A Clash of Titans: The Storied Football Rivalry Between the University of Miami and Notre Dame

The world of Division I college football boasts numerous historic rivalries, each with its unique flavor and significance. Among these, the matchup between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Miami Hurricanes stands out, not just for its competitive nature, but for the intense animosity that has defined it. Despite the geographical distance of nearly 1400 miles separating South Bend and Coral Gables, these two programs have consistently maintained a bitter rivalry, fueled by memorable games and a clash of cultures. With Notre Dame and Miami set to renew their rivalry in 2025, it’s a good time to look back at one of college football’s most heated matchups.

Genesis of a Gridiron Grudge

Some rivalries are noteworthy because of their length, others because of geography, or natural competition between schools. And sometimes, a rivalry flares up not for any of those reasons, but because of white-hot animosity and hostility born out of a handful of contests and countless words exchanged. The series began innocently enough in 1955. Miami, then a southern independent without a natural rival, faced the Irish for the first time and fell 14-0. From 1955 through 1980, the Irish dominated the matchup, compiling a 12-1-1 record against Miami. Miami’s lone win during that span came in 1960, and the tie occurred in 1965, a 0‑0 deadlock.

The Schnellenberger Era: Igniting the Fire

The arrival of Howard Schnellenberger at Miami in 1979 marked a turning point. A fiery disciple of Bear Bryant, Schnellenberger, who served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator during three national championships, took over in Coral Gables in 1979. Schnellenberger saw the local talent pool and declared the “State of Miami,” drawing an imaginary line from Daytona Beach to Tampa and vowing to recruit everything south of it. His aggressive strategy quickly paid off. Notre Dame, meanwhile, was struggling under Gerry Faust. Miami shut out the Irish 20-0 in 1983 en route to an improbable national championship.

Escalation Under Jimmy Johnson

Schnellenberger’s successor, Jimmy Johnson, took things to another level. Against Notre Dame, Johnson showed little mercy. In 1984, Miami rolled into South Bend and beat Faust’s Irish 31-13. A year later, in Faust’s finale at the Orange Bowl, Johnson ran up a shocking 58-7 score, even calling punt blocks in the fourth quarter. The rivalry’s animosity was cemented. Beginning in 1971, the rivalry became annual (except in 1986) and produced a dramatic shift. Miami won four of five contests between 1983 and 1987, including a notorious 58-7 rout in 1985 that fueled animosity on both sides. In 1987, Miami shut out Notre Dame 24-0, marking the crescendo of their turnaround.

"Catholics vs. Convicts": A Defining Moment

October 15, 1988, stands as perhaps the most iconic game in the series, forever etched in college football lore. The stage was set for one of the most famous games in college football history. Notre Dame students sold “Catholics vs. Convicts” T-shirts in advance of Miami’s trip to South Bend. ND touted their religious affiliation while reducing Miami to the “bad seed” of the FBS. Tensions rose as news of these shirts spread to the UM campus, and the rivalry became much more significant for the Hurricanes.

Oct. 15, 1988 was a sunny day in South Bend, Indiana. The Golden Dome in all its glory glistened in the early autumn sunshine. Touchdown Jesus watched over a campus, anxious in anticipation, yet cautious in its optimism. Head coach Lou Holtz entered his third year at Notre Dame in 1988 with lofty expectations to fulfill. After an 11-year championship drought (seemingly mild now), the Irish fanbase was starving for success and hoped Holtz would be the program’s savior.

If you were an author plotting a conflict, you couldn’t craft a more perfect rivalry than the University of Notre Dame and the University of Miami. The two programs were the literal antithesis of each other. Notre Dame was an old-school program, rooted with deep and storied history. Under Lou Holtz, the Irish were a tough bunch, but they didn’t possess much flair for the dramatic. On the other hand, Johnson’s Hurricanes represented all that was fun. They played fast, talked trash and dominated nearly everybody, similar to what Notre Dame had done to opponents in the days of yesteryear.

As the Hurricanes entered the lone tunnel following the conclusion of their pregame warmups, emotions boiled over into an all-out brawl. That motivation, although decisively antithetical to its proclaimed Catholic values, allowed the fourth-ranked Irish to take a 7-0 lead over the top-rated Hurricanes after the opening quarter. In front of a soldout crowd of nearly 60,000, Notre Dame pulled ahead once more with a field goal and a touchdown in the third quarter, placing the Hurricanes 36-game winning streak in serious jeopardy.

Miami would draw to within seven midway through the fourth, setting up a crucial 4th-down play deep inside Irish territory. Miami quarterback Steve Walsh found Cleveland Gary in the flat where he reached the line to gain, but upon stretching for the endzone, had the ball knocked loose. Irish quarterback Tony Rice proceeded to fumble just a few plays later, allowing Miami one more chance to stake their place as college football’s premier program and lay a dagger in their biggest rival’s national championship hopes.

In an as equally a controversial play as the Gary fumble, Miami made the score 31-30 with under a minute remaining on a 4th down Walsh touchdown to pass to Andre Brown. The only problem was Brown didn’t actually end up with the football. Instead, Johnson decided to go for two, and the win. One play, from two yards, to decide victory and defeat for the sport’s two best teams. On what is now known in Notre Dame lore as “The Play,” Walsh took a five-step drop and was pressured into attempting an off-balance throw towards the corner of the endzone. Notre Dame safety Pat Terrell deflected the pass to secure the win. Notre Dame held on, 31-30, in what remains one of the program’s most celebrated wins.

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Holtz’s ‘88 Irish would run the table to capture the program’s 11th national title, culminating with a win over West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. But if you are to ask any fan their fondest memory of perhaps the greatest season in Notre Dame history, the answer will undoubtedly be centered around October 15, 1988, Catholics vs. Convicts, between Notre Dame and Miami.

The Series Cools, Then Rekindles

AftermathNotre Dame and Miami met twice more before the series cooled off in the 1990s. Miami won at home in 1989, ending Notre Dame’s 23‑game winning streak with a 27-10 win. The rivalry culminated in 1990 when No. 4 Notre Dame defeated No. 2 Miami 29-20 in their final regular‑season meeting. Notre Dame exited the series amid mounting tensions and declining willingness to schedule the matchup.

The schools met again in the 2010 Sun Bowl, where Brian Kelly’s Irish dominated in snowy El Paso, 33-17 behind freshman QB Tommy Rees and three interceptions from safety Harrison Smith. That marked the rivalry’s first postseason bowl game meeting and Notre Dame’s first bowl win under coach Brian Kelly. In 2012, as part of the Shamrock Series, Notre Dame overwhelmed Miami 41-3 at Soldier Field during its undefeated regular season.

The rivalry briefly reignited in 2017 when Notre Dame traveled to Miami for a primetime showdown of top-10 teams. This time, the Hurricanes got their revenge with a 41-8 demolition, one of the low points of Kelly’s tenure. Their most recent meeting occurred in 2017, when Miami handled Notre Dame decisively 41-8 in South Bend. Since then, the teams haven’t played again, setting the stage for present day.

Historical Game Results

Here's a summary of the game results between Notre Dame and Miami:

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October 7, 1955 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 14, Miami 0
November 12, 1960 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 21, Miami 28
November 27, 1965 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 0, Miami 0 (tie)
November 24, 1967 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 24, Miami 22
October 9, 1971 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 17, Miami 0
November 18, 1972 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 20, Miami 17
December 1, 1973 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 44, Miami 0
October 26, 1974 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 38, Miami 7
November 22, 1975 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 32, Miami 9
November 20, 1976 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 40, Miami 27
December 3, 1977 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 48, Miami 10
October 28, 1978 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 20, Miami 0
November 24, 1979 - Tokyo, Japan (Mirage Bowl) - Notre Dame 40, Miami 15
October 11, 1980 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 32, Miami 14
November 27, 1981 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 15, Miami 37
October 9, 1982 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 16, Miami 14
September 24, 1983 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 0, Miami 20
October 6, 1984 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 13, Miami 31
November 30, 1985 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 7, Miami 58
November 28, 1987 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 0, Miami 24
October 15, 1988 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 31, Miami 30
November 25, 1989 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 10, Miami 27
October 20, 1990 - South Bend, IN - Notre Dame 29, Miami 20
December 31, 2010 - El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl) - Notre Dame 33, Miami 17
October 6, 2012 - Chicago, IL (Shamrock Series) - Notre Dame 41, Miami 3
November 11, 2017 - Miami Gardens, FL - Notre Dame 8, Miami 41

A Rivalry Renewed

Notre Dame comes off a national championship appearance and Miami just barely missed the CFP last season. Both teams project to compete for a spot in the playoff and this game - one that renews the storied, yet inconsistent rivalry - hopes to be another addition to the tale between the Fighting Irish and Hurricanes.

With the renewal of the series on the horizon, college football fans eagerly anticipate the next chapter in this captivating rivalry. The clash between Notre Dame and Miami is more than just a game; it's a collision of traditions, a battle of wills, and a spectacle that embodies the passion and intensity of college football at its finest.

Notre Dame's Other Gridiron Battles

While the Miami rivalry holds a special place in Notre Dame's football history, the Fighting Irish have cultivated numerous other significant rivalries over the years. These contests, steeped in tradition and often marked by intense competition, contribute to the rich tapestry of Notre Dame football.

Navy Midshipmen

The Navy-Notre Dame series, played annually between 1927 and 2019, held the distinction of being the longest uninterrupted intersectional series in college football. Before Navy's thrilling 46-44 triple-overtime victory in 2007, Notre Dame had dominated the series with a 43-game winning streak, the longest between two annual opponents in Division I FBS history. Despite the lopsided results in recent decades, the series remains a sacred tradition for both schools.

The roots of this rivalry run deep, with both institutions boasting strong football traditions dating back to the sport's early days. During World War II, when Notre Dame faced severe financial difficulties, the U.S. Navy established a training center on campus, providing crucial financial support that kept the university afloat. In gratitude, Notre Dame has extended an open invitation for Navy to play the Fighting Irish in football annually, considering it a repayment of a debt of honor. The series is characterized by mutual respect, with each team standing at attention during the playing of the other's alma mater after the game, a tradition that began in 2005.

Due to the relatively small size of Navy's football stadium in Annapolis, the home games are typically held at larger venues such as Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium, FedExField in Landover, Maryland, or Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The series has also ventured overseas, with games played in Dublin, Ireland, in 1996 and 2012 (and again in 2023).

Boston College Eagles

Boston College is considered to be a rival with Notre Dame based on both institutions' connection to the Roman Catholic Church. The Fighting Irish and Boston College Eagles first met in 1975 in Dan Devine's debut as head coach. They met in the 1983 Liberty Bowl and during the regular season in 1987, then played each other annually from 1992 to 2004. The matchup has become relatively popular and gained several nicknames including the "Holy War", "The Bingo Bowl" and "The Celtic Bowl". In 1993, the Eagles ruined Notre Dame's undefeated season with a 41-39 victory on a 41-yard field goal by David Gordon as time ran out, overshadowing a furious comeback from a 38-17 fourth quarter deficit by Notre Dame. The series was scheduled to end after the 2010 season due in part to BC's move to the ACC; however, it was renewed in 2010. With Notre Dame's move to the ACC, they will continue to meet at least semi-regularly. The first meeting after Notre Dame's arrival in the ACC was held at Fenway Park in 2015 as part of Notre Dame's Shamrock Series, with the Irish winning 19-16; the next was in 2017 with Notre Dame winning 49-20.

Michigan Wolverines

On October 9, 1943, top-ranked Notre Dame defeated second-ranked Michigan in the first matchup of top teams since the institution of the AP Poll in 1936. In the aftermath of Notre Dame's 5 game ACC schedule and Michigan's expanded Big 10 schedule, the series was put on a three-year hiatus after the 2014 game, a 31-0 Notre Dame victory. The series resumed at ND in 2018 with the Irish winning 24-17. The rivalry is heightened not only by location but also the two schools' competitive leadership atop the college football all-time winning percentage board, as well as its competition for the same type of student-athletes.

Michigan State Spartans

Notre Dame also has a rivalry with Michigan State University that began in 1897. From 1959 to 2013 the Fighting Irish played Michigan State every year without interruption, except for a two-year hiatus in 1995 and 1996. The next scheduled game is in 2026. The 1966 Notre Dame vs. Michigan State football game is regarded as one of the Games of the Century and is still talked about to this day because of its ending - a 10-10 tie. Since polls began in 1936, this game marked the 10th matchup that paired the No. 1 team against the No. 2 team, with Notre Dame having been involved in five of these ten games up to that point. Since 1949, the teams competed for the Megaphone Trophy, a trophy introduced by the Alumni Clubs of Notre Dame and Michigan State to be presented to the winner of the game.

Purdue Boilermakers

This in-state rivalry began in 1896. From 1946 to 2014, the Fighting Irish played Purdue Boilermakers every year without interruption. The series is scheduled to resume on a non-annual basis in 2021 with Notre Dame leading the series 59-26-2. The series has been marked by a number of key upsets. Purdue ended Notre Dame's 39-game unbeaten streak in 1950 and posted upsets in 1954, 1967 and 1974. They also hold the record for the most points scored in one game by an opponent in Notre Dame Stadium with 51 in 1960. On September 28, 1968, No. 1 Purdue defeated No.

Stanford Cardinal

The Fighting Irish have a rivalry with the Stanford Cardinal for the Legends Trophy, a combination of Fighting Irish crystal with California redwood. The series has been played annually except in 1995-96 and 2020. The rivalry has become competitive in some years, particularly during the tenures of Stanford coaches Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw. News & World Report top 20 best colleges in the United States, and both share a mission to develop student athletes that can excel in the classroom and on the football field. Notre Dame leads the series 23-14. When the game is played in Palo Alto, it is usually the last game on Stanford's schedule (as has been the case since 1999), one week after the Cardinal plays archrival Cal in The Big Game. The 2020 game, scheduled to be played at Notre Dame on Saturday October 10, was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with all other non-conference games involving Pac-12 schools.

USC Trojans

Notre Dame's main rival is the University of Southern California. The Notre Dame-USC football rivalry has been played annually since 1926, except from 1943 to 1945 and 2020, and is regarded as the greatest intersectional series in college football. The winner of the annual rivalry game is awarded the coveted Jeweled Shillelagh, a war club adorned with emerald-emblazoned clovers signifying Fighting Irish victories and ruby-emblazoned Trojan warrior heads for Trojan wins. When the original shillelagh ran out of space for the Trojan heads and shamrocks after the 1989 game, it was retired and is permanently displayed at Notre Dame. A new shillelagh was introduced for the 1997 season. The origin of the series is often recounted as a "conversation between wives" of Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne and USC athletic director Gywnn Wilson. In fact, many sports writers often cite this popular story as the main reason the two schools decided to play one another. As the story goes, the series began with USC looking for a national rival. USC dispatched Wilson and his wife to Lincoln, Nebraska, where Notre Dame was playing Nebraska on Thanksgiving Day. On that day (Nebraska 17, Notre Dame 0) Knute Rockne resisted the idea of a home-and-home series with USC because of the travel involved, but Mrs. Wilson was able to persuade Mrs. Rockne that a trip every two years to sunny Southern California was better than one to snowy, hostile Nebraska. However, several college football historians, including Murray Sperber, have uncovered evidence that somewhat contradicts this story. Since 1961, the game has alternated between Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana in mid-October and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which serves as USC's home field, in late November. The 2020 game, scheduled to be played in Los Angeles on Saturday November 28, was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with all other non-conference games involving Pac-12 schools.

Army Black Knights

While Notre Dame and Army have not been consistent rivals in recent years, their contests were significant in the first half of the 20th century. It was Army that helped Notre Dame gain a national following by scheduling them during the Rockne years while Notre Dame was unable to schedule games with Big Ten teams. Military Academy Cadets (now Black Knights) reached its zenith. This was because both teams were extremely successful and met several times in key games (including one of the Games of the Century, a scoreless tie in the 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame football game). In 1944, the Cadets administered the worst defeat in Notre Dame football history, crushing the Fighting Irish 59-0. The following year, it was more of the same, a 48-0 victory. The 1947 game was played on the Notre Dame campus for the first time and the Fighting Irish prevailed, 27-7. Since then, there have been infrequent meetings over the past several decades, with Army's last win coming in 1958. Like Navy, due to the small capacity of Army's Michie Stadium, the Black Knights play their home games at a neutral site, which for a number of years was Yankee Stadium and before that the Polo Grounds. In 1957, the game was played in Philadelphia's Municipal (later John F. Kennedy Memorial) Stadium while in 1965, the teams met at Shea Stadium in New York. The 1973 contest was played at West Point with the Fighting Irish prevailing, 62-3.

Air Force Falcons

The Fighting Irish and Falcons first met in 1964, with the Fighting Irish prevailing 34-7, and proceeded to play each other annually from 1972 to 1991 (they did not meet in 1976). In the match-up in 2007, the Fighting Irish came into the game matching their worst start in Notre Dame history with a 1-8 record. The Falcons won for the first time since 1996, 41-24, the largest margin of victory for Air Force in six wins over the Fighting Irish, the biggest by a military academy since Navy beat the Fighting Irish 35-14 in 1963 behind Roger Staubach, and the first time that Air Force had ever scored 40 points in a game against Notre Dame. It marked the first time Notre Dame had lost to two service academies in the same season since 1944 and it was also a school-record sixth straight home loss for the Fighting Irish. The series began when Air Force visited Notre Dame Stadium on October 8, 2011, with Notre Dame prevailing 59-33.

Clemson Tigers

The Fighting Irish and Tigers first met in 1977 in Clemson, SC, with the Fighting Irish winning 21-17. They met again in 1979 in South Bend, IN, the Tigers winning 16-10. The teams would not meet again until 2015, a ranked matchup of #6 Fighting Irish and #11 Tigers. The next meeting was the 2018 Cotton Bowl Classic, a CFP Semifinal. Both teams came into the game undefeated; #2 Tigers were 13-0 and the #3 Fighting Irish were 12-0. In 2020, the Power Five conferences enforced restrictions on non-conference games in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Fighting Irish played a full Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schedule which included a matchup with the Tigers. Both teams came into the game undefeated and ranked in the top 5; Tigers were #1 and Fighting Irish #4. The Fighting Irish prevailed in double overtime, 47-40. The Fighting Irish went on to an undefeated ACC season, clinching a berth into the 2020 ACC Championship Game, a matchup against, the #3 Tigers. The Tigers defeated #2 Fighting Irish 34-10. The teams split the next two meetings, 2022 and 2023, the home team winning each time. The next scheduled meeting is November 13, 2027. On May 6, 2025, Clemson and Notre Dame announced that they have scheduled a 12-game football series spanning from 2027 to 2038.

Florida State Seminoles

This series began in Indiana in 1981. Florida State won 19-13. Notre Dame won the second contest, however, in 1993, in South Bend, by a score of 31-24. The contest was referred to by some as "The Game of the Century." Florida State was at the time ranked No. 1 and Notre Dame was ranked No. The two teams are next scheduled to meet during the regular season in 2029.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

This series began in 1922. The Yellow Jackets were a longtime rival of the Fighting Irish and the two teams met periodically on an annual basis over the years, particularly from 1963 to 1981 when both schools were independents following Tech's departure from the Southeastern Conference. The 1975 Georgia Tech-Notre Dame game marked the sole appearance in an Irish uniform of Rudy Ruettiger, the subject of the film Rudy. Consequently, the two teams have met very infrequently since then. Georgia Tech was the opponent in the inaugural game in the newly expanded Notre Dame Stadium in 1997, then a year later they met again in the Gator Bowl. The Fighting Irish and Yellow Jackets met in the 2006 and 2007 season openers and split both games.

Indiana Hoosiers

Although not as significant as the soccer rivalry between the two schools, the Hoosiers still serve as in-state competition for Notre Dame in football. The two teams first met in 1898, and continued to consistently play each other up until 1958. The rivalry has historically been dominated by Notre Dame, who hold a 24-5-1 record in the series. The Fighting Irish have lost only one game to the Hoosiers since 1908. However, that one loss came in the 1950 season, and was a shocking result, considering that the Irish had won three of the last four national championships at the time, as well as four of the last seven Heisman Trophy winners. In 1907, the game between the two ended in a 0-0 tie, the only tie of the series. The two teams met for the first time in 33 years in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff. The game was the first ever home playoff game in college football history. It was the first game of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, and only the fourth time that Notre Dame has hosted a game in December. It also was the first time since 1990 that Notre Dame had played on a Friday, and the first time since 1990 that a Notre Dame home game was not broadcast by NBC.

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