Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535097
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SUMMER 2025 43 Hornung exclaimed, "They're not going to get him!" Penick recalls that Coach Ara Parseghian "ran onto the field and hugged me. I will never forget that. It was so spe- cial. Ara wanted to beat USC so much. And I wanted to beat USC for my coach." The 85-yard touchdown scamper helped the Irish toward a 23-14 victory. They followed it with one-sided wins over Navy, No. 20 Pitt, Air Force and Miami to earn a showdown with No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Eve. With Alabama leading 17-14 late in the third quarter, Penick was ready for the call when Irish linebacker Drew Ma- halic intercepted a Crimson Tide pass at the 20-yard line and returned it to the 12. Penick was playing on a badly in- jured ankle, but "in a defining moment of the most important game of my life, Notre Dame called a high-low sweep. I was getting the ball." It was the same play that resulted in the 85-yarder against USC. And again, All-American Casper was heavily in- volved. He first blocked a defensive back to the ground. Then, as he was losing his balance, Casper was able to get his pads on a second defender, knocking him out of the play. Penick reached the sideline and sprinted into the end zone, untouched, for the critical touchdown in a 24-23 victory that gave the Fighting Irish the national championship. His injured ankle turned out to be broken and severely hampered his se- nior year in 1974. His dream of an NFL career ended. Penick describes a post-football life of considerable ups and downs. He had some business success and raised a family, but his life included tragedy and great personal challenges. A low point came in the 1990s when a DWI convic- tion resulted in a prison term — and a rediscovery of his faith. "Through it all, though, I rose again and again. I walked straight through hell so that I could feel the light of heaven upon my face." Penick became an ordained minis- ter and an inspiration, fighting through health issues including a leg amputa- tion. Known and loved by many, Penick was remembered upon his death as a mentor, friend, minister, businessman, husband, brother, son, dad, grandfather, cousin and God-fearing servant. ✦ Your book order supports the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. Order your autographed, inscribed copy TODAY by visi ng www.RockneSociety.org/Shop/ Special Centennial Commemorative Edition LOYAL SONS: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions Winner – Independent Publisher Book Awards Get the full story on these iconic Notre Dame figures A great read for any Notre Dame fan! "A must-read real jewel… wonderfully researched and detailed." --SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE SPECIAL CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE EDITION National Award-Winning Author Jim Lefebvre T h e s t o r y o f T h e F o u r H o r s e m e n a n d N o t r e D a m e F o o t b a l l ' s 1 9 2 4 C h a m p i o n s Loyal Sons Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com Penick finished his three-year Notre Dame career with 238 carries for 1,327 yards (5.6 yards per rush) and 12 touchdowns in 23 games. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS