ESPN has released 100-41 of its most memorable moments. Here are the Notre Dame moments that have made the cut so far.
94. Heap Of Trouble
Nov. 28, 1953: A member of one of the most famed backfields of all time, Notre Dame's Joe Heap also made his mark on special teams. His 94-yard punt return against USC in 1953 still ranks among the top five scoring plays in Irish history. Notre Dame went on to crush the Trojans 48-14, finishing 9-0-1 and ranked second nationally that season.
88. Rocket Man
Sept. 16, 1989: The Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry took on added significance as the top-ranked Irish went to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a showdown with the second-ranked Wolverines. A rainy afternoon caused both sides to play conservatively, but there was no grounding the Rocket.
Raghib "Rocket" Ismail returned the second-half opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to put Notre Dame up, 14-6. Ismail would bring another one back in the fourth quarter as the Irish held on for a 24-19 victory.
78. Elmer Thud
Jan. 1, 1925: Notre Dame fullback Elmer Layden broke open a close Rose Bowl in the second quarter by returning a Stanford pass 78 yards for a touchdown. The Irish would score three defensive touchdowns, two by Layden, in the 27-10 victory over Ernie Nevers and the Indians. The game not only capped the glorious career of Layden and the other Three Horsemen, but it would be the only bowl that Notre Dame agreed to play in until 1969.
70. The Gipper
Nov. 20, 1920: The legend of George Gipp was cemented on what tragically turned out to be his final play.
Gipp stayed on the bench for most of the game against Northwestern, resting a shoulder injury he had suffered the week before against Indiana. As fans chanted for their beloved star, Knute Rockne put Gipp in late in the fourth quarter. Gipp tossed a then-school-record 70-yard pass to Norman Barry from punt formation. Just three weeks later, however, Gipp was dead from pneumonia that stemmed from a throat infection.
No comments:
Post a Comment