Holy War (Boston College vs. Notre Dame)
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The Holy War is a title used to describe the college football game between Boston College and Notre Dame. The series pits the "Eagles" against the "Fighting Irish" and derives its name from the fact that the two teams represent the only Catholic universities in the United States which compete in the NCAA's Division I-A, the highest level of competition in American college football.
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[edit] History
Although football at both universities dates to the 19th century, the series itself is relatively young. Boston College and Notre Dame first met on the gridiron on September 15, 1975, in a game held at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts. Since then, the two schools have met a total of 16 times, including a match up in the 1983 Liberty Bowl. An annual series was held from 1992-2004 and is scheduled to resume in 2007, though its future beyond 2010 is in question. Overall, Notre Dame leads the series 9-7.
While the "Holy War" moniker dates to the first contest between the two schools in 1975, the rivalry has acquired a number of other nicknames over the years. These include the "Vatican Bowl," the "Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl" and the "Jesuit Invitational." Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a Notre Dame alumna, referenced the rivalry using the "Holy War" moniker during her 2006 commencement address at BC's Alumni Stadium.[1]
[edit] Results
No. | Date Played | Location | Score | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 15, 1975 | Foxboro, MA | Boston College | 3 | Notre Dame | 17 |
2 | December 29, 1983 | Liberty Bowl | Boston College | 18 | Notre Dame | 19 |
3 | November 7, 1987 | Notre Dame, IN | Boston College | 25 | Notre Dame | 32 |
4 | November 7, 1992 | Notre Dame, IN | Boston College | 7 | Notre Dame | 54 |
5 | November 20, 1993 | Notre Dame, IN | Boston College | 41 | Notre Dame | 39 |
6 | October 8, 1994 | Chestnut Hill, MA | Boston College | 30 | Notre Dame | 11 |
7 | October 28, 1995 | Notre Dame, IN | Boston College | 10 | Notre Dame | 20 |
8 | November 9, 1996 | Chestnut Hill, MA | Boston College | 21 | Notre Dame | 48 |
9 | October 25, 1997 | Notre Dame, IN | Boston College | 20 | Notre Dame | 52 |
10 | November 7, 1998 | Chestnut Hill, MA | Boston College | 26 | Notre Dame | 31 |
11 | November 20, 1999 | Notre Dame, IN | Boston College | 31 | Notre Dame | 29 |
12 | November 11, 2000 | Notre Dame, IN | Boston College | 16 | Notre Dame | 28 |
13 | October 27, 2001 | Chestnut Hill, MA | Boston College | 21 | Notre Dame | 17 |
14 | November 2, 2002 | Notre Dame, IN | Boston College | 14 | Notre Dame | 7 |
15 | October 25, 2003 | Chestnut Hill, MA | Boston College | 27 | Notre Dame | 25 |
16 | October 23, 2004 | Notre dame, IN | Boston College | 24 | Notre Dame | 23 |
[edit] Notable moments
- 1993 - A week after Notre Dame's "Game Of The Century" win over then #1 ranked Florida State, BC dominated for four quarters then fell behind after ND scored three touchdowns in 11 minutes. In the end, BC won on a last second field goal to knock the Irish out of the #1 ranking, a 41-39 loss that would keep ND from winning the national championship.
- 2002 - BC's 14-7 win over the previously 8-0 Irish is the first loss for then head coach Tyrone Willingham.
[edit] Trophies
The Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl is a trophy, in the form of a large cut-crystal bowl, given to the winner of the Boston College-Notre Dame football game. It is named after the legendary Frank Leahy, who was the head coach at both schools. The award is presented to the winning team at the conclusion of the game by members of the Notre Dame Club of Boston.
The Ireland Trophy, created by Notre Dame's Student Government in 1995, is presented annually "as a token of goodwill, camaraderie and friendly rivalry" to the winner of the game. Although the two teams have met 16 times since 1975, the trophy has been awarded only 10 times, 5 times to each respective school.
[edit] Future meetings in question
On November 2, 2005, Notre Dame announced that because it had agreed to a request from the Big East to play teams from that conference each season, it would suspend the Boston College series following the 2010 season. Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese said the conference made the request after Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech withdrew from the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.