Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry

Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry
First meeting October 15, 1927
Latest meeting November 18, 2017
Next meeting October 27, 2018
Trophy Rip Miller Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total 91
All-time series Notre Dame leads, 75–13–1
Largest victory Notre Dame, 56–7 (1970)
Longest win streak Notre Dame, 43 (1964–2006)
Current win streak Notre Dame, 1 (2017–present)

The Navy–Notre Dame football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Navy Midshipmen football team of the United States Naval Academy and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame. It has been played annually since 1927, making it the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football,[1] and the second-longest never-interrupted college football rivalry overall, after only Kansas State vs. Iowa State (uninterrupted since 1917). Notre Dame leads the series 75–13–1.[2] Before Navy won a 46–44 triple-overtime contest in 2007, Notre Dame had a 43-game winning streak that was the longest series win streak between two annual opponents in the history of Division I FBS football.[3] Navy's previous win came in 1963, 35–14 with future Heisman Trophy winner and NFL QB Roger Staubach at the helm. Navy had come close to winning on numerous occasions before 2007. The Midshipmen subsequently won again in 2009, 2010 and 2016.

Though the game is often played at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, it has never been played at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, due to its relatively small size. Instead, Navy usually hosts the game at larger facilities such as Baltimore's old Memorial Stadium or current M&T Bank Stadium, FedExField in Landover, Maryland, or at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. From 1960 to 1970, the Midshipmen hosted the game at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, and they hosted the 1972, 1974 and 1993 games at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium. The game has been played twice in Dublin, Ireland—in 1996 at Croke Park and 2012 at Aviva Stadium.[4] The game was also occasionally played at old Cleveland Stadium. The 2016 game was held at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. [5] Navy's 2018 home game will be played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California (the first time the teams will have played each other west of the Eastern Time Zone), and the 2020 game will be at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (where it also was played in 2010).[6]

History

Despite the one-sided result the last few decades, most Notre Dame and Navy fans consider the series a sacred tradition for historical reasons. Both schools have strong football traditions going back to the beginnings of the sport. Notre Dame, like many colleges, faced severe financial difficulties during World War II, which were exacerbated by the fact that it was then still an all-male institution. The US Navy made Notre Dame a training center for V-12 candidates and paid enough for usage of the facilities to keep the University afloat. Notre Dame has since extended an open invitation for Navy to play the Fighting Irish in football and considers the game annual repayment on a debt of honor. The series is marked by mutual respect, as evidenced by each team standing at attention during the playing of the other's alma mater after the game, a tradition that started in 2005. Navy's athletic director, on renewing the series through 2016, remarked "...it is of great interest to our collective national audience of Fighting Irish fans, Naval Academy alumni, and the Navy family at large."[1] The series is scheduled to continue indefinitely; renewals are a mere formality.[1]

The Streak

Notre Dame's NCAA-record 43-game win streak against Navy began in 1964:

  • 1964 – Notre Dame 40, Navy 0: Notre Dame came in at 5–0 under first year coach Ara Parseghian and shut out the Midshipmen in a game that pitted 1963 Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach against 1964 winner John Huarte.
  • 1969 – Notre Dame 47, Navy 0: The Irish set a still-standing, single-game school record of 720 total offensive yards.
  • 1974 – Notre Dame 14, Navy 6: For three quarters, Navy kept the Fighting Irish offense in check with its punting game and led 6–0 going into the fourth quarter. Notre Dame quarterback Tom Clements threw a touchdown pass to Pete Demmerle to put the Fighting Irish in front, then Randy Harrison added an insurance touchdown with an interception return.
  • 1976 – Notre Dame 27, Navy 21: Irish defensive back Dave Waymer tipped away a fourth down pass in the end zone late in the game to preserve the win for Notre Dame.
  • 1984 – Notre Dame 18, Navy 17: John Carney's field goal with 14 seconds left erased a 17–7 deficit. The officials failed to notice that the play clock had expired before the ball was snapped.
  • 1991 – Notre Dame 38, Navy 0: Notre Dame's 700th victory.
  • 1997 – Notre Dame 21, Navy 17: Allen Rossum saved the day for the Fighting Irish, knocking Navy receiver Pat McGrew out of bounds at the 1-yard line on a 69-yard pass as time ran out.
  • 1999 – Notre Dame 28, Navy 24: Notre Dame needed a 1st down on 4th and 9 with 1:37 left to score the winning touchdown and escape with a 28–24 win.
  • 2002 – Notre Dame 30, Navy 23: Notre Dame, coming off a 14–7 upset loss to Boston College, scored 15 unanswered points late in the fourth quarter to win under first-year head coach Tyrone Willingham.
  • 2003 – Notre Dame 27, Navy 24: D. J. Fitzpatrick's 40-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Fighting Irish over Navy.
  • 2007 – Navy 46, Notre Dame 44 (3OT) – After 43 years, Navy beat Notre Dame in triple overtime.

Game results

Navy victoriesNotre Dame victoriesTie gamesVacated wins

* Vacated win by Notre Dame

Television

In years when Navy hosts (even-numbered), it is one of few non-Southeastern Conference games aired on CBS as CBS has a deal with the service academies for Army-Navy on CBS and selected other games featuring a service academy. In years when Notre Dame hosts (odd-numbered), it is carried on NBC as are other Notre Dame home games.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Notre Dame And Navy Extend Series 10 More Years". und.cstv.com. 2005-11-10. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  2. http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1qNQdW/www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/
  3. "Notre Dame's NCAA-record 43-game win streak over Navy ends". espn.com. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  4. "Aviva Stadium To Host The 2012 Navy-Notre Dame Game". navysports.com. 2010-09-01. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  5. und.com http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/070815aai.html. Retrieved 10 October 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. http://www.ndinsider.com/irishstew/notre-dame-and-navy-football-set-for-date-in-east/article_2e728764-a1f8-11e6-a5a8-53952af454ff.html
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