Favorite memories from the coliseum

[graceh90]

What are your favorite ND moments in LA?

I have 2:

1. Stan Smagala returning a pick 6 while Stams buries Rodney Peete in 88. Perhaps the most consequential play in the most consequential ND SC game ever.

2. Robert Hughes runs over the heart of the SC defense in the game winning drive in 2010. Avenged a decade of humiliation

 

[NDSMC78]

What are your favorite ND moments in LA?

I have 2:

1. Stan Smagala returning a pick 6 while Stams buries Rodney Peete in 88. Perhaps the most consequential play in the most consequential ND SC game ever.

2. Robert Hughes runs over the heart of the SC defense in the game winning drive in 2010. Avenged a decade of humiliation

And in the same 1988 game, Tony Rice with a 65 yard TD run to start off the scoring on what would be a great day for ND. I remember it well.

 

[melstew]

And in the same 1988 game, Tony Rice with a 65 yard TD run to start off the scoring on what would be a great day for ND. I remember it well.

That was my number 1. Also loved the Tony Jones wheel route (in 2016 I think) with Chris Fowlers "is that the play" commentary.

 

[sjb75]

What are your favorite ND moments in LA?

I have 2:

1. Stan Smagala returning a pick 6 while Stams buries Rodney Peete in 88. Perhaps the most consequential play in the most consequential ND SC game ever.

2. Robert Hughes runs over the heart of the SC defense in the game winning drive in 2010. Avenged a decade of humiliation

Lou sending home, on the day of the #1 versus #2 1988 game, offensive stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, for being late to the team dinner the night before. Supposedly they had borrowed a car at the team hotel and went to a local mall in Newport Beach.

 

[Telx1]

Lots of great memories, but the one that always pops to the top is our 25-0 loss at the coliseum in 1962. We were the only ND fans in the section where my family had seats, and obnoxious USC fans were laughing and hollering to put the Pope in, etc…. My mom got pissed and told them to shut their traps, things escalated, and my dad grabbed the one who got in my mom’s face and threatened to kick their collective asses. They shut up and left early, and we watched a ND offense dominated by a really good USC team that won the NC that year.

 

[wicker]

Tim Brown going off in 86

 

[Classic Irish]

Sitting through a deluge in 1984 to watch our first win in the Coliseum since 1966.

 

[Drinking The Green Koolaid]

In 1976 I drove up from San Diego with some Navy buddies to take in the game. I think there were 3 of us who were ND alums, and there were 4 guys from the Naval Academy, one of whom was pretty big and very fit. During the game a bunch of USC fans started talking shit at us, I guess because a couple of us were wearing ND gear. A couple of the guys from the Naval Academy got into it with the USC fans, and things eventually escalated into fisticuffs. The big dude from the Academy knocked one of the obnoxious USC fans out cold, and that was sort of the end of it. After the game I asked him why he mixed it up with some USC fans when he didn't even go to ND. He told me, "I respect Notre Dame. I hate USC." My kind of guy.

 

[IrishMike409]

Fun thread/topic.

The Robert Hughes drive was awesome. It was fun seeing Hughes go out like that.

Watched that game at my Uncle's house. He had a big holiday party that night, all ND fans. Great memory.

 

[HDK]

This thread is like asking a bunch of parolees what was their favorite memory from prison. The good memories are few and far between.

But one that stands out for me is our first offensive play in the '88 game. After USC had pinned us at our own 1-yard line, Rice dropped back and connected on a bomb to the Rocket. That buffoon Keith Jackson said Rice had stepped on the backline of the end zone when he had only stepped on the top of the USC letters. Jackson insisted Rice had stepped out of the end zone even after seeing it on replay.

 

[Telx1]

In 1976 I drove up from San Diego with some Navy buddies to take in the game. I think there were 3 of us who were ND alums, and there were 4 guys from the Naval Academy, one of whom was pretty big and very fit. During the game a bunch of USC fans started talking shit at us, I guess because a couple of us were wearing ND gear. A couple of the guys from the Naval Academy got into it with the USC fans, and things eventually escalated into fisticuffs. The big dude from the Academy knocked one of the obnoxious USC fans out cold, and that was sort of the end of it. After the game I asked he why he mixed it up with some USC fans when he didn't even go to ND. He told me, "I respect Notre Dame. I hate USC." My kind of guy.

Both my mom and dad would live this story if alive. Brought a BIG smile to my face. Thank you!

 

[Telx1]

Sitting through a deluge in 1984 to watch our first win in the Coliseum since 1966.

That was the beginning of a great winning streak by ND.

 

[ZibbyQuinn]

What are your favorite ND moments in LA?

I have 2:

1. Stan Smagala returning a pick 6 while Stams buries Rodney Peete in 88. Perhaps the most consequential play in the most consequential ND SC game ever.

2. Robert Hughes runs over the heart of the SC defense in the game winning drive in 2010. Avenged a decade of humiliation

Was there in 2010 for the first ND win against SC in 8 years and in 2018 to clinch a spot in the playoff. 2010 was my favorite, was hyped, some rough years getting blown out in the early 2000s.

 

[HDK]

Lou sending home, on the day of the #1 versus #2 1988 game, offensive stars Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, for being late to the team dinner the night before. Supposedly they had borrowed a car at the team hotel and went to a local mall in Newport Beach.

That was actually a team decision. They apparently had been late more than once, and Holtz put it to the team to vote. I remember reading a story about it, where Watters said they flew back to Chicago and had to transfer to a short flight to South Bend. While they waited, they watched the game on TV and felt like idiots for having screwed up.

 

[tkirish]

Reggie Brooks 1992 running all over SC. I think he had 220 yards rushing or something like that.

 

[Rockne's Rambler]

1) 1956 Paul Hornung returning kickoff for TD. ND lost. Hornung won the Heismann on a 2-8 team!
2) 1966 51-0. ND wins national championship redeeming the heartbreaking 1964 loss.