I asked him about it at an event two years ago and he gave credit to preparation and also to Coach George Allen's dedication to same.

Several years earlier, under Charlie, I saw him looking around the soon to be opened Gug. I asked him how he and his teammates ever won a National Championship without all this "stuff." He smiled and his answer was short and sweet: "We won two."

I have a framed picture with him and Ross Browner on the field before the 2006 Penn State game. I told Ross that he and his teammates were the reason I became an ND fan. He really appreciated it and called Luther over for a picture together. Two great guys and legendary players.

in 2006, including the one I mentioned with Ross and Luther. What a loss Ross' passing was.

The other photo is the one I took after I got the heads up from that future 4* General (then a "lowly" Lt. Col). He whispered, "Moff ... check 3 O'Clock." I looked over my shoulder to the right and saw who was talking to Luther and Tim Brown. I then took the "no look" photo, as I knew Joe appreciates his privacy. I then looked at the photo to see if I had even gotten them in the frame and saw that they were on to me and had smiled for the photo. I then looked over at them and Joe already had his hand extended to shake my hand. It's nice when your childhood heroes turn out to be even better people than you imagined. First time I had shaken his hand since August 1978 in the third floor lobby of Fisher. I was 12 and my mom saw him and asked him to come over and say hello to me and he was great about it then too. What a joy to watch him then become, imho, the greatest QB ever.

• Click here for link at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBk1s2

I lived in the same section as Kevin Hart, Rusty Lisch & Dennis Grindinger in '77-78 and used to lift with them from time to time. There was one weight room in the ACC with Nautilus machines and it was open to everyone. Once I followed Luther on the bench press and it was humbling how far up I had to move the pin.

keepers!

Even more rare, you guys are all in short sleeves!

Well done!

May be the best defensive play I ever witnessed.

dorm. Zahm of course.

OMG- Am I actually as old as Sprack?

Anyway- thanks for the great memory. That was one of the early highlights of my ND football memory. Luther was the best!

Yes, you’re as old as me. Maybe older!

the Chicago Post Office before enrolling.

Sprack was 390 years old when he enrolled.

was still a bastard and Michigan still sucked.

Ingrained in my memory forever was watching that play on my roommate's extremely grainy black and white TV and the cheers throughout the entire dorm.

It was the fourth quarter and we were only leading 3-0 and Purdue would have taken the lead. Things looked very dire until Luther picked off that pass and ran it back.

Week at Notre Dame and featured Rick Slager on the cover. My original copy still hangs on my paneled wall in my bedroom in New Jersey. I got a replacement issue which is framed and hangs on my rec room in our basement.

I was listening to the game in my bedroom, and either ND turned the ball over or allowed a big Purdue play. In a fit of rage I jumped in the air flailing my arms over my head. My left hand crashed into the light fixture and it shattered, spraying broken glass all over the bedroom floor and opening a nasty gash on the knuckle over my left pinkie finger. I still have the scar.

Fortunately my roommates - who I had met only a couple weeks earlier - were there and I restrained myself from kicking something. One of them was an international student watching only his second American football game. The other was also from Chicago and almost kicked something too.

I think he and I hugged each other for the first time - and maybe only time - when Luther ran it back.

with much trepidation that the Irish could somehow lose to the Spoilermakers (as they did in 1974). The radio signal wasn't great, and occasionally my Dad had to run outside to use the car radio for an update.

Criqui may have been the radio announcer back in 1975. I distinctly remember him from the Navy '74 game, as he made the Navy punts sound more dramatic than Tom Demsey's 63-yard field goal (which he called in 1970)

"where has Joe Montana been?" and "as legend after legend has been born at quarterback, one has here today!'

Become the greatest of all time and the Irish would have started the 1977 season 1-2.

History

Guys like Page, Fanning, Niehaus and others were amazing, but Ross was the best.

Bob Golic was as great a linebacker as we’ve ever had. And, oh yeah, we had a quarterback named Montana.