Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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A There were amazing parallels between Notre Dame's 1973 and 1988 national champions BY LOU SOMOGYI AFTER ME REPEAT Kennedy. • Lincoln was elected president in 1860; Kennedy in 1960. • Both were shot behind the ny student of American history has heard the eerie parallels of former United States presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. head on a Friday with their wives next to them. • Both were succeeded by southern Democrats named Johnson. • Both lost children through death while in the White House. • Lincoln's secretary, named Ken- • Both assassins were killed before they could be brought to trial. It reminds us of probably the most amazing coincidence(s) in Notre Dame football lore; the parallels between two of the school's last three national champions. Ara Parseghian's 1973 national champs and Lou Holtz's No. 1 unit from 1988 are the only two Fighting Irish teams since 1950 to finish unbeaten and untied. Here are 10 amazing parallels between those two immortal- ized teams separated by 15 years: nedy, advised him not to go to the theater; Kennedy's secretary, named Lincoln, recommended he not travel to Dallas. • John Wilkes Booth killed Lincoln in a theater and fled to a warehouse. Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse (although myriad conspiracy theories dispute this) and escaped to a theater. ended with a 22-point loss to the team that would finish No. 1 (USC). In 1987, the Irish capped the regular season with a 24-point defeat to the program that would also finish No. 1 (Miami). Then in the bowl game, Parseghian Notre Dame's 1972 regular season SETTING THE STAGE suffered his worst loss at Notre Dame (40-6 to Nebraska). Likewise, Holtz incurred his worst defeat with the Irish in a bowl (35-10 to Texas A&M).