Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH ECHOES JIM LEFEBVRE 50 NOV. 14, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED F ifty years ago this month, in No- vember 1976, Notre Dame hosted back-to-back games against Ala- bama and Miami — and gave glimpses into what was to come the following autumn: a run to the 1977 national championship. The 1976 season had started with a home game against Pittsburgh and a 31-10 loss to the eventual national cham- pion Panthers and their Heisman Trophy winner, running back Tony Dorsett, who went for 181 yards on 22 carries. The Fighting Irish then reeled off six straight victories, outscoring the opposition 176-33, including shutouts over Purdue, Northwestern and Or- egon, and a 13-6 road victory at No. 19 South Carolina. At Columbia, S.C., Ross Browner had 5 tackles for loss, his brother Willard scored the only touchdown and his brother Jim made a game-sealing interception. On Nov. 6, head coach Dan Devine's squad was a heavy favorite to keep the streak going at Georgia Tech but suf- fered a shocking 23-14 loss to a Yellow Jackets team that would finish 4-6-1. Fan confidence was not high with No. 10 Alabama coming to Notre Dame Stadium for the teams' first-ever regu- lar-season meeting, after Irish victories in the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31, 1973, and Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1975. Legendary head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was in his 19th season of guid- ing the Crimson Tide, and the school claimed four national championships under his watch. This Tide team had early losses to Ole Miss and Georgia but had posted five straight victories to bring a 7-2 record to South Bend. In preparation for Alabama's wish- bone offense, Devine had two scout teams working simultaneously against Notre Dame's starters and second team during practice, emulating the Tide. On offense, Devine made a key deci- sion to start freshman Vagas Ferguson at fullback, noting that "we needed much more speed at that position." In the first half, the Irish seemed to be moving the ball at will, though two promising drives ended with a missed field goal and a fumble into the Alabama end zone. But on the first play of the second quarter, Irish receiver Dan Kelleher split two Alabama defenders to take Rick Slager's pass 56 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. On the next Notre Dame possession, Slager used passes to Kelle- her and tight end Ken MacAfee and two quick gainers by Ferguson to set up Al Hunter's 2-yard run for a 14-0 lead. A f te r a n A l a b a m a to u c h d o w n , Slager again directed a long drive, hit- ting MacAfee and Tom Domin for large gains, setting up Ferguson's 17-yard burst on a counter play for a 21-7 half- time lead. The Crimson Tide offense showed signs of life after intermission, driving deep into Notre Dame territory before Luther Bradley picked off a Jeff Rutledge pass in the end zone. The Tide closed to 21-10 with a field goal. Then, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Rutledge hit star pass catcher Ozzie Newsome with a 30-yard scoring pass. A two-point conversion closed the margin to 21-18. Alabama had more chances, its best drive reaching the Notre Dame 7-yard line. But there, a Rutledge pass found the arms of Irish safety Jim Browner, and the Tide never challenged after that. Notre Dame had just enough offense in the first half and defense in the second half to secure the 21-18 victory and go to 7-2 on the season. Jim and Ross Browner, Bob Golic, Joe Restic and Steve Heimkreiter were the tackling leaders for the Irish. On offense, Ferguson finished with 107 yards on 24 carries. Devine was asked how the victory compared to others in his career. "This is it. There aren't any others that com- pare. Because all year long, our team has been overcoming adversity. Today, our field goal kicker missed a chip shot, and we fumbled into the end zone, but our kids came right back. This team has never gotten down despite injury after injury." The following Saturday, Miami en- tered Notre Dame Stadium, and while the rivalry would not dominate na- tional headlines like it would in the 1980s, the Hurricanes had shown some glimpses of their future earlier in the season, defeating Florida State (47-0) and TCU (49-0) in an otherwise tough year — they were 3-5 overall coming to South Bend. Late '76 Wins Against Alabama And Miami Set Stage For 1977 Championship Run Notre Dame scored all its points in the second quarter and held off No. 10 Alabama for a 21-18 victory on Nov. 13, 1976. The win offered a glimpse of the potential the Irish would fulfill during their 1977 national championship season. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS