Notre Dame versus Penn State: The 'Snow Bowl'

As we get closer and closer to the spring game, I tend to start to daydream about some of my favorite Notre Dame football memories. I know, it’s darn near impossible to pick one favorite, but if I had to create a top ten list, this one would definitely be on it. Notre Dame vs. Penn State: The Snow Bowl.

In a dramatic conclusion to the series between Notre Dame and Penn State, the Fighting Irish emerged with a 17-16 Snow Bowl victory. [Photo: Notre Dame Media Relations]

On Saturday, November 14th, 1992, the Nittany Lions of Penn State played the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was the last home game of my senior year, and the senior captains Rick Mirer, Demetrius DuBose, Irv Smith and Devon McDonald were hoping to finish strong on Senior Day; something that hadn’t happened for the previous two senior classes. It was also the last game of the Notre Dame - Penn State series, and so both teams were hoping to snatch one last win.

The Irish got the ball first and moved methodically down the field, but only walked away with three points, on a successful field goal by Craig Hentrich. (ND 3 - PSU 0) On the subsequent Penn State possession, Tom Carter and John Covington combined for an interception, but the Irish were unable to convert any points out of the turnover. The Nittany Lions came up with a touchdown on their next possession, but freshman Bobby Taylor made sure they only got six points as he blocked the PAT. (PSU 6 - ND 3) And that’s when the snow really started to kick in. It was challenging for either team to secure their footing or hold on to the ball. The second quarter was a sloppy mess, and included a forced fumble by Jim Flannigan which was recovered by Brian Ratigan, and Penn State came dangerously close to picking off a pass to Derrick Mayes. At the end of the first half, though, the Irish managed to set Craig Hentrich up once more for a field goal, and his successful 37-yard kick tied the game at 6-6.

The biggest gain of the game by either team came in the third quarter on a Rick Mirer pass to Lake Dawson for 30 yards. That set up Craig Hentrich to convert his third field goal of the game, putting the Irish up 9-6. But Penn State came roaring back and tied the game with 8:35 remaining in the game. It was becoming apparent that this game was going to be won by the team who had possession of the ball last. And then with 4:19 left on the clock, Penn State scored its second touchdown of this contest, regaining the lead and going up 16-9. The Notre Dame drive which followed this Penn State touchdown is one that no one watching the game that day will ever forget.

On second and ten, Rick Mirer found Jerome Bettis for 21 yards down the near sideline. Then on second and sixteen, Mirer managed to scramble for 15 yards, coming up one yard short of the first down. Two plays later he found Ray Griggs at the Penn State 17 yard line, with less than two minutes remaining in the game. From first and goal at the nine, Reggie Brooks ran for five yards, getting them just four yards from the goal line. But on the next two plays, the Irish were stopped. The Irish had to take their final timeout to discuss what play they would run on fourth on goal, with the game on the line. The play that was chosen was a play that Coach Holtz typically reserved for two-point conversion plays, but the gamble paid off as Mirer connected with Jerome Bettis in the end zone for the touchdown.

With no timeouts left and 20 seconds remaining on the clock, Mirer and Holtz quickly conversed on what play to use next, and the result was nothing short of spectacular. With no one open, Mirer rolls right and drops a pass right in the corner of the endzone, perfectly into the hands of an outstretched Reggie Brooks.

As I wrote my first book, I had the chance to hear Reggie’s thoughts on this incredible game. “We always practiced the two-point conversion in practice. It was nothing new to us. Holtz had us on the sideline, told us what the formation was, and we never had any doubt in our mind that we could successfully run the play. The funny thing about that play was I was not even the intended receiver. Irv Smith was supposed to run a pivot route and I was supposed to distract the safety so that he could make the catch. We had never practiced this particular formation before, we just knew that we needed to go out and execute it. We had so much confidence in ourselves. Aaron Taylor likes to say that he was the reason I caught the pass because he missed the block that caused Rick Mirer to have to roll right and throw to me.”

Rick Mirer also shared with me his memories of the Snow Bowl. “ My all-time best football memory, however, has to be the 1992 Penn State game. There was so much drama at the end of that game … going for two points to win the game, playing our last game in Notre Dame Stadium. We ended our time at Notre Dame on a huge highlight. The one we got to sleep on was the Penn State game, and we could not have asked for a better ending . After the Michigan game ending in a tie, and being left with such a weird feeling after that game, I just felt that we had to go for it. We’re either going to win this thing, or not.”

As I look back on all of the Notre Dame games I’ve witnessed over the years, I think this one means so much to me seeing as it was the last home game of my senior year at Notre Dame. I’ve seen some other pretty incredible games, including the 1993 ND vs. FSU game, and the 2012 ND vs. Stanford game, but the Snow Bowl may very well my favorite.

So ... what Notre Dame football game is your favorite? Can you pick just one?

Cheers & GO IRISH!

Throwback Thursday: The Evolution of the Student-Athlete at Notre Dame

Student first, athlete second.

What does it take to be a student-athlete at Notre Dame? We as fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish think we know what it takes to be an athlete at a Division I college: the training, the discipline, the pain, the motivation. But most of us have no idea what it takes to be a successful student-athlete at a top academic institution such as Notre Dame. How did the “student-athlete” concept develop at Notre Dame?

“I didn’t know what in the hell I was doing when I first took the job,” said Mike DeCicco, a mechanical engineering professor at Notre Dame back in 1964 when he accepted Father Joyce’s offer to become the Chief Academic Advisor of Student-Athletes, a newly created position. Notre Dame executive vice president Rev. Edmund P. Joyce C.S.C. and then President Father Theodore Hesburgh had a vision and felt a moral commitment that the University’s excellence in athletics wasn’t good enough. This was Notre Dame and Our Lady of Victory was ready to create a new era in collegiate sports. No - these young men would become much more than mere “jocks” – instead now and forever known as “Notre Dame Student-Athletes”.

Mike Miller / One Foot Down

In a 1988 interview, Mike recalled he had no idea what to do, but it was clear that Hesburgh and Joyce would know success when they saw it. “There was no template or benchmark for success. I’d sit down with a kid and ask how his schoolwork was going. He’d say, ‘Okay.’ I’d say, ‘Fine.’ And that was that. Then when grades would be posted, I’d discover a lot were not doing as well as they said they were.” Mike quickly learned he had to stay on top of each student-athlete’s progress on a weekly basis, not once they were in academic trouble.

Mike created a methodology that would become the model for the best universities, and a standard to be adopted by the NCAA. During Mike’s time as the ND Athletic Department’s Chief Academic Advisor, 99% of student-athletes who were enrolled and stayed in school for four years graduated. When women came to Notre Dame in 1972, female student-athletes were offered the same academic support that was available to the male student-athletes. And in 1988, Notre Dame became the first school ever to win a football national title while at the same time graduating 100% of its players. For the 59 other College Football Association member institutions who returned results that year, the graduation rate was 50.7 percent.

Mike always credited Father Joyce and Father Hesburgh for having the vision to create a position that many felt was unnecessary. “They recognized the constraints and time-factor difficulties student-athletes would eventually have with the increased emphasis on intercollegiate sports,” Mike said. The three of them felt that if they were asking athletes to give their service and energy to the University, the University at the very least could assure them an equal chance to earn a degree along with the rest of their fellow classmates.

Mike’s team set up tutorial services and a ten day orientation program which taught time management and proper study habits, and a summer school program; all of which have been a mandatory part of the academic year of a student-athlete for years. Luther Bradley and Marv Russell, recalled Mike’s role in their lives. “Two-months before we arrived on campus to start summer camp, we received a letter from this guy named Mike outlining academic expectations and what he and his team would do to insure our success in school.”

Marv recalled, “I was a good student, studying theology which is a very tough major at a religious school like ND. Coach DeCicco (also the Notre Dame Fencing Coach) called me into his office and told me what it was going to take to be successful. He said ‘Marv, this is how it’s going to be. The minute I suspect you are not cutting it or you’re having problems, we are going to reassess your major.’ He said, ‘I want you to meet with a graduate assistant every two weeks to assess your progress. Remember: you will get no breaks or special consideration.’ I did what I was told and I was successful. Forty years later I saw Coach at a Notre Dame function and he still recalled that story. What made me feel great was when he said, ‘I’m proud of you Marv and what you have accomplished.’”

Luther was focused on business as his major. He and Marv laughed at Luther’s story of being called into Coach DeCicco’s office for a chat, “You remember that fencing sword he had mounted over his desk? I walked into his office and sat down and all he said was, ‘You see the sword behind me? If you don’t get busy and study harder, you are going to find that sword up your ass.’ Coach never minced words.” Luther said, “I wasn’t doing that bad in class, but he felt I wasn’t working to my potential. He wanted our best just like Ara did on the field.” Both Luther and Marv said what was even more important was if you weren’t performing in the classroom you could bet Ara knew and it was likely Moose Krause the AD knew and you were going to hear from all of them.

Ask just about any Notre Dame student-athlete and they will share with you how in hindsight they realize how much they benefited from the evolution of the Notre Dame “student-athlete” concept. Notre Dame is not an easy place for any student, let alone for those who have the additional demands of athletics. Without this visionary program, many athletes would be left by the wayside, as they are at so many other schools. Today, thanks to the leadership of Mike DeCicco, Father Hesburgh and Father Joyce, Notre Dame consistently leads NCAA schools in graduation rates and overall academic performance.

Coach DeCicco passed away in the spring of 2013. His impact on Notre Dame and the NCAA schools will be a legacy for decades to come. Notre Dame student-athletes owe a debt of thanks to this Loyal Son.

Mike DeCicco was Notre Dame at its finest – he was the Notre Dame Value Stream at work.

Cheers & GO IRISH!

[Today’s story includes excerpts from Triumphs From Notre Dame: Echoes of Her Loyal Sons and Daughters. The Mike DeCicco quotes have been taken from here.]