Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 26, 2026 15 60 Years Ago: Sept. 24, 1966 Twenty-five years after Angelo Bertelli's sterling passing debut, sopho- mores Terry Hanratty and Jim Seymour put on the greatest passing exhibition in school history in their initial game in a Notre Dame uniform. During No. 6 Notre Dame's 26-14 victory over No. 8 Purdue, which was led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Bob Griese at quarterback, Hanratty com- pleted 16 of 24 passes for 303 yards, with Seymour snaring 13 receptions for 276 yards with 84-, 39- and 7-yard touchdowns. Only four other times since then has a Notre Dame player eclipsed 200 yards receiving in a game, with Golden Tate the most recent (244 versus Washington in 2009). Purdue scored first on a 94-yard fumble return by Leroy Keyes (the 1968 Heisman runner-up), but Notre Dame answered with Nick Eddy returning the ensuing kickoff for a 96-yard score, and then Hanratty and Seymour connect- ing on the 84-yard strike. 55 Years Ago: Sept. 25, 1971 Notre Dame won for the first time in five trips to Purdue's Ross-Ade Sta- dium with "The Genuflect Play" in No. 2 Notre Dame's 8-7 comeback victory. Trailing 7-0 with 2:58 left in a monsoon, Notre Dame cornerback Clarence Ellis blindsided the Purdue punter who picked up his fumbled snap in the end zone, forcing another fumble that defensive end Fred Swendsen recovered for a touchdown. Parseghian then called for the two-point conversion in which tight end Mike Creaney fell to one knee at the line of scrimmage (hence, genuflecting) while playing possum, allowing the rush to come in. Creaney then snuck into the end zone while quarterback Pat Steenberge, under heavy duress, lofted the pass to his wide-open tight end for the two points. 30 Years Ago: Sept. 21, 1996 For the fifth time in its football history, Notre Dame won as the clock hit 0:00 to end the game. Freshman kicker Jim Sanson's 39-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Irish to a 27-24 victory against No. 6 Texas in front of a record 83,312 fans in Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium. 20 Years Ago: Sept. 23, 2006 During a downpour in East Lansing, Mich., No. 11 Notre Dame fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter at Michigan State and still trailed 37-21 with just more than eight minutes left in the contest. Within a span of six minutes, quarterback Brady Quinn found wide receiv- ers Jeff Samardzija and Rhema McKnight on 43- and 14-yard scores, and cornerback Terrail Lambert returned a Drew Stanton interception 27 yards for a pick six. Another interception by Lambert on MSU's final drive sealed the 40-37 victory. It was the largest fourth-quarter deficit the Irish had overcome since facing a similar 37-20 deficit at Southern Cal in 1986, then ultimately winning 38-37. 15 Years Ago: Sept. 24, 2011 Sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees hit tight end Tyler Eifert on a 6-yard touchdown pass with less than seven minutes remaining in the game to lead Notre Dame to a 15-12 win at Pittsburgh. The score and subsequent two-point conversion — also to Eifert — capped 4:40 of perfection from Rees. He went 8 for 8 on the game-winning drive. For the game, Rees completed 24 of 41 throws for 216 yards with 1 touch- down and 1 interception. Notre Dame's only other score came in the second quarter when senior running back Jonas Gray ripped off a 79-yard touchdown run. It marked his first career score and was the Fighting Irish's longest rush since Terrance Howard darted 80 yards against West Virginia in 2000. "I was just trying to run as fast as I can, keep my knees high and make sure they don't get any shoestring tackles," Gray said. UNDER THE DOME Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: Sept. 20-26 ✦ 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. ✦ Your postal forwarding order expires in 60 days or less? Most forwarding requests expire in 60 days and DO NOT include periodical mail. Issues are discarded at their discretion. ✦ It can take up to 7 days for the USPS to update your address in their database? Don't assume the post office knows your vacation or moving schedule! To prevent missed issues, please notify the US Postal Service ASAP and verify your delivery address with your local post office. DID YOU KNOW... AVOID COSTLY DELAYS & REPLACEMENTS! Blue & Gold Illustrated Customer Service: 1–800–421–7751 (Monday – Friday, 10 am to 4 pm) We are happy to assist, but due to privacy laws all postal address changes must be completed by you. Senior running back Jonas Gray scored his first career touchdown in mem- orable fashion, going 79 yards to help Notre Dame knock off Pittsburgh 15-12 on Sept. 24, 2011. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME SPORTS INFORMATION