People walk in front of the Notre Dame administration building, known as the Golden Dome, Thursday Jan. 17, 2013 on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. In a shocking announcement, Notre Dame said Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te'o was duped into an online relationship with a woman whose "death" from leukemia was faked by perpetrators of an elaborate hoax. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE STRUGGLES
SEC teams have lost a lot more than they’ve won during modern-era trips to Notre Dame Stadium:1970 — Irish 3, LSU 01976 — Irish 21, Alabama 181978 — Irish 31, Tennessee 141981 — Irish 27, LSU 91985 — Irish 37, Ole Miss 141985 — LSU 10, Irish 71987 — Irish 37, Alabama 61991 — Tennessee 35, Irish 341995 — Irish 41, Vanderbilt 01998 — Irish 39, LSU 362001 — Tennessee 28, Irish 182005 — Irish 41, Tennessee 21Note: Georgia Tech won at South Bend as an SEC member, and South Carolina and Missouri did before joining the league.
ATHENS, Ga. - Knute Rockne. The Golden Dome. Touchdown Jesus. The Four Horsemen.
A multitude of timeworn images can be evoked when the topic of Notre Dame football arises, but the first memories of the Fighting Irish for today's Georgia Bulldogs are a bit more unique. Georgia will make its first appearance inside Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night when the No. 15 Bulldogs and No. 24 Irish collide on NBC.
"Being from Miami, I remember watching the (ESPN) '30-for-30' on Miami versus Notre Dame," senior receiver Javon Wims said. "That stuck out to me. I think they have the most national championship wins. They've been playing football forever."
Notre Dame football has thrived for more than a century, but some decades have been superior to others. Frank Leahy's Fighting Irish won four national championships in a seven-year stretch from 1943 to 1949, and Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine combined to assemble a 15-year surge from 1964 to 1978 that included eight top-five finishes and national titles in 1966, 1973 and 1977.
The Bulldogs and Irish became intertwined in 1980, when they entered the final weekend of the regular season ranked first and second nationally. Notre Dame lost at Southern California 20-3 to spoil a one-two Sugar Bowl pairing, but Georgia's 17-10 win in New Orleans was plenty meaningful because it clinched the Bulldogs' only Associated Press national title.
Current Georgia coach Kirby Smart had just turned 5 when freshman tailback Herschel Walker pounded out 36 carries for 150 yards and two touchdowns against the Irish in the only meeting between the two until Saturday. Notre Dame is scheduled to come to Sanford Stadium in 2019.
"My memories of Notre Dame are more Rocket Ismail, Tim Brown and around that time," Smart said, evoking the late 1980s. "I was really too young to remember the national championship game, and I was not actually in the state of Georgia yet. It's a special place. I know that.
"They have had a lot of talented players - the most Heisman Trophy winners, All-Americans, second nationally in victories - it's just a résumé that speaks for itself, but my personal memories are Tim Brown and Rocket Ismail returning punts."
Notre Dame's most recent national championship occurred in 1988, though the Irish did play in the BCS title contest after the 2012 season but were thrashed 42-14 by Alabama, with Smart serving as defensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs were almost Notre Dame's opponent in the title game that year but fell 32-28 to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
The Irish have been beyond erratic since Lou Holtz led them to the 1988 crown, with Notre Dame experiencing 5-7 and 5-6 seasons under Bob Davie, 5-7 and 6-6 seasons under Tyrone Willingham and 3-9 and 6-6 seasons under Charlie Weis. Current coach Brian Kelly is coming off a 4-8 debacle that included seven one-possession losses.
Although elite seasons haven't been as frequent for Notre Dame in the last quarter century, Smart doesn't believe the program's relevance has deteriorated.
"They're still on NBC, and these kids grow up watching college football," he said. "Every one of our players identifies with the tradition of Notre Dame. They're the only school that plays on NBC, and they play a lot of nationally televised games.
"Our kids associate with that part of Notre Dame, and they respect the fact they have a really good team this year."
The Bulldogs will not vary from their pregame routines, even though they are on South Bend's hallowed football grounds. Smart recognizes that it's a special place, but not so much as to alter the "business trip" aspect.
Given that it's taken 125 years for Georgia to play at Notre Dame, who knows when that second journey will be, if indeed there is one.
"My first memories of Notre Dame are Touchdown Jesus and watching the movie 'Rudy' - those are my first memories," sophomore defensive back J.R. Reed said. "I know they had Rocket Ismail. I'm looking forward to this."
Said outside linebacker Davin Bellamy: "This is the place growing up that you always want to play at. It's very legendary. I think this will be really cool."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.