Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State is 40 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
Today, with 40 until kickoff, we look back at the career of former Irish running back Reggie Brooks, who wore No. 40 from 1989-1992.
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Waiting for his turn
Reggie Brooks was the ultimate test case in being patient.
The Tulsa, Okla., native only recorded 31 carries in his first 32 career games. Brooks was saddled behind a slew of talented ball carriers in his first three seasons at Notre Dame. Anthony Johnson, Ricky Watters, Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, Rodney Culver, Jerome Bettis and even his own brother, Tony Brooks. Notre Dame could run the rock, and the Irish had plenty of options with which to do it.
In 1992, Brooks became the go-to guy — even before Bettis.
Brooks ran 167 times for 1,343 yards and 13 touchdowns. He put his name all over the Notre Dame record book in the process. His 227 rushing yards at USC still stands as the No. 5 single-game rushing output in program history. He has the No. 4 mark for rushing yards in a single season, too. His 8.04 rushing yards per game ranks second all-time behind George Gipp‘s 8.11 in 1920.
Brooks spent his sophomore season as a defensive back. He wanted to transfer. He stuck with it, moved back to running back and had one of the best seasons an Irish back has ever had. Brooks went to head coach Lou Holtz and asked to return to his preferred position.
The rest is history.
“If it wasn’t for the support of my teammates, and my dad putting his foot down, I would have left Notre Dame,” Brooks told BlueandGold.com last year. “Ultimately, it worked out for me because, while it wasn’t easy, I learned a lot about being able to stand up for myself. It’s a meeting with Coach Holtz and a moment in life I’ll never forget.”
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The ‘unconscious touchdown’
A play from that season that many Notre Dame fans might say is one of the most memorable moments supporting the Irish is ironically one Brooks doesn’t look back as fondly on — for obvious reasons. He scored the “unconscious touchdown” against Michigan in what ultimately ended in a 17-17 tie between the No. 3 Fighting Irish and No. 6 Wolverines.
Notre Dame needed all of the points from Brooks’ score. They came at a heavy price.
Brooks broke tackles left and right, shoving any Michigan defender who crossed his path out of the way. The last two would-be tacklers sandwiched him at the three-yard line. They bounced off emphatically, and Brooks walked across the goal line. He collapsed immediately after doing so. Brooks joked that Holtz would have “had (his) a**” if he was two yards back because he would have fumbled before getting into the end zone.
In the moment, all Brooks cared about was holding onto the ball. Looking back, it was much more serious than he imagined.
“It is one of my least favorite plays because getting knocked out isn’t cool,” Brooks told BlueandGold.com earlier this year. “It’s not a good thing. Back then, you just ‘got your bell rung.’ I remember the trainer coming out there with smelling salts and I was like, ‘Jim, why are you out here? We’re in the middle of a game, man. What’s going on?'”
Brooks was a second-round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft. He rushed for 1,063 yards in his rookie season. He spent three seasons in Washington and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He now serves as the executive director of the Holtz’s Heroes foundation, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to preserving and supporting the legacy of Coach Lou Holtz and his players.”
