History of Notre Dame’s rivalry with Navy
Few rivalries in college football have as much history and prestige as Notre Dame-Navy.
Except for the COVID-19-affected season, these programs have played each other every year since 1927. Even with the college football landscape seemingly always in flux, there’s no reason to think this rivalry will stop anytime soon. Most fans on both sides are fine with that, even if the Irish have won the vast majority of the meetings.
If for no other reason, Notre Dame owes it to Navy to keep the rivalry going. When Notre Dame faced financial difficulties during World War II, the Navy opted to use the university as a training ground for its V-12 program. The money the Navy paid for that usage kept the university from going under, so Notre Dame feel it’s forever in its debt.
The result is many memorable moments over the years. Here are some of them:
1969: Irish set program yardage record
The Irish record for yards in a game was set during this 47-0 win. They gained 720 yards, most on a program-record 597 rushing yards and record 91 attempts. Big touchdown runs from Joe Theismann and Bill Etter helped. Together, the two quarterbacks were responsible for 332 of the Irish’s yards.
1972: Irish win first college game at Veterans Stadium
The Irish announced their presence in the first collegiate game at the Philadelphia stadium early when Gary Diminick returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown. From there, the offense continued to assert itself, especially on the ground with 526 rushing yards and a then-school record 29 first downs in a 42-23 victory. Andy Huff led that attack with 121 yards on 16 carries.
1996: Irish win first game in Ireland
This was the first time the programs played each other on the Emerald Isle. The Irish were trying to bounce back from a stunning loss against Air Force. With 303 rushing yards for six touchdowns, they did just that with a 54-27 win that set the NCAA record for longest winning streak in one rivalry.
1997: Rossum saves day
Two years before Mike Jones stopped Kevin Dyson from reaching the end zone in the final seconds of the Super Bowl, Allen Rossum did something similar in this edition of the game. Pat McGrew scooped up a batted ball and came within a yard or two of ending the Midshipmen’s long losing streak in the rivalry. Instead, Rossum knocked him out of bounds, and the Irish hung on for a 21-17 win.
2007: Navy finally wins again
All good things must come to an end, and there was no better time for that than the Irish’s disastrous 2007 season. The game was close throughout, and it only made sense that the teams would trade scores during the first two overtimes. But when Travis Thomas was stopped short of the end zone on the two-point conversion attempt in the third overtime, the Midshipmen were ahead, 46-44, giving them their first win in the rivalry since 1963.
2009: Late safety wins it for Midshipmen
Craig Schaefer’s safety against Jimmy Clausen with one minute left proved to be the difference. The Irish recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Clausen threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate, cutting the Midshipmen’s lead to 23-21. They failed to recover a second onside kick, and the loss sent them into a tailspin for the remainder of the season.
2010: Midshipmen run over Irish
The Midshipmen historically love to run the ball, and they sure showed it on this day. They ran 60 times for 367 yards, scoring four of their five touchdowns that way. Ricky Dobbs scored three of the touchdowns, and Alexander Teich had 210 yards on the ground to go with the Midshipmen’s loan receiving touchdown in a 35-17 win at the Meadowlands.
2011: Irish continually run into end zone
The Midshipmen love to run the ball, and the Irish threw that right back at them on this day. They scored a program record seven rushing touchdowns in a 56-14 victory. Five of the seven came from Jonas Gray (three) and Cierre Wood (two).
2012: Irish win second game in Ireland
For many, 2012 is the most recent truly great Notre Dame season. It only made sense to kick it off overseas against the longtime rival. The 50-10 win included two touchdowns and 109 rushing yards by Theo Riddick.
2019: Claypool scores early, often
Chase Claypool must have figured the Midshipmen would be a perfect opponent to showcase his skills to NFL scouts. Either way, he scored the Irish’s first three touchdowns and ultimately tied the program record with four receiving touchdowns. In fact, the majority of his seven receptions were for touchdowns as the Irish won, 52-20, despite Notre Dame Stadium’s sellout streak ending at 273 games.
