Champion of Champions
UHND.com - Ronny
P. Kaye
May 3, 2001
One understated element of the Notre Dame
phenomenon is the propensity of its former footballers to acquire championship rings at
the professional level.
Indeed, one could say that an integral component of the formula for winning Super Bowls is
to make sure you have Domers on your roster. One need look no farther back than the
1999-2000 champs, the St Louis Rams, to re-discover trusty Todd Lyght, he of the 1988 and
1989 Irish national champs, snagging an interception and earning himself an NFL title.
Now, Notre Dame's quarterbacks have a habit of winning big in the pros
as well as in college, as most fans recognize. Joe Theisman (1970 national championship)
and Joe Montana (1977) are the most celebrated examples--but don't overlook Paul Hornung
(no college titles but a Heisman and a few rings with the Packers), Daryle Lamonica (who
suffered at Notre Dame under Joe Kuharich but took Oakland to the 2nd AFL-NFL title game
against Green Bay), or the grossly underrated Tom Clements (1973 titlist and
two-time Grey Cup winner).
In fall 2000, during the ABC telecast of UCLA-Alabama, Notre
Dame-hater Keith Jackson erred by proclaiming UCLA as the only school ever to have five
of its former QBs appear in a Super Bowl. Somehow, Mr Pac-10 miscounted appearances
in the big game by The Mad Bomber (Lamonica), Terry Hanratty (Steelers), Montana,
Theisman, and Steve Beuerlein (Cowboys). Ca fait aussi cinq, je pense. Sorry, Keith, but
if you want to win all the marbles, you'd do well to have a quarterback from Notre Dame,
not from UCLA, taking your snaps (though an Alabama guy wouldn't hurt you, either).
But it's not only former Notre Dame quarterbacks that help pro teams
get to and win Super Bowls. Alan Page played in four Super Bowls with the Minnesota
Vikings; Nick Buonoconti did okay with the old Dolphins, as did Myron Pottios and Jim
Lynch with the Redskins and Chiefs, respectively. And what about Dave Casper? And Rocky
Bleier? And Mark Bavaro? In 1995, Bryant Young and Ricky Watters won rings
with the 49ers, beating John Carney, Rodney Culver, and Willie Clark of the Chargers. And
in Super Bowl XXXVI this year, three offensive linemen from Notre Dame--Dusty Ziegler,
Luke Pettigout, and Mike Rosenthal--were on the NY Giants roster.
The list goes on.
Oddly, there used to be a rap in the broadcast booths that Notre Damers
did not fare well in the pros. I think this had something to do with John Huarte crapping
out with the Eagles back in the 60s, or the notion that Notre Damers didn't play as hard
as players from other schools because their Notre Dame pedigrees meant they wouldn't ever
have to worry about their livelihoods after the inevitable ACL atrocities. Well, somebody
better tell Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis, and Mr Watters that they're using up seats on the
Hall of Fame bus reserved for all those award-winners who "attended" the great
Florida schools.
Now, quick--name the last Gator quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
Tick...tick...tick. Beeep. No, sorry, Steve Spurrier never won one.
Still, aside from all the football glory, another too-frequently
overlooked aspect of the ND championship aura that makes a fan like me most proud is the
football afterlife of Irish giants. Alan Page, for example, is sitting on the Minnesota
Supreme Court. Ken McAfee is an accomplished oral surgeon in Massachusetts. And is there a
better human being on the planet than Chris Zorich? All right, maybe Tony Rice. Hey, I
even get a kick out of Joe Theisman and Mike Golic on the all-too-often-dismal ESPN,
demonstrating in distinctive styles the intelligence that made them first-class Domers.
Yes, yes, I know, the Miami Hurricanes have Ray Lewis and Southern Cal
has O J Simpson to hold up as role models, and of course Nebraska can always tout
Christian Peter to match Florida State's Peter Warrick, but I think Notre Dame has held
its own against those stalwart institutions in the character development department.
No, I never get tired of extolling the Notre Dame creed. Like so many
Irish fans, I often find myself daydreaming of the memorable games and campaigns from the
past. I pick up my almanacs and record books and chart the 114-year chronicle of
unsurpassed excellence over and over. Who is like unto them? Their won-lost record
is unmatched. They own 21--count 'em, 21--national championships. The successes of their
immortal coaches are incomparable. Okay, the bowl record has slipped recently, but
consider that ND sat out 45 years of bowl action of its own volition. Do you doubt that
Notre Dame would own the record for most bowl victories if such abstinence hadn't
been upheld?
So here's the capper for ye who might yet quaver in this era of
Sunshine State overkill. In a 1995 mathematical ranking of the greatest college football
traditions in America, the Augusta (Ga) Chronicle rated all 106 Division 1-A football
programs in the categories of winning percentage, victories by their most successful
coach, all-time AP poll rankings, bowl game records, number of Heisman Trophy
winners, and number of All-Americans. Placing 2nd through 10th (in order) were Oklahoma,
Alabama, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Nebraska, Penn State, and Tennessee (notice: no
Florida programs). I might switch Alabama and Oklahoma, but this is as accurate a ranking
as we're ever likely to see. Now hear this: Notre Dame's all-time record against the other
nine greatest programs is 92-67-8 (a .575 winning percentage, for you SEC fans). That's
right--Notre Dame has won almost 60% of its games against the remainder of history's Top
10. That's in addition to the all-time .750 record against so many other traditionally
tough programs.
Gosh, I sure am upset about that bad loss to Oregon State in the Fiesta
Bowl.
Play like a champion of champions today.