1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Consensus national champion; Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 38–10 vs. Texas
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	11–1
Head coach	Dan Devine (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Merv Johnson (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro set
Defensive coordinator	Joe Yonto
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Terry Eurick; Willie Fry; Steve Orsini;
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium
	Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Penn State		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
Colgate		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
North Texas State *		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 San Diego State		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		8	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Pittsburgh		–		–		9	–	2	–	1
East Carolina		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Army		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–		7	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		5	–	4	–	2
Georgia Tech		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–		5	–	5	–	1
Hawaii		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		5	–	7	–	0
Utah State		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Villanova		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Air Force		–		–		2	–	8	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–		2	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		2	–	9	–	0

North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.^[1] Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Irish, coached by Dan Devine, ended the season with 11 wins and one loss, winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title by defeating the previously unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Classic by a score of a 38–10.^[2] The 1977 squad became the tenth Irish team to win the national title and were led by All-Americans Ken MacAfee, Ross Browner, Luther Bradley, and Bob Golic. Junior Joe Montana, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, was the team's starting quarterback.

Dan Devine entered his third year as head coach, coming off of a 9–3 season in 1976 that culminated in a Gator Bowl win over Penn State.^[3] Devine returned a highly touted defense, featuring 1976 Outland Trophy winner Ross Browner, defensive end Willie Fry, and All-American linebacker Bob Golic.^[3] On offense, quarterback Joe Montana earned the starting job and led an offense that included running backs Jerome Heavens and Vagas Ferguson and All-American tight end Ken MacAfee.^[3] Montana, earned a reputation as "the comeback kid", had two come from behind victories in the fourth quarter, against Purdue and Clemson, down 17 and 10 respectively.^[3] After a surprising loss to unranked Ole Miss, patience among the fans was running thin, who considered Devine's previous 8–3 and 9–3 seasons as lackluster compared to the team success under Devine's predecessor, Ara Parseghian.^[4] The Irish rebounded to win their remaining games, including a 49–19 rout of USC in the now famous "Green Jersey Game."^[4] The Irish earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic, where they defeated No. 1 and unbeaten Texas by a score of 38–10 to capture Notre Dame's tenth national title.^[3] The Irish leaped four spots in the polls after the Cotton Bowl Classic victory to claim the consensus title.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	3:50 p.m.	at No. 7 Pittsburgh	No. 3	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 19–9	56,500
September 17	2:30 p.m.	vs. Ole Miss	No. 3	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS		L 13–20	48,200	^[5]
September 24	2:30 p.m.	at Purdue	No. 11	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)		W 31–24	68,966
October 1	2:30 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 14	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 16–6	59,075
October 15	1:30 p.m.	vs. Army	No. 11	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (rivalry)		W 24–0	72,594
October 22	1:50 p.m.	No. 5 USC	No. 11	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	ABC	W 49–19	59,075
October 29	2:30 p.m.	Navy	No. 5	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 43–10	59,075
November 5	1:30 p.m.	Georgia Tech	No. 5	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 69–14	59,075	^[6]
November 12	1:30 p.m.	at No. 15 Clemson	No. 5	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC		W 21–17	53,467–54,189	^[7]^[8]
November 19	1:30 p.m.	Air Force	No. 6	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)		W 49–0	59,075
December 3	8:00 p.m.	at Miami (FL)	No. 5	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL (rivalry)		W 48–10	35,789
January 2, 1978	2:00 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Texas	No. 5	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	CBS	W 38–10	76,701
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

1977 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
TE	`87`	Mark Czaja	So
WR	`1`	Ty Dickerson	Fr
RB	`26`	Tom Domin
RB	`5`	Steve Dover
QB	`8`	Gary Forystek
RB	`40`	Terry Eurick
RB	`32`	Vagas Ferguson	So
OT	`73`	Tim Foley	So
WR	`82`	Kris Haines	Jr
TE	`97`	Kevin Hart
WR	`85`	Speedy Hart	Jr
C	`63`	Jim Hautman
RB	`30`	Jerome Heavens
G	`66`	Ted Horansky
C	`56`	Dave Huffman	Jr
OT	`78`	Tim Huffman	Fr
G	`65`	Ernie Hughes	Sr
QB	`1`	Greg Knafelc	Fr
RB	`21`	Dan Knott	Sr
QB	`14`	Tim Koegel	Fr
G	`69`	John Leon
QB	`6`	Rusty Lisch	So
TE	`81`	Ken MacAfee	Sr
OT	`75`	Rob Martinovich	So
OT	`71`	Steve McDaniels	Sr
G	`60`	Howard Meyer	Jr
RB	`44`	Dave Mitchell
QB	`3`	Joe Montana	Jr
C	`50`	Terry Murphy
RB	`14`	Steve Orsini
RB	`45`	Pete Pallas	Jr
RB	`19`	Steve Schmitz	Sr
RB	`42`	Jim Stone
OT	`67`	Bob Tull	Sr
G	`59`	Dave Vinson
RB	`34`	Dave Waymer	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`43`	Doug Becker	Sr
CB	`24`	Dick Boushka
CB	`20`	Luther Bradley	Sr
SS	`33`	Jim Browner	Jr
DE	`89`	Ross Browner	Sr
CB	`18`	Ted Burgmeier
DT	`77`	Mike Calhoun	Jr
DT	`75`	Jay Case	Jr
SS	`28`	Ross Christensen	Sr
CB	`16`	Nick DeCicco
DT	`79`	Ken Dike	Sr
CB	`23`	Tom Flynn	Jr
DE	`94`	Willie Fry
FS	`27`	Tom Gibbons	Fr
LB	`55`	Bob Golic	Jr
LB	`47`	John Hankerd
FS	`10`	Randy Harrison	Jr
LB	`58`	Steve Heimkreiter	Jr
SS, QB	`31`	Pete Holohan	Fr
LB	`51`	Pete Johnson
SS	`29`	Phil Johnson	Jr
LB	`61`	Bobby Leopold	So
CB	`9`	Jim Morse
DE	`72`	Hardy Rayam
FS	`7`	Joe Restic	Jr
DE	`88`	Tom VanDenburgh	So
DT	`74`	Jeff Weston	Jr
LB	`54`	Mike Whittington	So
DT	`68`	Tom Wroblewski	So
DE	`70`	Scott Zettek	So

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P	`4`	Kevin Muno	So
K	`13`	Dave Reeve	Sr
P	`7`	Joe Restic	Jr
K	`99`	Joe Unis

Head coach

Dan Devine

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Game summaries

Pittsburgh

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) at Pittsburgh Panthers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	6	0	13	19
Pittsburgh	7	2	0	0	9

at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Date: September 10, 1977
Game attendance: 56,500
Referee: Paul Bertha
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Ara Parseghian
Recap

Game information

First quarter

PITT – Gordon Jones 12-yard pass from Matt Cavanaugh (Mark Schubert kick). Pitt 7–0. Drive:

Second quarter

PITT – Safety, Joe Restic tackled in end zone. Pitt 9–0.
ND – Ken MacAfee 5-yard pass from Rusty Lisch (kick blocked). Pitt 9–6. Drive:

Fourth quarter

ND – Dave Reeve 35-yard field goal. Tie 9–9. Drive:
ND – Dave Reeve 26-yard field goal. Notre Dame 12–9. Drive:
ND - Terry Eurick 4-yard run (Dave Reeve kick). Notre Dame 19–9. Drive:

Top rushers

ND – Jerome Heavens – 88 yards

Ole Miss

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1–0) at Ole Miss Rebels

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	7	0	6	13
Ole Miss	3	7	0	10	20

at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, Mississippi

Date: September 17, 1977
Game weather: Sunny, 90 °F (32 °C)
Game attendance: 48,200
Recap

Game information

First quarter

MISS – Carl Langley 29-yard field goal. Ole Miss 3–0. Drive: 64 yards.

Second quarter

ND – Jerome Heavens 2-yard run (Dave Reeve kick). Notre Dame 7–3. Drive: 8 plays.
MISS – James Storey 10-yard pass from Bobby Garner (Carl Langley kick). Ole Miss 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards.

Fourth quarter

ND – Dave Reeve 44-yard field goal. Tie 10–10. Drive: 5 plays
ND – Dave Reeve 28-yard field goal, 4:53. Notre Dame 13–10. Drive:
MISS – James Storey 10-yard pass from Tim Ellis (Carl Langley kick), 3:13. Ole Miss 17–13. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards.
MISS – Carl Langley 27-yard field goal, 1:44. Ole Miss 20–13. Drive:

Top passers

ND – Rusty Lisch – 11/25, 127 yards, 2 INT

Top rushers

ND – Jerome Heavens – 16 rushes, 70 yards, TD

Top receivers

ND – Ken MacAfee – 6 receptions, 69 yards

Ole Miss gave the eventual national champion Notre Dame its only loss of the season.

Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	0	14	0	17	31
Purdue	10	14	0	0	24

Date: September 24
Location: Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN
Game attendance: 68,966

^[9]

Michigan State

Michigan St at #14 Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan St	3	0	3	0	6
• Notre Dame	0	10	6	0	16

Date: October 1
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN

Source: [1]

Army

	1	2	3	4	Total
Army	0	0	0	0	0
• Notre Dame	0	7	10	7	24

Date: October 15
Location: Giants Stadium
Game attendance: 72,594

ND: Jerome Heavens 34 Rush, 200 Yds (single game school record - Sitko 1948 vs. Michigan St)^[10]

USC

	1	2	3	4	Total
USC	0	7	0	12	19
• Notre Dame	7	15	13	14	49

Date: October 22
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
Game attendance: 59,075
Referee: Glenn Fortin (Big Ten)
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson, Frank Broyles

Notre Dame wore green jerseys for the first time since their 1963 game against Syracuse.

^[11]

Navy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Navy	0	0	3	7	10
• Notre Dame	7	9	14	13	43

Date: October 29
Location: Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Indiana
Game attendance: 59,075

Notre Dame wore green jerseys for the second straight week.

^[12]

Georgia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Georgia Tech	0	7	0	7	14
• Notre Dame	0	21	21	27	69

Date: November 5
Location: Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Indiana
Game start: 1:30 pm EST
Game attendance: 59,075

Notre Dame wore green jerseys for the third straight week, and for every home game through the end of the 1980 season. The 69 points were the second most ever scored at Notre Dame Stadium.

Clemson

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	7	0	0	14	21
Clemson	0	10	7	0	17

Date: November 12
Location: Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC
Game start: 1:30 pm EST
Game attendance: 54,189

This was the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and Clemson.

Air Force

	1	2	3	4	Total
Air Force	0	0	0	0	0
• Notre Dame	21	14	7	7	49

Date: November 19
Location: Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Indiana
Game start: 1:30 pm EST
Game attendance: 59,075
Game weather: cloudy, 40 degrees

This was the final game for Air Force head coach Ben Martin after 20 seasons. It also remains the most lopsided game in the 30-game series between Notre Dame and Air Force (the Fighting Irish lead 24-6).

Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	14	6	21	7	48
Miami (FL)	0	10	0	0	10

Date: December 3
Location: Miami Orange Bowl
Game attendance: 35,789

^[13]

Texas (Cotton Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	3	21	7	7	38
Texas	3	7	0	0	10

Location: Cotton Bowl
Game attendance: 76,701
Game weather: Sunny; 35 °F (2 °C)

^[14]

Post-season

Award winners

Heisman Trophy voting

Ken MacAfee, 3rd^[18]

Ross Browner, 5th^[18]

All-Americans

Name	AP	UPI	NEA	FC	SN	FW	FN	WCF	CW
† Ross Browner, DE	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
† Ken MacAfee, TE	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
‡ Luther Bradley, DB	2	1	2	1			1	1
Ernie Hughes, G	2	2
Bob Golic, MG (MLB)	2	2				2
Willie Fry, DE		2
Ted Burgmeier, DB						2
†denotes unanimous selection ‡denotes consensus selection Source:^[2]

College Football Hall of Fame inductees

Name	Position	Year Inducted
Ross Browner	Defensive end	1999
Dan Devine	Coach	1985
Ken MacAfee	Tight end	1997

^[19]

1978 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Franchise
Ken MacAfee	Tight end	1(7)	7	San Francisco 49ers
Ross Browner	Defensive end	1(8)	8	Cincinnati Bengals
Luther Bradley	Defensive back	1(11)	11	Detroit Lions
Willie Fry	Defensive end	2(23)	49	Pittsburgh Steelers
Ernie Hughes	Guard	3(23)	79	San Francisco 49ers
Ted Burgmeier	Defensive back	5(1)	111	Miami Dolphins
Steve McDaniels	Tackle	9(27)	249	San Francisco 49ers
Doug Becker	Linebacker	10(18)	268	Pittsburgh Steelers
Source:^[20]

References

^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
^ ^a ^b "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: 2007 Supplement (page 164)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Walters, John (July 21, 2004). Notre Dame Golden Moments. Rutledge Hill Press. ISBN 1-59186-042-3.
^ "Mississippi Rebels, upsets Irish". The Indianapolis Star. September 18, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish shell Georgia Tech". Abilene Reporter-News. November 6, 1977. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish break Clemson 'death' grip". The Indianapolis Star. November 13, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1978". Football Media Guides. Clemson University: 1. 1978. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
^ "Wolves Subdue Stubborn Navy; Notre Dame Overcomes Purdue." Ocala Star-Banner. September 25, 1977.
^ "Irish looking to Heavens: He responds with record." Eugene Register-Guard. 1977 Oct 16. Retrieved 2017-Sep-02.
^ "Green Irish thump Trojans." Eugene Register-Guard. October 23, 1977.
^ "Irish wear green and don't need it, 43-10." Eugene Register-Guard. October 30, 1977.
^ Palm Beach Post. December 4, 1977. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
^ 2012 Notre Dame Football Supplement Retrieved 2017-Sep-03.
^ "Winners & Finalists". Rotary Club of Houston. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^ "The Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year: Past Recipients". The Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^ "Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards (Page 3)". The Walter Camp Foundation. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^ ^a ^b "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^ "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
^ "Notre Dame NFL Draft History". uhnd.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.

[1] ttps://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html

[2007_ND_Guide_History-2] "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2008.

[2007_ND_Guide_Supplement-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: 2007 Supplement (page 164)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2008.

[Walters-4] Walters, John (July 21, 2004). Notre Dame Golden Moments. Rutledge Hill Press. ISBN 1-59186-042-3.

[5] "Mississippi Rebels, upsets Irish". The Indianapolis Star. September 18, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Irish shell Georgia Tech". Abilene Reporter-News. November 6, 1977. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Irish break Clemson 'death' grip". The Indianapolis Star. November 13, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1978". Football Media Guides. Clemson University: 1. 1978. Retrieved November 9, 2023.

[9] "Wolves Subdue Stubborn Navy; Notre Dame Overcomes Purdue." Ocala Star-Banner. September 25, 1977.

[10] "Irish looking to Heavens: He responds with record." Eugene Register-Guard. 1977 Oct 16. Retrieved 2017-Sep-02.

[11] "Green Irish thump Trojans." Eugene Register-Guard. October 23, 1977.

[12] "Irish wear green and don't need it, 43-10." Eugene Register-Guard. October 30, 1977.

[13] Palm Beach Post. December 4, 1977. Retrieved May 10, 2015.

[14] 2012 Notre Dame Football Supplement Retrieved 2017-Sep-03.

[LA-15] "Winners & Finalists". Rotary Club of Houston. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.

[Maxwell-16] "The Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year: Past Recipients". The Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.

[17] "Walter Camp Football Foundation Awards (Page 3)". The Walter Camp Foundation. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.

[Heisman_Vote-18] "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.

[CFOB-19] "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved December 30, 2008.

[20] "Notre Dame NFL Draft History". uhnd.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.

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v t e Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Venues	Brownson Hall field (1892?–1899) Cartier Field (1899–1928) Soldier Field (1929) Notre Dame Stadium (1930–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Emerald Isle Classic Army Boston College Michigan Michigan State Navy Northwestern Pittsburgh Purdue Stanford USC
Culture and lore	History Band of the Fighting Irish Irish Guard Notre Dame Box Notre Dame Leprechaun "Notre Dame, Our Mother" "Notre Dame Victory March" Play Like a Champion Today Subway Alumni T formation Tall Grass Game 1946 "Game of the Century" 1966 "Game of the Century" Catholics vs. Convicts 30 for 30 film 1993 "Game of the Century" Bush Push Navy ends the drought Death of Lizzy Seeberg 2020 ACC Championship Game The Spirit of Notre Dame Knute Rockne, All American Notre Dame Football on NBC Rudy
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks Four Horsemen NFL draftees Statistical leaders Team captains
Seasons	1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e College football national champions (poll era)
1936–1949	1936: Minnesota (AP) 1937: Pittsburgh 1938: TCU 1939: Texas A&M 1940: Minnesota 1941: Minnesota 1942: Ohio State 1943: Notre Dame 1944: Army 1945: Army (AP) / Oklahoma A&M (AFCA) 1946: Notre Dame 1947: Notre Dame 1948: Michigan 1949: Notre Dame
1950s	1950: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches) 1951: Tennessee 1952: Michigan State 1953: Maryland 1954: Ohio State (AP) / UCLA (FWAA, Coaches) 1955: Oklahoma 1956: Oklahoma 1957: Auburn (AP) / Ohio State (Coaches, FWAA) 1958: LSU (AP, Coaches) / Iowa (FWAA) 1959: Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
1960s	1960: Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ole Miss (FWAA) 1961: Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA) 1962: USC 1963: Texas 1964: Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF) 1965: Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF) 1966: Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF) 1967: USC 1968: Ohio State 1969: Texas
1970s	1970: Nebraska (AP, FWAA) / Texas (NFF, Coaches) / Ohio State (NFF) 1971: Nebraska 1972: USC 1973: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF) / Alabama (Coaches) 1974: Oklahoma (AP) / USC (FWAA, NFF, Coaches) 1975: Oklahoma 1976: Pittsburgh 1977: Notre Dame 1978: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF) / USC (Coaches) 1979: Alabama
1980–1991	1980: Georgia 1981: Clemson 1982: Penn State 1983: Miami (FL) 1984: BYU 1985: Oklahoma 1986: Penn State 1987: Miami (FL) 1988: Notre Dame 1989: Miami (FL) 1990: Colorado (AP, FWAA, NFF, USAT/CNN) / Georgia Tech (Coaches) 1991: Miami (FL) (AP) / Washington (Coaches, FWAA, UPI/NFF)