Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH ECHOES JIM LEFEBVRE 50 OCT. 31, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED What puts Luther Bradley atop a list of Notre Dame defensive backs that in- cludes Dave Duerson, Todd Lyght, Kyle Hamilton and Xavier Watts? The follow- ing excerpt from The Gold Standard: The Best of Notre Dame Football, 1976-2025 explores the career of the Irish legend. Published by Coman Publishing Co., a division of On3 Sports LLC, and pro- duced by Blue & Gold Illustrated, this 192-page , full-color hardcover cel- ebrates 50 years of Fighting Irish foot- ball — a keepsake for your collection or a gift for a fellow fan. Order your copy for $44.95 at BlueGoldOnline.com. A sk anyone who was on the Notre Dame practice field in the fall of 1973 when Luther Bradley arrived as a freshman from Northside High School in Muncie, Ind. A decades-long rule that made freshmen ineligible for varsity ball was history. Suddenly, first- year players were real candidates. And people noticed quickly. Bradley had "it." Not just speed, quickness, great hands and superb instincts, but also the bravado, the confidence that marks all great defensive backs. From the very be- ginning, Bradley contested everything thrown his way. He became an immedi- ate starter and star for the Irish. Notre Dame rolled to a 5-0 start, out- scoring the opposition 168-20 before the biggest test arrived at Notre Dame Stadium — undefeated and No. 6-ranked Southern Cal. On the Trojans' first of- fensive play of the game, quarterback Pat Haden rifled a pass toward All-American receiver Lynn Swann. The football and Bradley arrived simultaneously. The cor- nerback hit Swann with ferocity — the re- ceiver went flying, the ball going one way and Swann's helmet going another way. Later in the first half, Bradley ended a Southern Cal drive with a key in- terception. And early in the fourth quarter, he recovered a fumble by star Trojans running back Anthony Da- vis and then sealed the victory with a late interception. Bradley was the de- fensive star in Notre Dame's 23-14 victory. "It was one of my better days," Bradley said after the game, in a massive un- derstatement. "It was just another ball game for me, but I knew what it meant to the older guys on the team. You had to react to that." Of his impactful hit on Swann, Brad- ley said: "I was surprised that I acted so quickly. I just saw something and came up quickly to stick him. When you are a freshman, you have no fear on plays like that. You are playing on emotion." "For a freshman to play like that in a game like this is just unbelievable," defensive captain Mike Townsend said. The Irish followed with four more one-sided regular-season wins, then de- feated Alabama 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl to secure the 1973 national champion- ship. For the season, Bradley led the team with 6 interceptions and 11 passes broken up, to go along with his 27 tackles. In the fall of 1975, under first-year head coach Dan Devine, Bradley was moved from safety to cornerback, with the thinking that he could provide more run support from the corner. But his work against the pass continued to be strong. In the second game of the sea- son, at Purdue, the Irish were clinging to a 3-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Boil- ers faced third-and-goal from the Irish 4-yard line and tried a trick play with halfback S c o t t D i e r k i n g throwing a pass to quarterback Craig Nagel. But Brad- ley read the sit- uation perfectly, picked off the pass and raced 99 yards for a touchdown. Later, he snared another Purdue pass to set up a final score in a 17-0 victory. He finished the season with 4 interceptions. As a junior in 1976, Bradley added another pair of intercep- tions and 7 passes broken up to his career totals, along with 50 tackles. The Irish were brimming with confidence heading into the 1977 season, the last for Bradley and fellow defensive stars such as linemen Ross Browner and Willie Fry. A trip to Jack- son, Miss., resulted in a 20-13 loss to Ole Miss and the next week at Purdue, the season was hanging in the balance with the Boilermakers leading 24-17 in the fourth quarter. That's when Bradley picked off a pass from Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann, setting up Joe Montana's pass to Ken Ma- cAfee to tie the game. The Irish ended up winning 31-24, starting a 10-game win- ning streak through the rest of the season. Against Army, Bradley intercepted a Luther Bradley Made His Presence Felt Early And Often At Notre Dame Bradley was a key part of two Notre Dame national championship teams (1973 and 1977), and he compiled 178 tackles, 27 passes broken up and a school-record 17 interceptions during his career. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS