements also rushed for 74 yards on 15 carries. Three different No. 1 teams vanquished by the same school in a span of 20 days. It had never hap- pened before — and might never again. 45 Years Ago: Jan. 1, 1979 Speaking of most unlikely comebacks ever … Notre Dame rallied from a 34-12 deficit versus Houston in arctic conditions with 7:37 left in the game to post a 35-34 triumph against the 9-2 Cougars. The rally was ignited by a blocked punt by freshman Tony Belden that safety Steve Cichy returned for a touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion pass from Joe Montana to Vagas Ferguson. On the next se- ries for the offense, Montana — who missed the third quarter while recovering from severe chills and began 7-of-27 passing with 4 interceptions — led a 61-yard march that he caps with a 2-yard scoring run, followed by a two-point pass to wide receiver Kris Haines. After Montana lost a fumble at the Houston 20, the Irish defense made a fourth-and-1 stop at the Houston 29-yard line with 28 seconds remaining, and Montana found a diving Haines in the end zone with an 8-yard score as time expired. With the score knotted at 34-34, reserve kicker Joe Unis, a Dallas native replacing the injured Chuck Male, kicked the extra point two times, the second following a Notre Dame penalty, to finish the epic comeback. 35 Years Ago: Jan. 2, 1989 Lou Holtz became the fifth Notre Dame head coach to win a national title or go unbeaten (if not both) in his third season when his No. 1-ranked Fighting Irish defeated 11-0 West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl. Quarterback Tony Rice's stats were similar to Clements' 15 years earlier in a cham- pionship setting. Rice completed 7 of 13 passes for 213 yards with 2 touchdowns, and added 75 rushing yards on 13 carries. Notre Dame also became the first college football team since 1945 (Army) to win a national title while defeating four teams that finished in the Associated Press top 10: No. 2 Miami (31-30), No. 4 West Virginia, No. 5 Michigan (19-17) and No. 7 USC (27-10). 30 Years Ago: Jan. 2, 1994 After defeating 10-1 Texas A&M 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl, 11-1 Notre Dame finished No. 2 to Florida State — which lost 31-24 to Notre Dame Nov. 13. The Seminoles defeated Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl when a 45-yard field goal attempt by the Huskers sailed wide on the game's final play. The Associated Press poll awarded 46 of the 60 first-place votes to FSU, with Notre Dame getting 12 and undefeated Auburn, ineligible for a bowl because of NCAA probation, four. The USA Today/CNN poll also awarded the Seminoles No. 1. "I hurt," Holtz said the morning after the vote. "I hurt as bad as I ever hurt for our players. … But don't tell people about your problems because 90 percent don't care and the other 10 percent are glad you hurt." UNDER THE DOME Quarterback Joe Montana rallied Notre Dame from a 22-point deficit to a 35-34 win over Houston in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1979. FILE PHOTO Anniversaries In Notre Dame History: January DID YOU KNOW... Your home address will be automatically changed to the mailing address on file with the US Postal Service? ALL addresses are cross-referenced with the USPS National Change of Address database. It can take up to 7 days for the USPS to update your address in their database? To prevent missed issues, please notify the US Postal Service ASAP. Your postal forwarding order expires in 60 days or less? Most forwarding requests expire in 60 days and DO NOT always include periodical mail. Issues are discarded at their discretion. You should call your local post office to verify your delivery address? 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