1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–4
Head coach	Dan Devine (5th season);
Captains	Vagas Ferguson; Tim Foley; Dave Waymer;
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium
	Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 6 Florida State		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 7 Pittsburgh		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
UNLV		–		–		9	–	1	–	2
No. 17 Temple		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
Tulane		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
East Carolina		–		–		7	–	3	–	1
No. 20 Penn State		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		6	–	4	–	1
Syracuse		–		–		7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–		5	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
North Texas State		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Villanova		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–		4	–	6	–	1
Louisville		–		–		4	–	6	–	1
William & Mary		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–		2	–	8	–	1
Air Force		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Richmond		–		–		0	–	11	–	0

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Irish finished unranked in both major polls for the first time since 1963.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	3:20 p.m.	at No. 6 Michigan	No. 9	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ABC	W 12–10	105,111	^[1]^[2]
September 22	2:30 p.m.	at No. 17 Purdue	No. 5	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)		L 22–28	70,567	^[3]
September 29	2:30 p.m.	No. 7 Michigan State	No. 15	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 27–3	59,075	^[4]
October 6	2:30 p.m.	Georgia Tech	No. 10	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 21–13	59,075	^[5]
October 13	3:30 p.m.	at Air Force	No. 10	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)		W 38–13	34,881	^[6]
October 20	12:50 p.m.	No. 4 USC	No. 9	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	ABC	L 23–42	59,075	^[7]
October 27	2:30 p.m.	South Carolina	No. 14	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN		W 18–17	59,075	^[8]
November 3	1:30 p.m.	Navy	No. 13	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 14–0	59,075	^[9]
November 10	1:30 p.m.	at Tennessee	No. 13	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN		L 18–40	86,489	^[10]
November 17	1:30 p.m.	No. 14 Clemson		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN		L 10–16	59,075	^[11]
November 24	11:00 p.m.	vs. Miami (FL)		Japan National Stadium Tokyo, Japan (Mirage Bowl, rivalry)		W 40–15	62,574	^[12]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[13]

Roster

1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
G	`65`	Bob Burger	Jr
WR	`80`	Dave Condeni	So
QB	`2`	Mike Courey	Jr
C	`53`	Jeff Crippin	Sr
WR	`1`	Ty Dickerson	Jr
RB	`32`	Vagas Ferguson	Sr
OT	`73`	Tim Foley	Sr
WR	`31`	Pete Holohan	Jr
G	`78`	Tim Huffman	Jr
QB	`13`	Greg Knafelc	Jr
QB	`6`	Rusty Lisch	Sr
OT	`75`	Rob Martinovich	Sr
TE	`86`	Dean Masztak	So
OT	`71`	Phil Pozderac	So
C	`57`	John Scully	Jr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DT	`94`	Tom Bock	So
LB	`43`	Bob Crable	So
DL		Mark Czaja
S	`22`	Dave Duerson	Fr
CB	`27`	Tom Gibbons	Jr
DE		Joe Gramke
DT		Kevin Griffith
DE		John Hankerd
DT		Don Kidd
DT		Pat Kramer
CB	`19`	John Krimm	So
LB	`61`	Bobby Leopold	Sr
DB	`34`	Dave Waymer	Sr
LB	`54`	Mike Whittington	Sr
DE	`70`	Scott Zettek	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P		Dick Boushka
K		Chuck Male	Sr

Head coach

Dan Devine

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Game summaries

At Michigan

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) at Michigan Wolverines (1–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	3	3	6	0	12
Michigan	3	7	0	0	10

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Date: September 15
Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C)
Game attendance: 105,111
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles
Recap

Game information

First quarter

MICH – Bryan Virgil 30-yard field goal, 7:31. Michigan 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 84 yards.
ND – Chuck Male 40-yard field goal. Tie 3–3. Drive:

Second quarter

MICH – Stan Edwards 1-yard run (Bryan Virgil kick), 10:48. Michigan 10–3. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:39.
ND – Chuck Male 40-yard field goal, 4:48. Michigan 10–6. Drive:

Third quarter

ND – Chuck Male 22–yard field goal. Michigan 10–9. Drive:
ND – Chuck Male 39-yard field goal. Notre Dame 12–10. Drive:

Top passers

ND – Rusty Lisch – 5/10, 65 yards
MICH – B. J. Dickey – 9/18, 106 yards

Top rushers

ND – Vagas Ferguson – 35 rushes, 118 yards
MICH

Top receivers

ND
MICH

Bob Crable (10 tackles) leaped to block the potential-game winning field in the final seconds.

^[14]

At Purdue

Michigan State

Georgia Tech

At Air Force

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	10	21	0	7	38
Air Force	0	7	6	0	13

Date: October 13
Location: Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Game attendance: 34,881

^[15]

USC

South Carolina

Navy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Navy	0	0	0	0	0
• Notre Dame	7	0	0	7	14

Date: November 3
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
Game attendance: 59,075

ND: Ferguson 34 Rush, 155 Yds (first player in school history with 3,000 career rushing yards)

^[16]

At Tennessee

Clemson

Vs. Miami (FL)

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Vagas Ferguson	Running back	1	25	New England Patriots
Dave Waymer	Conerback	2	41	New Orleans Saints
Tim Foley	Tackle	2	51	Baltimore Colts
Rusty Lisch	Quarterback	4	89	St. Louis Cardinals
Bobby Leopold	Linebacker	8	210	San Francisco 49ers
Rob Martinovich	Tackle	10	261	Kansas City Chiefs

References

^ Mick McCabe (September 17, 1979). "Irish upend punchless U-M, 12-10". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1F, 5F – via Newspapers.com.
^ Billy Neff (September 16, 1979). "Irish upend Wolverines, 12-10". The Michigan Daily. pp. 1, 12 – via Bentley Historical Library.
^ "Purdue rallies to upset Notre Dame". The Gloucester County Times. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Notre Dame rips Michigan State 27–3". The Santa Fe New Mexican. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish dump Ga. Tech". The Shreveport Times. October 7, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Notre Dame routs Air Force, 38–13". The Kokomo Tribune. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southern Cal attack grinds Irish, 42–23". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish escape Gamecocks". The Indianapolis Star. October 21, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Notre Dame blanks Middies". Great Falls Tribune. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish humbles by Vols, 40–18". The Indianapolis Star. November 11, 1979. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Clemson feasts on Irish errors". Dayton Daily News. November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish run to victory over Miami". The Kokomo Tribune. November 26, 1979. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
^ "Irish Topple Michigan On Walk-on's Field Goals." Palm Beach Post. 1979 September 16.
^ Palm Beach Post. 1979 October 14.
^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 November 4. Retrieved 2018-December-22.

This college football 1970s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Mick McCabe (September 17, 1979). "Irish upend punchless U-M, 12-10". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1F, 5F – via Newspapers.com.

[2] Billy Neff (September 16, 1979). "Irish upend Wolverines, 12-10". The Michigan Daily. pp. 1, 12 – via Bentley Historical Library.

[3] "Purdue rallies to upset Notre Dame". The Gloucester County Times. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Notre Dame rips Michigan State 27–3". The Santa Fe New Mexican. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Irish dump Ga. Tech". The Shreveport Times. October 7, 1979. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Notre Dame routs Air Force, 38–13". The Kokomo Tribune. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Southern Cal attack grinds Irish, 42–23". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Irish escape Gamecocks". The Indianapolis Star. October 21, 1979. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] "Notre Dame blanks Middies". Great Falls Tribune. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Irish humbles by Vols, 40–18". The Indianapolis Star. November 11, 1979. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] "Clemson feasts on Irish errors". Dayton Daily News. November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] "Irish run to victory over Miami". The Kokomo Tribune. November 26, 1979. Retrieved January 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2024.

[14] "Irish Topple Michigan On Walk-on's Field Goals." Palm Beach Post. 1979 September 16.

[15] Palm Beach Post. 1979 October 14.

[16] Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 November 4. Retrieved 2018-December-22.

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v t e Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Venues	Brownson Hall field (1892?–1899) Cartier Field (1899–1928) Soldier Field (1929) Notre Dame Stadium (1930–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Emerald Isle Classic Army Boston College Michigan Michigan State Navy Northwestern Pittsburgh Purdue Stanford USC
Culture and lore	History Band of the Fighting Irish Irish Guard Notre Dame Box Notre Dame Leprechaun "Notre Dame, Our Mother" "Notre Dame Victory March" Play Like a Champion Today Subway Alumni T formation Tall Grass Game 1946 "Game of the Century" 1966 "Game of the Century" Catholics vs. Convicts 30 for 30 film 1993 "Game of the Century" Bush Push Navy ends the drought Death of Lizzy Seeberg 2020 ACC Championship Game The Spirit of Notre Dame Knute Rockne, All American Notre Dame Football on NBC Rudy
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks Four Horsemen NFL draftees Statistical leaders Team captains
Seasons	1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold