Notre Dame’s Stonebreaker becomes school’s 55th College Football Hall of Famer
The following release is courtesy of the University of Notre Dame:
Michael Stonebreaker, a two-time All-American and one of the most skilled linebackers in college football in the late 1980s, has been elected as a member of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class by the National Football Foundation.
Stonebreaker (1986-90) becomes the 55th Notre Dame player or coach inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, which is the most of any institution in the country.
The River Ridge, Louisiana, native was a key member of Notre Dame’s 1988 National Championship team, piling up 104 tackles (second-best on the team) under Hall of Fame coaches Lou Holtz and Barry Alvarez (the Irish defensive coordinator at that time). Stonebreaker finished third in voting for the Butkus Award in 1988.
After missing the 1989 season, Stonebreaker came back to lead the Irish with 95 tackles in 1990 as the Irish earned an Orange Bowl berth that ended in a 10-9 loss to Colorado – who shared the ‘90 national title with Georgia Tech. Stonebreaker’s 1990 season was highlighted by a number of game-sealing plays, including a late fourth quarter interception against No. 4 Michigan, another late game pick against No. 24 Michigan State and a fumble recovery to secure a victory over No. 2 Miami.
The Irish eventually finished sixth in the final poll of 1990 while Stonebreaker earned unanimous All-America honors and invitations to the Japan and Hula Bowls. During his three seasons in South Bend, he tallied 220 career tackles, eight pass breakups and five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
Selected in the ninth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, Stonebreaker played three seasons in the league with Chicago, Atlanta, and New Orleans. He played one season in the World League for the Frankfurt Galaxy in 1995.
He currently resides in New Orleans, and he is the owner and operating partner of N.O. Brew Coffee, a cold-drip, handcrafted coffee product. Stonebreaker has worked with Saveourlake.com to raise awareness for coastal erosion since 2005, and he is a member of Notre Dame NCSA Advisory Board. He donates coffee grounds from N.O. Brew to The School at Blair Grocery.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5, 2023, at the ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas.
Founded in 1951 by the National Football Foundation, the College Football Hall of Fame immortalizes the greatest of the amateur gridiron. 5.1 million people have coached or played the game and less than 1,300 are inductees in the Hall.
Originally slated to be built on the Rutgers University campus – home of the first college football game in 1869 – the Hall ultimately found its first home in Kings Mills, Ohio in 1978. The Ohio location closed in 1992 and the Hall relocated to South Bend, Indiana, where it resided from 1995 to 2012.
In 2014, the College Football Hall of Fame opened in Atlanta, a major hub of college football activity, a convention and tourist destination, and home of one of the nation’s busiest airports.
