Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2025 13 45 Years Ago: Feb. 27, 1980 For the fifth time in 10 years, Notre Dame's men's basketball squad defeated the nation's No. 1-ranked team in the Athletic & Convocation Cen- ter (ACC, now known as Purcell Pavilion), a 76-74 victory versus DePaul, which entered the contest 25-0 and coming off a Final Four berth. In perhaps the greatest back-and-forth game played in the ACC that featured 10 future NBA Draft choices — six of them in the first round — the Irish won in double overtime. Two Tracy Jackson free throws forced the first OT, a Rich Branning jumper sent it into a second and Orlando Wool- ridge's two free throws with 19 seconds left give the Irish the final margin of victory. Kelly Tripucka led the Notre Dame effort with 28 points. Invited to say the pregame mass and sit on the Notre Dame bench, school president Father Theo- dore Hesburgh would post a 7-0 record in that role. 35 Years Ago: Feb. 5-14, 1990 On the heels of a two-year, 24-1 run in football that is highlighted by the 1988 national title and a school-record 23-game winning streak, Notre Dame's marketability in football achieved a crescendo. First, on Feb. 5 an unprecedented agreement is reached between Notre Dame and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) that will televise all Fighting Irish football home games from 1991-95, with an option to extend. Notre Dame going solo on this endeavor immediately drew the wrath, and envy, of other universities, including the University of Kansas canceling a home-and-home men's basketball series with the Irish. "Surprise. Shock. Greed. And ultimate greed, that's the reaction I'm get- ting from people," said University of Georgia athletics director Vince Dooley. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated summarized the move with the headline, "We're Notre Dame, And You're Not." A little more than a week later, the union between Notre Dame and NBC is validated with a fourth consecutive No. 1-rated recruiting class under Lou Holtz, spearheaded by recruiting coordinator Vinny Cerrato. The 23-man haul, where only two would transfer, is considered the best among the quar- tet because of the combination of star power, balance and depth. "There are just certain things about this group that excite you that I've never said before," Holtz said on National Signing Day. In time, the group would include a Notre Dame single-class record of five first-round NFL Draft picks: fullback Jerome Bettis and cornerback Tom Carter following their junior seasons, plus defensive lineman Bryant Young, offensive lineman Aaron Taylor and defensive back Jeff Burris a year later. In all, 14 of the 21 who remained would play in the NFL — and not among them is quarterback Kevin McDougal, who became the Notre Dame's career pass efficiency leader during his time in South Bend. 30 Years Ago: Feb. 9, 1995 For the first time in five years, Notre Dame signed a No. 1-ranked recruiting class following some downturns after the move of former re- cruiting coordinator Cerrato to the NFL in 1991. It showed on the field, too, when the 1994 regular season ended with a 6-5-1 record. Buoyed by the 1994 hiring of both new recruiting coordinator Bob Chmiel and offensive coordinator Dave Roberts, renowned as one of the top recruit- ers in the South, Notre Dame's 25-man class was headlined by USA Today Defensive Player of the Year Kory Minor from California and West Virginia playmaker supreme Randy Moss at wide receiver. Four other USA Today first-team All-Americans — that era's version of "five-star recruits" — signed with the Irish: offensive linemen Mike Rosenthal and Tim Ridder, defensive lineman Jerry Wisne, and defensive end/linebacker Jimmy Friday. Aug- menting the harvest is dual-threat quarterback Jarious Jackson from Tupelo, Miss., and the Florida running back tandem of James Jackson and Autry Denson, although the latter is slated to begin his career at cornerback. "The last couple of years have not been as successful as what we would like, but this year has really been a solid one," said 10th-year head coach Holtz. Alas, in the forthcoming months, Moss and James Jackson would be denied admission. 25 Years Ago: February 2000 On Feb. 7, Mike Wadsworth, Notre Dame's athletics director since 1995, stepped down after a tumultuous reign. The 1966 Notre Dame graduate and former football player was caught in a crossfire of controversy almost from the outset, from the uncomfortable resigna- tion of Lou Holtz in November 1996 to the embarrassing Joe Moore court case in 1998 for age discrimination, to the resignation of John MacLeod as the basketball coach in the spring of 1999. It culminated with a 5-7 football season in 1999 and football probation by the NCAA (forfeiture of two scholarships) that December. "When I arrived, I thought the waters were a little more placid than they were," Wadsworth admitted. "When I first started at Notre Dame, my wife and I made a five-year commitment, which is what the university asked for. In the last two years, we've thought a lot about[a change]. You can imagine why we might have thought about taking the first exit out of town at times." 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Defensive lineman Bryant Young was among a school-record five first-round NFL Draft picks from the Fighting Irish's 1990 recruiting class, along with fullback Jerome Bettis, cornerback Tom Carter, offensive lineman Aaron Taylor and defensive back Jeff Burris. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS