FanPost

Favorite Win Over Notre Dame


When I got married, which was over 30 years ago, my new father-in-law, who is a Northwestern alum and retired professor from the Univ. of Nebraska, told me that he has always liked Purdue. When I asked why, he said "because you guys beat Notre Dame a lot." At one time we had more wins over Notre Dame than any other team except for USC. The first one I remember was 1981. Trailing 14-7 with less than 20 seconds to play, Scott Campbell hit Steve Bryant in the corner of the end zone on 4th down to make it 14-13. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, Coach Jim Young went for 2 and called the exact same play only to the other side. He said it was not a philosophical decision, he just knew it would work. It did and we won 15-14. For those of you who were in Ross-Ade that day, that must have been a blast! The '84 win was a nice surprise and it set the stage for a great season. It was also the first game played in the Hoosier Dome. Before that game we did not know if our new QB, Jim Everett, would work out or not. He did. After a long dry spell, Coach Tiller came to town and the rivalry was back on. The '97 win kicked off the "Basketball on Grass" era. How about Cowboy Joe calling the screen to Vinnie Sutherland on 3rd down with a minute and a half to go. No hand-off, then punting and playing defense. He went for the knockout. Similar to '99 when ND was on our goal line threatening to score a game-winning TD. Coach Tiller looked at Coach Spack and said "let's blitz 'em." Coach Spack dialed it up and the game ended with a Mike Rose QB sack. The '04 win is probably my favorite because wins in South Bend are so rare, and we really put a whipping on them. It was a long time coming (30 years). Who can forget Taylor Stubblefield's 97-yard TD with his fist in the air 60 yards from the end zone? What is your favorite win or memory from a Purdue-Notre Dame game? Let's go add another one to the list this Saturday -- Boiler Up!

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