Notre Dame football countdown: Friday, May 19

Hope you weren’t late to your seat because you would have missed the most exciting play of the game!

The countdown until Notre Dame football returns to the field is officially on as today we go under 100 days. On Thursday, we started our countdown by looking back at [autotag]Lou Holtz[/autotag] in honor of his 100 wins as Notre Dame’s head coach.

Today it’s another Notre Dame great we look back on but it isn’t his jersey number we’re doing it because of.  Instead, 99 days before Notre Dame takes on Navy at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, we look back at speedster [autotag]Allen Rossum[/autotag] in honor of his 99-yard kickoff return against Purdue in 1996.

After an unimpressive win at Vanderbilt on a Thursday night to open the ’96 campaign, the Irish opened the home season nine days later against in-state rival Purdue. It took Rossum seconds to return the opening kickoff 99 yards in what wound up being a 35-0 Notre Dame victory.

Watch the kickoff return here and enjoy a look back at some of Rossum’s best photos from his Notre Dame and NFL career below.

Check out the Allen Rossum photo gallery below: