Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 21, 2024 15 70 Years Ago: Sept. 25, 1954 Only 26 years of age, first-year Notre Dame head coach Terry Brennan made his debut with the No. 2-ranked Fighting Irish by posting a 21-0 shutout of No. 4 Texas in Notre Dame Stadium. A stellar Irish halfback from 1945-48, Brennan was Notre Dame president Rev. Theodore Hesburgh's handpicked successor to replace the iconic Frank Leahy. Brennan coached the Irish fresh- man team prior to his promotion. In an era when players had one-platoon football, Notre Dame quarterback Ralph Guglielmi intercepted a school-record 3 passes, returning the first 42 yards to set up his 19-yard touchdown pass to Dan Shannon. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 125 yards and added 26 yards rushing, scoring the last 2 touchdowns on 3-yard runs. The victory moved Notre Dame to the No. 1 position in the Associated Press poll. 65 Years Ago: Sept. 26, 1959 Five years after Brennan's inaugural game, successor Joe Kuharich, a 1938 Notre Dame graduate who started at right guard in 1936-37, opened his era with a 28-8 victory at home versus North Carolina. It was the first Notre Dame opener played in the rain since 1927, and the Fighting Irish overcame 120 yards in penalties by limiting the Tar Heels to 160 total yards. Halfback Jim Crotty led the offense with 3- and 19-yard scoring runs. Kuharich put his own stamp on the program when Notre Dame donned blue jerseys with gold shoulder stripes. Throughout the Frank Leahy and Brennan eras dating back to 1941, Notre Dame had worn green jerseys. 60 Years Ago: Sept. 26, 1964 Amidst pouring rain and whipping wind in Madison, Wis., first-year Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian's inaugural game with the Fighting Irish was a rousing success with a 31-7 triumph against the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin had won the Big Ten two years earlier, defeated the Irish at Notre Dame in 1963 (14-9), and vanquished Parseghian's Northwestern teams three straight years from 1961-63. Meanwhile, Notre Dame was 14-25 since 1960, including 2-7 the previous year. Offensively, senior quarterback John Huarte completed 15 of 24 tosses for 270 yards. In 1963, with Huarte in reserve, the leading passer the entire year was Frank Budka with 251 yards. On the receiving end of nine of Huarte's passes was classmate Jack Snow, a converted halfback whose 217 yards set a single-game school record. The two connected on Notre Dame's first and last touchdowns during the afternoon on 61- and 42-yard tallies. Defensively, the Irish set another school record when Wisconsin finished with minus-51 yards on the ground, while converted quarterback Tony Carey intercepted a pair of passes. So surprised and elated were the starved-for-success Irish players (who finished 1963 with five straight losses) they gave the dynamic 41-year-old Parseghian a victory ride off the field. 15 Years Ago: Sept. 26, 2009 Hobbled by turf toe that sidelined him a good portion of the second half, junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen was re-inserted with Notre Dame trailing at Purdue 21-17 and gaining possession at its 28-yard line with 3:41 left in the contest. Clausen completed 6 of 9 passes for 70 yards, the final one a touchdown toss to junior tight end Kyle Rudolph on fourth-and-goal with 24.8 seconds remaining for a 24-21 victory. 10 Years Ago: Sept. 27, 2014 Notre Dame senior Everett Golson overcame and compensated for 4 personal turnovers (2 interceptions and 2 fumbles) by completing a school- record 25 consecutive passes — one short of tying the Football Bowl Subdivi- sion record — during a 31-15 victory versus Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Golson finished 32-of-39 passing for 362 yards with a career-high 4 touch- downs, two to Will Fuller (23 and 72 yards), and one apiece to Corey Robin- son (eight yards) and Torii Hunter Jr. (13 yards), the latter for the 25th straight completion. The previous school record had been 14, shared by Tommy Rees (2011), Brady Quinn (2006 Fiesta Bowl) and Ron Powlus (1997) — the latter two in defeats. UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Sept. 21-27 Notre Dame's players gave first-year head coach Ara Parseghian a victory ride after his marvelous debut with a 31-7 victory at Wisconsin in 1964. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Subscribers: Send your email to BGIsupport@BlueandGold.com Everything You Need To Know Before The Game! Blue & Gold Report, your weekly game preview newsletter, is emailed every pre-game Wednesday during the season. It has the latest information on the Irish's upcoming opponent, and it includes rosters, stats and depth charts that can be printed on 8½-by-11 paper. ✦ Complete opponent preview ✦ Updated rosters, depth charts, and stats ✦ Read it on your computer or mobile device