With Notre Dame and Miami set to renew their rivalry in 2025, it’s a good time to look back at one of college football’s most heated matchups. While the two schools don’t share a border, a long history, or even a conference, their clashes in the 1980s and beyond produced as much animosity and national intrigue as any rivalry in the sport.
Some rivalries are noteworthy because of their length. Others because of geography, or natural competition between schools. And sometimes, a rivalry flares up not for any of those reasons, but because of white-hot animosity and hostility born out of a handful of contests and countless words exchanged. So it is with Notre Dame and Miami.
The series began innocently enough in 1955. Miami, then a southern independent without a natural rival, faced the Irish for the first time and fell 14-0. Notre Dame dominated the early years of the rivalry, standing 12-1-1 against the Hurricanes through the 1980 season.
Howard Schnellenberger
Howard Schnellenberger, a fiery disciple of Bear Bryant who served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator during three national championships, took over in Coral Gables in 1979. At the time, Miami football was on shaky ground, with some administrators openly debating whether the school should drop the sport altogether.
Schnellenberger saw the local talent pool and declared the “State of Miami,” drawing an imaginary line from Daytona Beach to Tampa and vowing to recruit everything south of it. His aggressive strategy quickly paid off. Notre Dame, meanwhile, was struggling under Gerry Faust. Miami shut out the Irish 20-0 in 1983 en route to an improbable national championship. Schnellenberger grabbed the trophy and soon departed for the NFL.
Jimmy Johnson
Schnellenberger’s successor, Jimmy Johnson, took things to another level. A native of Port Arthur, Texas, and former Arkansas teammate of Barry Switzer and Jerry Jones, Johnson inherited a loaded roster and gave birth to “The U.” Trash-talking, swagger, and intimidation became trademarks.
Against Notre Dame, Johnson showed little mercy. In 1984, Miami rolled into South Bend and beat Faust’s Irish 31-13. A year later, in Faust’s finale at the Orange Bowl, Johnson ran up a shocking 58-7 score, even calling punt blocks in the fourth quarter. The rivalry’s animosity was cemented. In 1987, Miami blanked Lou Holtz’s Irish 24-0.
October 15, 1988 – Catholics vs. Convicts
The stage was set for one of the most famous games in college football history. Notre Dame students sold “Catholics vs. Convicts” T-shirts in advance of Miami’s trip to South Bend. The Irish struck early behind quarterback Tony Rice and led 21-7 after Pat Terrell’s 60-yard interception return.
But Miami stormed back to tie the game at halftime, and the teams traded blows into the fourth quarter. With under a minute left, Miami’s Steve Walsh threw a touchdown to cut the Irish lead to 31-30. Jimmy Johnson went for two. On the decisive play, Terrell broke up Walsh’s pass in the end zone. Notre Dame held on, 31-30, in what remains one of the program’s most celebrated wins. The Irish went on to win the 1988 national championship.
Aftermath
Notre Dame and Miami met twice more before the series cooled off in the 1990s. Miami won at home in 1989, but Holtz’s Irish earned payback in 1990 with a 29-20 win in South Bend. The rivalry was then put on ice for two decades.
Renewal of the Series
The schools met again in the 2010 Sun Bowl, where Brian Kelly’s Irish dominated in snowy El Paso, 33-17. In 2012, as part of the Shamrock Series, Notre Dame overwhelmed Miami 41-3 at Soldier Field during its undefeated regular season. In 2016, the Hurricanes returned to Notre Dame Stadium for the first time since 1988, with the Irish winning 30-27 in a hard-fought game.
The rivalry briefly reignited in 2017 when Notre Dame traveled to Miami for a primetime showdown of top-10 teams. This time, the Hurricanes got their revenge with a 41-8 demolition, one of the low points of Kelly’s tenure. The win snapped Notre Dame’s four-game streak over Miami.
Now, nearly a decade later, the Irish and Hurricanes will meet again in 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium, renewing one of college football’s most intense rivalries.
Series Record
Notre Dame vs. Miami (FL)
Record: 18-8-1 (Notre Dame leads)
| Date | W/L | ND | MIA | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-07-1955 | W | 14 | 0 | Miami, FL |
| 11-12-1960 | L | 21 | 28 | Miami, FL |
| 11-27-1965 | T | 0 | 0 | Miami, FL |
| 11-24-1967 | W | 24 | 22 | Miami, FL |
| 10-09-1971 | W | 17 | 0 | Miami, FL |
| 11-18-1972 | W | 20 | 17 | South Bend, IN |
| 12-01-1973 | W | 44 | 0 | Miami, FL |
| 10-26-1974 | W | 38 | 7 | South Bend, IN |
| 11-22-1975 | W | 32 | 9 | Miami, FL |
| 11-20-1976 | W | 40 | 27 | South Bend, IN |
| 12-03-1977 | W | 48 | 10 | Miami, FL |
| 10-28-1978 | W | 20 | 0 | South Bend, IN |
| 11-24-1979 | W | 40 | 15 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 10-11-1980 | W | 32 | 14 | South Bend, IN |
| 11-27-1981 | L | 15 | 37 | Miami, FL |
| 10-09-1982 | W | 16 | 14 | South Bend, IN |
| 09-24-1983 | L | 0 | 20 | Miami, FL |
| 10-06-1984 | L | 13 | 31 | South Bend, IN |
| 11-30-1985 | L | 7 | 58 | Miami, FL |
| 11-28-1987 | L | 0 | 24 | Miami, FL |
| 10-15-1988 | W | 31 | 30 | South Bend, IN |
| 11-25-1989 | L | 10 | 27 | Miami, FL |
| 10-20-1990 | W | 29 | 20 | South Bend, IN |
| 12-31-2010 | W | 33 | 17 | El Paso, TX |
| 10-06-2012 | W | 41 | 3 | Chicago, IL |
| 10-29-2016 | W | 30 | 27 | South Bend, IN |
| 11-11-2017 | L | 8 | 41 | Miami, FL |
| 08-31-2025 | — | — | — | Miami, FL |
