1983 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
American college football season
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The 1983 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third year under head coach Gerry Faust, the Irish compiled a 7–5 record, outscored opponents by a total of 297 to 159, and were unranked for the third consecutive year in both the final AP and UPI polls. Despite losing the last three games of the regular season, the Irish were invited to play in the Liberty Bowl where they defeated No. 13 Boston College, 19–18.[1][2]
| 1983 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
|---|---|
Liberty Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 7–5 |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Jim Johnson |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Miami (FL) | – | – | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | – | – | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Boston College | – | – | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 West Virginia | – | – | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 East Carolina | – | – | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Pittsburgh | – | – | 8 | – | 3 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | – | – | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | – | – | 8 | – | 4 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Miss | – | – | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memphis State | – | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | – | – | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | – | – | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | – | – | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwestern Louisiana | – | – | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Temple | – | – | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | – | – | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisville | – | – | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Navy | – | – | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | – | – | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Army | – | – | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Running back Allen Pinkett led the team with 1,394 rushing yards, 28 pass receptions, and 108 points scored and received first-team honors from Football News and The Sporting News on the 1983 All-America college football team. The team's other statistical leaders included quarterback Steve Beuerlein (1,061 passing yards), wide receiver Joe Howard (464 receiving yards), and linebacker Tony Furjanic (142 tackles).[3][4]
The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 10 | 2:30 p.m. | at Purdue | No. 5 | W 52–6 | 69,782 | [5] | ||
| September 17 | 2:30 p.m. | Michigan State | No. 4 | L 23–28 | 59,075 | [6] | ||
| September 24 | 9:00 p.m. | at Miami (FL) | No. 13 | CBS | L 0–20 | 52,480 | [7] | |
| October 1 | 3:30 p.m. | at Colorado | KWGN | W 27–3 | 52,692 | [8] | ||
| October 8 | 7:00 p.m. | at South Carolina | W 30–6 | 74,500 | [9] | |||
| October 15 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Army | W 42–0 | 75,131 | [10] | |||
| October 22 | 2:30 p.m. | USC |
| W 27–6 | 59,075 | [11] | ||
| October 29 | 12:00 p.m. | Navy | No. 19 |
| W 28–12 | 59,075 | [12] | |
| November 5 | 3:45 p.m. | Pittsburgh | No. 18 |
| CBS | L 16–21 | 59,075 | [13] |
| November 12 | 1:00 p.m. | at Penn State | L 30–34 | 85,899 | [14] | |||
| November 19 | 12:35 p.m. | Air Force |
| ABC | L 22–23 | 59,075 | [15] | |
| December 29 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 13 Boston College | Katz | W 19–18 | 47,071 | [16] | ||
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Roster
| 1983 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Game summaries
Purdue
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Notre Dame | 17 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
| Purdue | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
- Date: September 10
- Location: Ross–Ade Stadium
- Game attendance: 69,782
| Q1 | ND | Bell 9 yard pass from Kiel (Johnston kick) | ND 7–0 | |
| Q1 | ND | Bell 1 yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 14–0 | |
| Q1 | ND | Johnston 31 yard field goal | ND 17–0 | |
| Q2 | ND | Bell 2 yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 24–0 | |
| Q2 | ND | Bavaro 17 yard pass from Kiel (Johnston kick) | ND 31–0 | |
| Q3 | ND | Pinkett 1 yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 38–0 | |
| Q3 | ND | Bell 5 yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 45–0 | |
| Q4 | ND | Abraham 3 yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 52–0 | |
| Q4 | PUR | Brunner 18 yard pass from Everett (kick failed) | ND 52–6 | |
- Allen Pinkett 15 Rush, 115 Yds
Colorado
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Notre Dame | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| Colorado | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
- Date: October 1
- Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
| 1 | ND | Pinkett 10-yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 7-0 | |
| 1 | COL | Field 43-yard field goal | ND 7-3 | |
| 1 | ND | Johnston 21-yard field goal | ND 10-3 | |
| 2 | ND | Brooks 31-yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 17-3 | |
| 3 | ND | Smith 29-yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 24-3 | |
| 4 | ND | Johnston 39-yard field goal | ND 27-3 | |
USC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| • Notre Dame | 7 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
- Date: October 22
- Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
| 1 | ND | Pinkett 11-yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 7-0 | |
| 2 | ND | Pinkett 9-yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 14-0 | |
| 2 | 0:29 | ND | Johnston 30-yard field goal | ND 17-0 |
| 3 | ND | Pinkett 11-yard run (Johnston kick) | ND 24-0 | |
| 3 | USC | Harper 1-yard run (run failed) | ND 24-6 | |
| 3 | 0:02 | ND | Johnston 39-yard field goal | ND 27-6 |
The game came to be known as the "Green Jerseys II" game. Notre Dame snapped a five-game losing streak to USC as Allen Pinkett rushed 21 times for 122 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard game and the first Irish player to do so since Jim Stone in 1980. "We felt could have beat USC in blue. We felt we could have beat them in T-shirts," said Pinkett. The game took place six years to the day from the original "Green Jersey" game in 1977 but head coach Gerry Faust had already made the decision to wear the jerseys over the summer.
Liberty Bowl
Notre Dame was invited to the Liberty Bowl where they faced Boston College and their prized quarterback Doug Flutie. Boston College scored first on a 13-yard touchdown pass but missed the extra point. Notre Dame came back as Allen Pinkett and Chris Smith each rushed for 100-plus yards, while Pinkett scored two touchdowns as Notre Dame beat Boston College, 19–18, to win their first bowl game since the 1979 Cotton Bowl.
Awards and honors
- Allen Pinkett finished 16th in voting for the Heisman Trophy.[18]
- Former Fighting Irish players Bill Fischer and Bill Shakespeare was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame