Ara Parseghian's (left) 1973 national title run was practically mirrored by Lou Holtz (right) and his 1988 champions.
PHOTOS COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS
full-time starters on offense and de- fense who were seniors (tight end Dave Casper, offensive guard Frank Pomarico, cornerback Mike Townsend, middle guard/linebacker Gary Po- tempa and safety Tim Rudnick) and was considered "a year away" from championship contention. In 1988, Notre Dame was again ad-
SENIORITY ISN'T EVERYTHING In 1973, Notre Dame had only five
vertised as being "a year away." Just as in 1973, they started only five se- niors regularly on offense and defense
(offensive tackle Andy Heck, tailback Mark Green, outside linebacker/rush end Frank Stams, inside linebacker Wes Pritchett and safety George Streeter).
In 1973, Notre Dame elected tri- captains for the first time (Townsend, Casper and Pomarico). In 1988, Holtz had tri-captains for
THREE IS A MAGIC NUMBER
the first time in his 19 seasons as a head coach (linebacker Ned Bolcar, Green and Heck).
