In the 25 seasons from 1969-93, the
Fighting Irish won a major bowl 10
times. The breakdown was:
• Five Cottons — Two of them were
against unbeaten and No. 1 Texas after
the 1970 and 1977 seasons to finish No.
2 and No. 1, respectively. A third came
against 12-0 Texas A&M following the
1992 campaign.
• Two Sugars — The first was a 24-
23 triumph against 11-0 and No. 1 Ala-
bama in 1973 to win the national title,
and the second was 39-28 against 10-1
and No. 3 Florida to conclude the 1991
season.
• Two Oranges — In head coach Ara
Parseghian's final game, the 1974 Irish
upset 11-0 and No. 1 Alabama (13-11).
Then in 1989, head coach Lou Holtz's
Notre Dame team vanquished 11-0 and
No. 1 Colorado (21-6).
• One Fiesta — The Irish clinched the
1988 national title with a 34-21 conquest
of 11-0 and No. 3 West Virginia.
In those 10 major bowl victories, the
combined record of Notre Dame's op-
position coming into the game was an
astounding 106-4.
The last time the Irish were victorious in a major bowl, running back Lee Becton ran for 138 yards in a
24‑21 conquest of Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1994.
PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS
