1974 Pitt at Notre Dame

This is the 11/16/1974 Pitt at Notre Dame game. It is a black and white film with radio audio. Don Criqui calls the game. Pitt wasn't quite championship level in 74 but they were headed in the right direction. They featured Soph tailback Tony Dorsett and on the defensive side of the ball Al Romano and Randy Holloway led a stout defensive front. After suffering an upset by Purdue The Irish reeled off 5 straight wins and seemed to be headed for a national championship showdown with Alabama. It sleeted most of the way and a lot of the offense was shelved. The eventual offensive star was Irish Fullback Wayne Bullock. I claim no rights to the film or the audio but I did author this combination.

[@rexsnyder583]

Dorsett was my favorite..got the 73 game vs ND? Would watch any Dorsett Pitt games you have

[@8avexp]

I remember listening to this game. Dorsett was held to 61 rushing yards, his lowest output against ND. Although no one knew it at the time, Ara Parseghian had already decided to resign at the end of the season, having made up his mind after the Navy game. Art Best was suspended for this game by Ara after using poor judgment on a play in which Clements threw an interception against Navy. He had been blocked to the ground on the play and made no effort to get up and at least try to make a tackle on the Navy defender as he went by. I always wondered why Penick didn't just sit out the season after tearing ankle ligaments in the spring game.

[@johnmanier7968]

I believe Ara decided to resign after the Navy game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia on November 2. Navy led ND 6-0 in the 4th quarter before ND rallied to win 14-6. Although ND finished 9-2, it was an enormously stressful season, with several close games (Rice fell by a mere 10-3) and two nightmarish quarters that led to the losses-the 1st against Purdue and the 3rd at Southern Cal.

[@8avexp]

@@johnmanier7968 That's right. Ara thought about stepping down after the Sugar Bowl, then decided to stay on because ND had many returnees and were favored to repeat as national champs. Suspensions and freak injuries depleted the ranks, and it proved to be a very trying season.

[@nathaniellathy6559]

Ara Parseghian said he didn't miss feeling physically ill on game days after he retired. Notre Dame football hasn't been the same since. Dan Devine and Lou Holtz came the closest to Ara's success.

[@8avexp]

@@nathaniellathy6559 Very true. Devine left because he wanted to spend more time with his wife, who had MS. He was never fully embraced by the ND community. Holtz left because he was tired of maintaining. All three never lost their love for ND, though.

[@jamesfields2916]

Dorsett ran for 754 yards against Notre Dame from 73-76.

[@williamdunphy352]

Commentators: Don Criqui & Dave Martin

[@jamesfields2916]

Pitt lost to the teams that finished 1,4 and 7 in final rankings.