1968 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

Summary

The 1968 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Ara Parseghian, the Fighting Irish compiled a record of 7–2–1. In their final game of the season, they played No. 2 USC to a 21–21 tie.[1]

1968 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 5
Record7–2–1
Head coach
Captains
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
Seasons
← 1967
1969 →
1968 NCAA University Division independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Penn State     11 0 0
Rutgers     8 2 0
West Texas State     8 2 0
No. 5 Notre Dame     7 2 1
Florida State     8 3 0
Air Force     7 3 0
Army     7 3 0
Buffalo     7 3 0
No. 18 Houston     6 2 2
Utah State     7 3 0
Boston College     7 3 0
West Virginia     7 3 0
VPI     7 4 0
Pacific     6 4 0
Syracuse     6 4 0
Villanova     6 4 0
Xavier     6 4 0
Colgate     5 5 0
Dayton     5 5 0
Miami (FL)     5 5 0
New Mexico State     5 5 0
Georgia Tech     4 6 0
Southern Miss     4 6 0
Holy Cross     3 6 1
San Jose State     3 7 0
Navy     2 8 0
Tulane     2 8 0
Pittsburgh     1 9 0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule edit

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 212:30 p.m.No. 5 OklahomaNo. 3W 45–2159,075
September 282:00 p.m.No. 1 PurdueNo. 2
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN (rivalry)
ABCL 22–3759,075
October 52:30 p.m.at IowaNo. 5W 51–2858,043
October 122:30 p.m.NorthwesternNo. 5
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN (rivalry)
W 27–759,075
October 192:30 p.m.IllinoisNo. 6
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
W 58–859,075
October 261:30 p.m.at Michigan StateNo. 5ABCL 17–2177,339
November 21:30 p.m.vs. NavyNo. 12W 45–1463,738
November 92:30 p.m.PittsburghNo. 12
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 56–759,075
November 162:30 p.m.Georgia TechNo. 9
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
W 34–659,075
November 304:30 p.m.at No. 2 USCNo. 9ABCT 21–2182,659

[2]

Game summaries edit

Oklahoma edit

[3]

1 234Total
Oklahoma 14 007 21
Notre Dame 7 141410 45

Purdue edit

1 234Total
Purdue 3 20014 37
Notre Dame 0 1408 22
  • Date: September 28
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game attendance: 59,075
  • Referee: Gene Calhoun
  • TV announcers (ABC): Chris Schenkel, Bud Wilkinson
  

Iowa edit

1 234Total
Notre Dame 21 10614 51
Iowa 14 077 28
  

Northwestern edit

1 234Total
Northwestern 0 007 7
Notre Dame 7 0614 27
  • Date: October 12
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
  • Game start: 1:30 pm CDT
  • Game attendance: 59,075
  

Illinois edit

1 234Total
Illinois 0 080 8
Notre Dame 14 10277 58
  • Date: October 19
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
  • Game start: 1:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game attendance: 59,075
  

Michigan State edit

1 234Total
Notre Dame 7 370 17
Michigan St. 7 770 21

Navy edit

1 234Total
Notre Dame 17 7714 45
Navy 6 800 14
  

Pittsburgh edit

1 234Total
Pittsburgh 0 070 7
Notre Dame 23 2607 56
  • Date: November 9
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
  • Game start: 1:30 pm CST
  

Georgia Tech edit

1 234Total
Georgia Tech 0 006 6
Notre Dame 7 7614 34
  • Date: November 16
  • Location: Notre Dame Stadium,
  • Game start: 1:30 p.m. CST
  

USC edit

[4]

1 234Total
Notre Dame 14 700 21
USC 7 077 21
  

Roster edit

1968 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 2 Bob Belden Sr
OT 64 Terry Brennan Jr
RB 20 Bob Gladieux Sr
QB 5 Terry Hanratty Sr
G 75 Bob Kuechenberg Sr
OT 78 George Kunz Sr
C 54 Mike Oriard Jr
WR 85 Jim Seymour Sr
QB 7 Joe Theismann So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 47 John Lavin Sr
DT 77 Mike McCoy Jr
LB 36 Bob Olson Sr
LB 49 Brian Stenger Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K Scott Hempel
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

References edit

  1. ^ "Football '68 - Settling the Score for '64" (PDF). Notre Dame Scholastic. December 12, 1968. pp. 20 & 21.
  2. ^ "1968 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results".
  3. ^ Ocala Star-Banner. 1968 September 22.
  4. ^ Jenkins, Dan (December 9, 1968). "THE DAY THEY TIED UP O.J." Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 25, 2019.