Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/871976
52 SEPT. 18, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED need, as a junior in 1974. However, knee injuries unfortunately limited Niehaus to only the first four games in both 1972 and 1973, otherwise he would be our choice. The Irish were 18-2 when he was in the lineup and allowed 14 or fewer points in 17 of those 20 contests. Another No. 2 overall selection was McCoy (1967-69), whose No. 6 place- ment in the Heis- man balloting as a senior is the sec- ond-highest ever by a Notre Dame defensive lineman (behind Browner). Finally, Kevin H a r d y ( 1 9 6 4 , 1966-67), the No. 7 pick in the 1968 NFL Draft, was a three-time All- A m e r i c a n w h o as a sophomore stepped in and made a significant difference with fellow sophomores Page, Don Gmitter and Tom Regner on the line. He also was an effective emergency punter in the 1966 show- down versus Michigan State, and earned monograms in basketball and baseball, where he starred. Flip a coin among that trio. There really is no right or wrong answer. Each was dominant in his own way. If we're looking at the full body of work that in- cludes the NFL, we'll give a slight nod to McCoy be- cause of his Heis- m a n p l a c e m e n t and the fact that among Irish defen- sive linemen only Page lasted longer in the NFL than McCoy's 11 seasons that included 97 starts. If we base it on impact solely at the collegiate level, Hardy starting as a sophomore for the 1964 team that was awarded the MacArthur Bowl and the 1966 champions, plus earn- ing All-America notice three different years to go with his overall athletic skills, is difficult to overlook. HONORABLE MENTION • Notre Dame was "Defensive Line U." during this era under line coach Joe Yonto, who also coached All-Americans Pete Duranko (1965-66), Mike Kadish (1969-71), Greg Marx (1969-72) and Mike Fanning (1972-74) in the interior during the Parseghian years. Kadish and Fanning likewise were first-round se- lections, while Marx was taken in the second round and Duranko had an eight- year NFL career. • The most underrated at end was Jim Stock (1972-74). LINEBACKERS JIM LYNCH, BOB OLSON AND GREG COLLINS Captain of the 1966 national champs, future Pro Bowl player and Super Bowl c h a m p i o n Ly n c h was the recipient of the Maxwell Award that year — a rar- ity for a defensive player — and is in the College Football Hall of Fame. O l s o n l e d t h e I r i s h i n t a c k l e s three straight years (1967-69) and his 369 stops were the most in the Par- s eg h i a n e r a . H e also was the lone two-time captain (1968-69) during the head coach's reign. Collins was the leading tackler for the 1973 national champs with 133, and had 144 a year later (not including both bowl wins versus 11-0 Alabama) as a co- captain with quarter- back Tom Clements. Linebackers coach George Kelly, who also would mentor All-Americans Bob Golic (1975-78) and 2017 College Foot- ball Hall of Fame inductee Bob Crable (1978-81), said he's never coached any- one who was better or loved the game and hitting more than Collins. HONORABLE MENTION • Jim Carroll had 140 stops for the 1964 Cinderella squad while serving as the team captain. Like quarterback John Huarte and receiver Jack Snow that same year, one wished he could have played his whole career under Parseghian, not just one season. • John Pergine (1965-67) holds the career record for interceptions by a line- backer (nine), and Drew Mahalic was a three-year starter from 1972-74 who also became the first NFL player to earn a Harvard Law degree as well. • Gary Potempa, who also worked at nose guard, had an outstanding season for the 1973 national champs. DEFENSIVE BACKS TOM SCHOEN, CLARENCE ELLIS, MIKE TOWNSEND AND LUTHER BRADLEY Schoen was a two-time All-America pick at safety (1966-67) after converting MCCOY HARDY PAGE OLSON LYNCH COLLINS Linebacker Jim Lynch was a linchpin at the outset of the Ara Parseghian era when those 1964-66 teams he started on lost only three games, sharing a national title in 1964 and winning it outright in 1966. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS