Distinctions Earned by the ND Football Team

The ND football team, from the University of Notre Dame in Illinois, has the nickname of the ighting Irish, Since its inauspicious beginnings in November of 1887, this team has risen to be one of the most challenging teams in US college football.

During its first few seasons, the team did not experience a lot of success, but with dedicated coaches and players, the team soon distinguished itself by winning many championships. Notre Dame has won eleven national championships and if you count the 1938 and 1953 seasons, the total rises to thirteen. In these seasons, although the team was undefeated throughout, it was not named the national champion by Associated Press.

The following is a list of major championships that the team has won:

- 1924 the Rose Bowl

- 1973 the Sugar Bowl

- 1977 the Cotton Bowl

- 1988 the Fiesta Bowl

It is one of 800 college football teams that has over 800 winning games to its credit and enjoys the distinction of having the second highest winning average. The football program at the University of Notre Dame holds seven Heisman trophies and has produced the most all-American players of any university with a football team. It has also had the largest number of players to go on to become players in the National Football League.

Students at Notre Dame that are involved in playing football also enjoy a high success rate in their academics. Almost 99% of the players on the team have completed their degree program and the university is next to Navy and Boston College in the percentage of Afro-American players that graduate, with a 90% success rate.

During its history, the Notre Dame football team has played many games that have been regarded as being famous, often called the games of the century. One of these was the game against Ohio State University in 1935. During the first three quarters, it was certain that Notre Dame would go down to defeat and was trailing 13-0 at the beginning of the final quarter. However, the team was undaunted and came out fighting. Points were scored and with only seconds remaining in the game, quarterback Bill Shakespeare passed the ball to Wayne Milney who scored a touchdown making the final score 18-13 for Notre Dame.

A more recent game of the century occurred during the 1993 season in a game against Florida State. This was a match up of champions because the two teams were ranked first and second in the league. Notre Dame led throughout the game with the score at the beginning of the fourth quarter 31-17 for the team. The final quarter was a nail biter right to the last seconds when Florida scored a touchdown bringing the final score to 31-24. Notre Dame has come out on top once again.

Fans all over the country tune in each week during the football season to watch the Fighting Irish. They also travel to the various game venues to be on the sidelines cheering their team to a win.