Alabama-Notre Dame: Epic 1973 Sugar Bowl lived up to its billing (Part I)

Alabama-Notre Dame: Epic 1973 Sugar Bowl lived up to its billing (Part I)


By Don Kausler Jr. | [email protected]
on December 11, 2012 at 12:02 AM, updated December 11, 2012 at 2:56 PM
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Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian (age 50 at the time), left, and Alabama coach Paul Bryant (age 60 at the time) meet before the 1973 Sugar Bowl at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. No. 3 Notre Dame captured a share of the national championship with a 24-23 victory over No. 1 Alabama. (Photo courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum)
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama– Few college football matchups truly are epic. Fewer games genuinely are epic. Seldom does one become the other.

The 1973 Sugar Bowl was exceptional.
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3 Notre Dame was a classic matchup not only because a national championship was on the line, but because somehow, some way, these traditional powers never had met.
This was Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant vs. Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian, two future Hall of Famers. And it was so much more.

CRIMSON TIDE​

vs. FIGHTING IRISH​

(First of six parts)​

WHO: No. 1 Alabama (11-0) vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (10-0)​

WHAT: Sugar Bowl​

WHEN: Dec. 31, 1973​

WHERE: Tulane Stadium, New Orleans​

SCORE: Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23​

HOW: Alabama’s Bill Davis missed a PAT kick after Alabama took a 23-21 lead in the fourth quarter, and after the Irish had gone ahead in the sixth lead change, tight end Robin Weber made only his second catch of the season on a third-and-8 play when Notre Dame’s Tom Clements completed a 35-yard pass from his own end zone with less than three minutes to go.​

HUH? Alabama players switched to Tulane’s game shoes and Notre Dame switched to Tulane’s practice shoes after they discovered how slick the worn artificial turf was because of pregame rain.​

“They were both undefeated teams,” Parseghian recalled Monday. “It was the North against the South, and the Catholics against the Baptists. Bear and I had never coached against each other before.”
Bryant had played at Alabama for coach Frank Thomas, who had played for Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne, but the connection between two tradition-rich programs began and ended there.
Until Dec. 31, 1973. New Year’s Eve. New Orleans. A damp, cold night on a day that had started with downpours and tornado threats.
“All the eyes were on that game,” Parseghian said.
And the game lived up to its billing.
“We overwhelmed them by one point,” Parseghian said.
Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23.
“There were no losers on that field,” Parseghian said.
Notre Dame was the national champion according to The Associated Press poll. Alabama was crowned the national champion in the UPI coaches’ poll, which didn’t include bowl games. But that changed the following season, because of this big game.
The Crimson Tide and Fighting Irish went on to play five more times in the next 14 years. Alabama won only once, in 1986. The heavyweights haven’t met since 1987, but that will change on Jan. 7 when No. 1 Notre Dame (12-0) and No. 2 Alabama (12-1) meet in the BCS Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The kicker
Alabama claims 14 national championships. Notre Dame claims 11. Perhaps one big reason why it took so long for these perennial powers to meet was the fact that after appearing in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 1924 season, Notre Dame did not participate in a postseason game until the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 1969 season.

Four years later, a crowd of 85,161 filled rickety Tulane Stadium. A massive audience watched ABC’s national broadcast. The Nielsen rating of 25.3 far surpassed the 14.0 rating for Alabama’s 21-0 victory over LSU last season in the BCS Championship Game.
The classic game featured six lead changes, two missed extra-point kicks and a pass for a two-point conversion. A freshman returned a kickoff for a touchdown. A quarterback caught a touchdown pass. A tight end who had caught only one pass previously that season sealed the victory with a third-down catch that was launched from Notre Dame’s end zone.
Alabama backup quarterback Richard Todd (14) breaks loose. He caught a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from halfback Mike Stock. (Photo courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum)
As Alabama’s place-kicker, Bill Davis was a central figure in the game. Some of his memories are a little hazy.
“It was 40 years ago,” said Davis, now a dentist in Athens, Alabama. “I can’t quite remember all of the excitement, but I do remember during the game being real excited when we went ahead. We thought we had the game in hand at the end, but it wasn’t to be.”
A 25-yard touchdown pass from sophomore halfback Mike Stock to sophomore quarterback Richard Todd in the fourth quarter put Alabama ahead for a third time at 23-21, but Davis missed the point-after-touchdown kick. It was only his second miss in 53 attempts during his senior season.
“I remember missing it,” Davis said. “That happened 40 years ago, but even then, I don’t remember why I missed it. I don’t remember if I missed it right or left. I just missed it. I don’t know if it was because of the excitement of the game. … I’ve always wondered myself.”
Other Alabama players reacted by not reacting.
“My teammates have never mentioned it,” Davis said.
Alabama halfback Randy Billingsley (26) tries to break away from a Notre Dame defender. Billingsley scored the Crimson Tide's first points on a 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. (Photo courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum)

 

Alabama halfback Randy Billingsley (26) tries to break away from a Notre Dame defender. Billingsley scored the Crimson Tide's first points on a 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. (Photo courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum)
The kickoff return
The field, a well-worn artificial turf, was slick. Alabama and Notre Dame players changed shoes before the game. Parseghian said Alabama found some of Tulane’s game shoes. Notre Dame players wore Tulane’s practice shoes.

Davis wouldn’t make excuses.

“I kicked a field goal into the wind earlier in the game,” he said of a 39-yard kick that cut Notre Dame’s halftime lead to 14-10.
The Irish had scored first but missed the extra-point kick. A 6-yard touchdown run by Randy Billingsley in the second quarter put the Tide ahead, but the lead didn’t last long. Notre Dame freshman Al Hunter returned the kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, and Tom Clements passed to wide receiver Pete Demmerle for a critical two-point conversion.
“That was a real momentum killer,” said David McMakin, then a senior safety who now is an investor in a son’s catering business in Birmingham.
That son surprised McMakin a few months ago when he went looking for videos of his father in action. All he could find to order online was a DVD of the 1973 Sugar Bowl.
“He said, ‘Hey, Dad, I’ve got something bittersweet for you,’” McMakin said. “I watched the first half. …”
The ending was too bitter to relive.

Alabama outside linebacker Mike DuBose (54) makes a stop on Notre Dame halfback Gary Diminick. (Photo courtesy of the Paul W. Bryant Museum)
The kick in the gut
With a little more than four minutes left, Notre Dame took the lead on a 19-yard field goal by Bob Thomas.

On fourth-and-20, a 65-yard punt by Alabama’s Greg Gantt was downed on the 1-yard line. Alabama declined a roughing-the-punter penalty, then dug in to make a stop. On third-and-3, Notre Dame tried to draw Alabama offsides with a long count, but star tight end Dave Casper jumped offsides instead.

On third-and-8 from the 3, Parseghian called “Power-I-Right, Tackle-Trap-Left.” It was the same play Notre Dame executed on its two-point conversion. With a full backfield and two tight ends on the field, it looked as if the Fighting Irish were going to run.
“We were playing run, and they did a nice job of selling run,” said Mike DuBose, a junior outside linebacker. “They really caught us by surprise.”
The play-action pass from Clements was supposed to go to Casper across the middle, just far enough for a first down. But he was well covered.
The other tight end, Robin Weber, wasn’t covered at all as he slipped down the left sideline. He juggled the pass but gained control for a 35-yard gain that put Notre Dame in position to run out the clock.
“I didn’t know until about a week later when I saw it on film, but (defensive end) Leroy Cook had a clean shot at Clements but slipped,” said Todd, now a broker in Atlanta. “If he hadn’t fallen down to his knee, that might have been a safety, or he might have forced a fumble.
“That’s what I remember. I remember being in the shower and kind of crying, but it wasn’t a sad cry. It was more of a (ticked)-off cry, because I thought we were by far the better team.”

Epilogue/prologue
Bryant handled the loss graciously.

“Bear came into the locker room and wanted to congratulate Tom Clements,” Parseghian said.

SHARE YOUR MEMORIES

What are your personal accounts of this particular game or others in the Alabama-Notre Dame series? Were you there? Where did you watch it? What are some of the little things you like to tell others? We’ll collect your stories and publish them later this month. Send your stories to [email protected] or to The Birmingham News, c/o Izzy Gould, 2201 4th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35202. Please include your name, the city where you live and your age (optional).​

Parseghian, 89, now lives in Marco Island, Florida, a two-hour drive across the Everglades to Sun Life Stadium. That’s the site of the epic matchup that now is less than four weeks away.

Will Alabama-Notre Dame VII measure up to the original?

"Because of that (1973) game, the game coming up is going to be even bigger,” Davis said.

“I think about that game, and it brings back memories, but I think there will be a lot more excitement because of that game setting the tone for this game. We haven’t beaten Notre Dame much, and that’s something we need to do.”

ALABAMA vs. NOTRE DAME
Crimson Tide trails series 1-5
Date
Result
Site
Dec. 31, 1973
No. 3 Notre Dame 24, No. 1 Alabama 23
Sugar Bowl/New Orleans
Jan. 1, 1975
No. 9 Notre Dame 13, No. 2 Alabama 11
Orange Bowl/Miami
Nov. 13, 1976
No. 18 Notre Dame 21, No. 10 Alabama 18
South Bend, Ind.
Nov. 15, 1980
No. 6 Notre Dame 7, No. 5 Alabama 0
Legion Field/Birmingham
Oct. 4, 1986
No. 2 Alabama 28, Notre Dame 10
Legion Field/Birmingham
Nov. 14, 1987
No. 7 Notre Dame 37, No. 11 Alabama 6
South Bend, Ind.

 

In case anyone is wondering: yes, Bama does indeed claim this as a national championship despite losing to undefeated Notre Dame. No lie.

 

I think it's safe to say this thread can be filed away in the "who gives a fuck" forum. No offense.

 

I was about to say essentially the same thing earlier but got pull away from the computer before I could post. I was going to ask, just why is this crap in the Tiger's Den forum.

 

yep, despite losing to a 10-0 Notre Dame team in the Sugar Bowl, Bama actually claims this as one of their National Titles. the AP Poll and Coaches poll both had Alabama #1 going into the Sugar vs Notre Dame. but, at that time, the Coaches poll didn't issue a final poll after the bowl games, only the AP did (and the AP named ND #1 in their final poll of course). so, since Alabama was #1 in the final coaches poll before they lost to ND in the Sugar, they claim this as a National Championship

going into the ND vs Bama Sugar Bowl, the top 3 teams in the AP were:

#1 Alabama (Bear Bryant) -- 11-0
#2 Oklahoma (Barry Switzer) -- 11-0-1 (the tie was to USC, who Notre Dame beat 23-14)
#3 Notre Dame (Ara Parseghian) -- 10-0

Oklahoma didn't go to a bowl game, and as the top two undefeated teams left, the ND vs Alabama Sugar Bowl was the de facto National Championship Game

Alabama's only big wins that season were:

--a 21-7 win at #7 LSU (who finished the season #13) -- LSU was led by QB "Miracle" Mike Miley (who was taken Top 10 overall in the 1st Round of the MLB Draft), RB Brad Davis (9th Round of the NFL Draft), OG Tyler Lafauci (All-American), LB Warren Capone (All-American), LB Bo Harris (3rd Round of NFL Draft), CB Mike Williams (1st Round of the NFL Draft), etc

--a 42-21 win over #10 Tennessee (who finished the season #19) -- Tennessee was lead by All-American safety Eddie Brown (went on to be a Pro Bowl safety in the NFL), All-American kicker Ricky Townsend, RBs Bill Rudder (3rd Round of NFL Draft) and Haskel Stanback (5th Round NFL Draft), etc

Notre Dame's only big wins that season before beating #1 Bama:

--a 23-14 win over #6 USC (who finished the season #8) -- USC was preseason #1, but fell to #6 after a 7-7 tie vs Oklahoma (who finished the season #3). USC had five All-Americans that year: WR Lynn Swann, OT Steve Riley, OG Booker Brown, LB Richard Wood, and safety Artimus Parker. USC also had RB Anthony Davis (2nd Round of NFL Draft), OG Bill Bain (2nd Round of NFL Draft), DT Art Riley (2nd Round of NFL Draft), DB Charles Phillips (2nd Round of NFL Draft), etc

--a 31-10 win at #20 Pitt -- Pitt was led by All-American RB Tony Dorsett (who would later go on to win the Heisman and lead Pitt to a National Championship), DE Gary Burley (3rd Round of NFL Draft), LB Tom Perko (4th Round of NFL Draft), etc


Oct 1, 1973 cover


Nov 5, 1973 cover


Dec 3, 1973 cover


Sept 30, 1974 cover -- ND's QB Tom Clements would return the next season and finish #4 in the Heisman voting and be named an All-American. ND would play #2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl, with ND winning again, 13-11

 

By this standard (Alabama claiming the National Title for 1973)
LSU is #1 (split title) with Alabama representing the 2011 season.

 

I had to chime in and also post this: I was 17 years old in 1973 & had been listening & attending LSU games since 1958 (with my parents in the 50's).I've never seen a greater player than Mike Miley was and he should have won the heisman trophy. He was eqivalent to Archie Manning in stature, talent & leadership skills. In 1973 the LSU/ALA game was held in Baton Rouge / ABC Primetime / both teams were powerfui / both were undefeated .

 

Oh, are Notre Damn and Gumpabama playing again? I was trying real hard to forget...

 

I thought the same thing when I read that post.

Bama should really be ashamed of themselves for claiming so many illegit titles.