Blue and Gold Illustrated

June/July 2012

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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head coach Joe Kuharich, but in the 1962 East-West Shrine game while playing for Northwestern head coach Ara Parseghian, Lamonica drew some notice from scouts by completing 20 of 28 pass attempts for 349 yards during a 25-19 victory. A two-time MVP in the AFL, the 12-year pro made the NFL Pro Bowl twice when the two leagues merged in 1970, after he had guided the Raiders into the 1968 Super Bowl versus Green Bay. Lamonica passed for 19,154 yards and 164 touchdowns during his pro career, but more notable is his 66-16-6 record as a starter, good for a .784 winning percent- age — second in league history to Otto Graham's .810. 2. Rocky Bleier, 1968, 16th round, No. 417 One of the most inspirational stories in football history, Bleier was deemed too small and too slow to make it in the NFL, and a shattered leg in 1969 while serving in the Vietnam War left doubts about whether he would be able to walk again without a limp. burgh Steelers, helping them win four Super Bowl titles while rushing for 3,865 yards, catching 136 passes and serving as a superb blocker for running back Franco Harris and quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Instead, he played 11 years for the Pitts- 1. Nick Buoniconti, 1962, not drafted by NFL Not selected in any of the 20 NFL rounds because he too was classified as too small and slow to line up at linebacker, Buoni- conti was chosen in the 13th round by the inferior AFL. Linebacker Nick Buoniconti played eight years in the AFL before it merged with the NFL in 1970. He won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the Miami Dolphins in 1972 and 1973. PHOTO COURTESY MIAMI DOLPHINS was exceptional against the run and pass (32 career interceptions), and was selected to the All-Time AFL Team (six-time All- AFL pick). During his amazing 15-year career from 1962-76, in which he played 183 games, he the Pro Bowl for Miami in 1972 and 1973 — when the Dolphins were Super Bowl champs with 17-0 and 15-2 and was the leader of the vaunted "No Name" defense. ✦ JUNE/JULY 2012 42 After the leagues merged, he made records —

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