| 1973 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| National Champions | |||
| Win in Sugar Bowl, vs. Alabama, 24-23 | |||
| Conference | NCAA Division I-A Independent Schools | ||
| Ranking | |||
| Coaches | #4 | ||
| AP | #1 | ||
| 1973 record | 11-0-0 ( Independent) | ||
| Head coach | Ara Parseghian | ||
| Offensive scheme | Wishbone | ||
| Defensive coordinator | Joe Yonto | ||
| Base defense | 4-3 | ||
|
Home stadium |
Notre Dame Stadium (c. 59,075, grass) | ||
Seasons
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The 1973 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1973 college football season. The Irish, coached by Ara Parseghian, ended the season undefeated with 11 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and #1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl by a score of a 24-23.[1] The 1973 squad became the ninth Irish team to win the national title and the second under Coach Parseghian. Although Notre Dame finished #1 in the AP Poll to claim the AP national title, they were not awarded the Coaches' title, since Alabama was awarded the Coaches' Poll title before the bowl season.
Contents |
Season
Ara Parseghian's second national title team was led by its relentless rushing attack. Fullback Wayne Bullock (750 yards), halfback Art Best (700 yards), halfback Eric Penick (586 yards) and quarterback Tom Clements (360 yards) comprised one of the fastest Irish backfields, with Peneck and Best clocking in under 10 seconds in the 100-yard dash.[2] The Irish started the season strong, amassing large margins of victory over Northwestern, Rice and Army to set up a highly anticipated contest with #6 and unbeaten USC.[2] USC came into the contest riding a 23 game unbeaten streak, and USC's star tailback Anthony Davis ran over the Irish the previous year for 6 touchdowns in a 45-23 Trojan victory.[2] Moreover, Parseghian had not outright beaten USC since the 1966.[1] The Irish defense responded to the challenge, limiting Davis to 55 yards on 19 carries. The star tailback of the day was Notre Dame's Penick, who ran for 118 yards, 50 more than the entire Trojan team. The Irish won the contest 24-13 and won its remaining games.[2] After Notre Dame accepted the Sugar Bowl bid, the stage was set to determine the national championship. Alabama was awarded the UPI title before the bowl season,[3] but it was Notre Dame that won it on the field, winning 24-23 in a thriller that had six lead changes. Notre Dame jumped to a 6-0 lead, but Alabama answered with a Randy Billingsley 6-yard touchdown run. After Al Hunter scored on a 93-yard kick off return, Alabama scored 10 straight points. In the fourth quarter, three turnovers occurred in 90 seconds, with Alabama coming out on top and capitalizing on a halfback pass from Mike Stock to quarterback Richard Todd for a 25-yard touchdown to take a slim 23-21 lead. Notre Dame responded, with Tom Clements driving the Irish 79 yards in 11 plays and setting up a potential field goal on a clutch 15-yard pass to tight end Dave Casper. Irish kicker Bob Thomas hit the field goal to give the Irish a slim 24-23 victory and the AP national title.[4]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/22/1973 | Northwestern | #8 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 44-0 | |||
| 09/29/1973 | at Purdue | #7 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | W 20-7 | |||
| 10/06/1973 | Michigan State | #8 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 14-10 | |||
| 10/13/1973 | at Rice | #9 | Rice Stadium • Houston, TX | W 28-0 | |||
| 10/20/1973 | at Army | #11 | Michie Stadium • West Point, NY | W 62-3 | |||
| 10/27/1973 | #6 USC | #8 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 23-14 | |||
| 11/03/1973 | Navy | #5 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 44-7 | |||
| 11/10/1973 | at #20 Pittsburgh | #5 | Pitt Stadium • Pittsburgh, PA | W 31-10 | |||
| 11/22/1973 | Air Force | #5 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 48-15 | |||
| 12/01/1973 | at Miami (Fla.) | #5 | Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, FL | W 44-0 | |||
| 12/31/1973 | vs. #1 Alabama | #3 | Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl) | W 24-23 | |||
| #Rankings from AP. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||
Roster
*Bold denotes starter. Reserves: Offense: T — Mike McBride, Pat Pohlen, Bob Sweeney, Max Wasilevich; G — Cal Balliett, Paul Sawicz; C — Pete Hartman, Andy Rohan HB — Dan Knott, Greg Hill, Jim Weiler; FB — John Gambone; E — Kevin Doherty, Bob Washington; Defense: E — Jeff Hein; T — Ivan Brown, Lew Miskowitz, Larry Susko, Greg Szatko; LB — John Harchar, Joe Pszeracki, Marv Russell, Ed Scales, Gene Smith; DB — Mike Banks, Kevin Kineally, Tony Zappala, Jim Zloch (DNP) — Mike McBride Source:http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/Football-Supplement-07 |
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Year at Notre Dame |
|---|---|---|
| Ara Parseghian | Head Coach | 10th |
| Tom Pagna | Offensive Backs | 10th |
| Brian Boulac | Offensive Line | 4th |
| Bill Hickey | Offensive Line | 4th |
| Wally Moore | Offensive Line | 10th |
| Mike Stock | Receivers | 5th |
| Joe Yonto | Defensive Coordinator Defensive Line |
10th |
| George Kelly | Linebackers | 5th |
| Paul Shoults | Defensive Backs | 10th |
| Greg Blache | Junior Varsity | 1st |
| John Murphy | Scouting Defensive Coach |
15th |
Post-season
Award winners
All-Americans
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