Lou Holtz blasts iconic 'Catholics vs. Convicts' saying between Notre Dame, Miami

In 1988, Notre Dame and Miami faced off in a game that came to be known as “Catholics vs. Convicts.” The Fighting Irish, who entered the game as underdogs, ultimately defeated the Hurricanes 31-30.

The “Catholics vs. Convicts” title came from a popular T-shirt that was sold before the game with the phrase on it. The game is now considered one of the most iconic in college football history, not only because of the fantastic play on the field but the fanfare off it.

However, not everybody was a fan of the slogan that spread like wildfire. In an interview with Dan Dakich, former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz admitted he’s never been a fan of the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry being referred to as the Catholics vs. Convicts.

“You know what was amazing? At this game, there was a lot of T-shirts that said ‘Catholics vs. Convicts 2025.’ But I didn’t like that when I was coaching,” Holtz said. “I felt that was unfair because not all of our team was Catholic. You know, you can’t really evaluate them.

“But, the rivalry with Miami was great and what made it great was Jimmy Johnson and all the great receivers and all the great athletes involved in that game. But, I’ll tell you what I was shocked at, I was shocked at how many Miami fans were at that game. That whole stadium was orange and that’s unusual. When we went on the road, half of the stadium was Notre Dame, but I had trouble finding a lot of Notre Dame fans there.”

While normally there’s less controversy around Notre Dame’s side of the notorious slogan, evidently, Holtz didn’t appreciate fans assuming all of Notre Dame’s players were Catholic. Of course, historically, Miami fans and players have taken much greater issue with the slogan.

Notre Dame students were the ones who created the slogan. They referred to the Miami Hurricanes as convicts because two players from the Miami teams were arrested before the 1988 season and had their scholarships revoked.

The arrests were widely discussed in the media, only adding to the idea that Miami had a discipline issue. Although Lou Holtz led Notre Dame to victory back in 1988, he couldn’t save his beloved Fighting Irish this year.

On Sunday, Miami defeated Notre Dame 27-24 in a pivotal Week 1 matchup. In the win, Miami quarterback Carson Beck shone, tallying 205 passing yards and two touchdowns, without throwing an interception.