This week in Notre Dame history, trivia, and much more

On3 imageby:Todd Burlage02/06/23

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In an effort to keep alive the mission and spirit of Lou Somogyi, this every-Monday piece looks at the upcoming week in Fighting Irish history. This one covers Feb. 6 thru Feb. 12. 

Know your Domers trivia 

(answers below)

1) Who is the last Irish wide receiver selected in the first round of the NFL Draft? 

2) Who knocked down the two-point conversion attempt in the end zone to secure the win over No. 1 Miami in 1988 that propelled Notre Dame to the national championship?

3) In 2000, which freshman quarterback led Notre Dame to seven straight wins and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl?

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Fighting Irish birthdays

*Scott Daly (2/7/1994)

-Daly, who turns 29 on Tuesday, was the reliable starting Irish long snapper from 2012-16. Daly even recorded three career tackles and recovered one fumble while with the Irish. Undrafted, Daly eventually landed with the Detroit Lions as a free agent and has started there the last two seasons.

*Gerome Sapp (2/8/1981)

-Sapp, who turns 42 on Wednesday, recorded 155 career tackles, with 3 fumble recoveries and 5 interceptions as a safety at Notre Dame from 1999-2002. A sixth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2003, Sapp recorded 106 tackles with 2.0 sacks and 1 fumble recovery in five NFL seasons.  

*Todd Lyght (2/9/1969)

-Lyght, who turns 54 on Thursday, played cornerback at Notre Dame from 1987-90 and became a two-time Consensus All-American (1989 and 1990) and a national champion in 1988. A first-round draft pick of the Rams in 1991 (5th overall), Lyght recorded 37 interceptions, scored 4 touchdowns, and won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams in 1999 during his 12-year NFL career. Lyght also served as Notre Dame’s defensive backs coach from 2015-19. 

*Steve Vasturia (2/10/1995)

-Vasturia, a shooting guard at Notre Dame from 2013-17, was a member of Notre Dame’s back-to-back Elite Eight teams in 2015 and 2016. Undrafted in 2017, Vasturia has spent the last four seasons playing in Europe. 

Notable death

*Johnny Lattner (2/12/2016)

-Lattner, a former Notre Dame halfback from 1951-53 under head coach Frank Leahy, died 7 years ago on Sunday at age 83.

The Chicago native was the 1953 Heisman Trophy winner, a two-time Maxwell Award honoree and a two-time Consensus All-American in 1952 and 1953. He later became a College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 1979.  

A first-round draft pick (7th overall) of the Steelers in 1954, Lattner played only one season with Pittsburgh, but made good on it. Lattner tallied more than 1,000 all-purpose yards on offense and special teams that season, earning Pro Bowl honors as a rookie return man. 

Lattner joined the Air Force in 1955 after one NFL season. He suffered a severe knee injury while playing pickup football during his enlistment and never returned to professional football. 

Memory lane

Feb. 12, 1986

The first recruiting class became official under new head coach Lou Holtz with little fanfare. Ten of the 22-man haul were from the Chicago area, with five of those players coming from St. Laurence High, including offensive lineman Tim Grunhard and running back/athlete Stan Smagala. Even as lightly-celebrated recruits, both Grunhard and Smagala became three-year Irish starters and future pros. 

Headlining that 1986 class was USA Today Defensive Player of the Year Chris Zorich from Chicago St. Rita, and quarterback Tony Rice, from Woodruff, S.C., a Parade All-American. The Irish also pulled standout linebackers Michael Stonebreaker and Rod West out of Louisiana that year.

Feb. 11, 1988

Despite losing the final three games of the 1987 season and producing a 43-36-1 record over the previous seven years, Notre Dame signed the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class for the second straight season with a 23-man haul.

The crown jewel was tight end and Parade National Player of the Year Derek Brown.

Speed also highlighted the class with six running back/athlete recruits who were also standout sprinters, including Raghib “Rocket” Ismail from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Rodney Culver from Detroit.

Holtz also on this day announced the promotion of outside linebackers coach Barry Alvarez to defensive coordinator, and the hiring of Joe Moore as offensive tackles/tight ends coach.

The longest basketball game in Notre Dame history concluded with a 116-111 triumph against Big East rival Georgetown at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

Four different Notre Dame players recorded a double-double for second-year head coach Mike Brey, including sophomore guard Chris Thomas (22 points and 12 assists), who played all 60 minutes in the game. 

Junior guard Matt Carroll led the Irish with 30 points and 10 rebounds, while forwards Ryan Humphrey (23 points and 14 rebounds) and Harold Swanagan (11 points and 10 rebounds) — both of whom eventually became bench coaches at Notre Dame — also posted double-doubles. 

Know your Domers answers:

1) Will Fuller (21st overall) to the Houston Texans in 2016

2) Pat Terrell in the 31-30 Irish victory

3) Matt LoVecchio

Blue & Gold Illustrated Managing Editor Steve Downey, and the late-great Lou Somogyi contributed to this report

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