Category: Irish in NFL

Super Bowl Stats: All-Time Touchdown Passes by College

How haven’t some of these schools had it happen just once?

In the history of the Super Bowl there have been 154 touchdown passes thrown, a number that is almost certain to grow Sunday when the Chiefs take on the 49ers.

We can all certainly name a good number of the quarterbacks that threw those touchdown passe: Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and plenty of others – but which colleges have produced the most productive Super Bowl quarterbacks all time?

Below is every touchdown pass in Super Bowl history broken down by the college each quarterback attended (last played college football).

43 different schools have produced a player that has thrown a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, but not all 146 touchdown passes were thrown by quarterbacks.

Here are the all-time touchdown passes in Super Bowl history thrown by college.  Make sure to go all the way to the bottom to realize some of the powerhouses that never had the feat.

Notre Dame in the Super Bowl: The Bus Makes Last Stop

18 years ago today The Bus made its final stop

The Super Bowl is the biggest single day sporting event in the world and is coming up this Sunday.  History of the game shows plenty of Notre Dame connections to it as plenty of Super Bowl heroes once wore blue and gold.

The one we look at today played his final NFL game 18 years ago today in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan.

We’re talking about former Notre Dame great and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis.  “The Bus” made his final playing stop in Super Bowl XL as he helped the Wild Card Pittsburgh Steelers through the AFC playoffs and into their first Super Bowl appearance in a decade.

Bettis didn’t have a huge game in his finale, but it was enough to get the job done.  He ran for 43 yards on 14 carries, with a long of 12 on the day.  It wasn’t a huge performance by the high standards Bettis set but it was enough to help the Steelers to a 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks and to their fifth Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Take a look back at some of the photos of Notre Dame and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis and his one trip to the Super Bowl which happened 18 years ago today.

NFL Highlights: Kyle Hamilton’s Pro Bowl Interception

Putting the bow on a memorable 2023 season for a Notre Dame great

Former Notre Dame All-American safety [autotag]Kyle Hamilton[/autotag] had a massive showing for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.  The 2022 first round draft pick earned All-Pro status and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

In that Pro Bowl that was played on the first Sunday of February, Hamilton made a huge play in trying to set up an AFC comeback.  With the NFC leading 64-59 with just over three minutes to go it looked like they were about to score to essentially put an end to the contest.

Instead, Hamilton took advantage of a tipped pass and put the AFC in position to win the game.  Check it out below:

The AFC got deep into NFC territory but was ultimately stopped on fourth and goal.

Hamilton had four interceptions on the year, including a pick-six which was the first of his NFL career.

See the best photos from Hamilton’s 2023-24 season here.

Every Former Notre Dame Player to Win Super Bowl

Notre Dame has had a long and successful football history but only 45 former players have won a Super Bowl. Here they are.

When you have as long and as distinguished of football tradition as Notre Dame you’re going to have a lot of players who make a good amount of money on Sunday.  How many of those players however reached the pinnacle of football and won a Super Bowl?

A former Notre Dame player will join the club on February 11 when the Chiefs take on the 49ers.  Linebacker [autotag]Drue Tranquill[/autotag] of the Chiefs and offensive guard [autotag]Aaron Banks[/autotag] of the 49ers both have a shot at the crown.

Paul Hornung was the first Golden Domer to win a Super Bowl title, which came in Super Bowl I while Ben Skowronek became the 45th to in Super Bowl LVI.  So who were the 43 to win an NFL title in-between?

Here is a quick look at every Notre Dame player to win a Super Bowl.

Please note: Jerome Collins received a ring with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI but was on injured reserve.  Michael Floyd received a ring with the Patriots in Super Bowl LI but was not on the active roster for that game

2024 Mock Draft Round-Up: Where Notre Dame players are projected to go in April

How many Notre Dame players will get drafted this spring?

Four more NFL teams see their seasons come to an end this weekend; four others will remain alive for a chance to win Super Bowl 58.

As more and more teams enter the offseason, more and more heads to turn to those offseason and NFL draft plans.

Notre Dame has what certainly seems like a top-10 pick: offensive tackle Joe Alt. Just how high will Alt go? Could he crack the top-five?

And what about the other former Golden Domers? Audric Estime and Blake Fisher expect to hear their names called. but what about some others?

We took a look at a handful of mock drafts to see where they project the former Fighting Irish stars to get drafted.  Here is what our first look at the NFL mock draft roundup found:

Notre Dame Football: 12 Former Golden Domers Remain in NFL Divisional Playoffs

Who do you like to advance to the NFL conference championships?

The NFL Divisional Playoffs are set and 12 former Notre Dame players are moving on to the second round.

Wild Card weekend saw one great game between the Lions and Rams and five other ones that left quite a bit to be desired.

As the NFL playoff field gets cut nearly in half, so do the amount of former Notre Dame players participating in the postseason.  The Irish saw 10 of their 22 former players on playoff teams eliminated this weekend.

So who is left and how did they fare on Wild Card weekend?

NFL Playoffs: Packers Blow Out Cowboys

The D stands for Done.

The NFL season came to an end for the Dallas Cowboys as “America’s Team” was embarrassed on their home field by the Green Bay Packers, 48-32.

Green Bay jumped out to a 27-0 lead before the Cowboys got on the scoreboard to end the first half.  It was on cruise control the rest of the way for the Packers.

The loss sends Dallas home after the Cowboys after they were fantastic in the regular season, winning the NFC East and securing the second seed in the NFC playoffs.

The loss also eliminates a pair of former Notre Dame players from postseason play.  Offensive guard Zack Martin and kicker Brandon Aubrey were both eliminated with the loss while Green Bay moved on without a former Golden Domer on the roster.

The Packers will play at San Francisco against the top-seeded 49ers next weekend with a spot in the NFC championship on the line.

Former Notre Dame quarterback signs futures deal with Chiefs

Headed to the defending champs…eventually

In case you missed it earlier this week the Kansas City Chiefs signed former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book to a reserve/future contract.

Book was most recently with the Patriots on a practice squad deal for roughly a week earlier this season.  A year ago he was on the Eagles roster when they went to the Super Bowl after he spent the previous season, his rookie year (2021) with the New Orleans Saints.

Book is not eligible to play this postseason for the Chiefs but it does allow for him to compete for a roster spot once training camp comes around.

Check it Out – A photo from all 30 of Ian Book’s wins at Notre Dame 

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Social Media Reacts to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s Huge Playoff Showing

Former Notre Dame star shines in playoff loss and the nation took notice

Saturday didn’t go the way the Cleveland Browns wanted as they dropped their Super Wild Card weekend game to the Houston Texans which ended the Browns season.

The Browns fell 45-14 after an early shootout.  It wasn’t the best evening for the Cleveland defense that was as good as just about any in the NFL this year but former Notre Dame star linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had himself a huge night.

Owusu-Koramoah, or JOK as he was called by many at Notre Dame, gained plenty of attention on social media Saturday night as he made countless plays in the loss.

Below is just some of the best social media reaction to his showing.

Former Notre Dame Star Shares Farewell Message to Pete Carroll

Some rivalries never end…

Three all-time football coaches said goodbye in a matter of 24 hours with Pete Carroll, Nick Saban, and Bill Belichick all stepping down.  It’s quite the mass exit as all three had hall of fame careers.

With Pete Carroll stepping away, a former Notre Dame player who played against him for the Irish before playing for him with the Seattle Seahawks shared a message to his former coach on social media.

Golden Tate, who played for Notre Dame from 2007-2009 and then for the Seahawks from 2010-2013 said the following about his first NFL head coach.

The best part of that is how he closes about fears of Carroll going back to USC.  Hey, I guess if they let Kelvin Sampson coach college basketball again then maybe they would let Carroll return to college football.

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