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.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2006/66630.htm