The Best Notre Dame Football Players of All Time
A list of the best Notre Dame football players of all time. Notre Dame University's Fightin' Irish are a college football institution. Some of college football's most storied teams and greatest players of all time have played for the Golden Domers. For years, Notre Dame has lured the best football players in the land to South Bend, Ind. to play football for the school. Notre Dame's alumni are some of the most famous people to graduate from the school. The program started in 1888 and almost immediately became a national powerhouse.Those early Fightin' Irish teams had some of the school's greatest players ever, including George Gipp. A legend in Notre Dame folklore, Gipp was the school's first first team All-American player. Despite not playing football until he got to Notre Dame, Gipp led the Irish in rushing and passing each of his last three seasons 1918, 1919 and 1920. He was also the subject of head coach Knute Rockne's greatest speech when he said "Win one for the Gipper."
Over the years, Notre Dame's best players have gone onto successful NFL careers. Paul Hornung and Alan Page are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and longtime Raiders receiver and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown is on the cusp of being inducted as well. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail had a long, successful career in the pros after an outstanding career at Notre Dame. So who are the best Notre Dame players in the pros today? Perhaps New York GIants defensive end Justin Tuck. Though he played on some solid teams at Notre Dame, Tuck won two Super Bowls in the NFL and is one of the best players to come from the school in recent years. Recently, Manti Te'o added himself to the list of the greatest players in Notre Dame history when he finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
This is the list of the best Notre Dame football players of all time. If you notice someone is missing, feel free to add him. Vote or rerank this list according to who you think is the greatest Notre Dame Fightin' Irish football player ever.- Quarterback
- Age: 66
- Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs
- Running back
- Age: 51
- Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams
- 4
Quentin Nelson
- Linebacker
- Age: 23
- Teams: Notre Dame
- Defensive tackle, Defensive end
- Age: 77
- Teams: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings