Quarterback: Tony Rice
Only John Lujack has a better winning percentage among Notre Dame T-formation quarterbacks who started at least two seasons. Lujack was 20-1-1 (.932) while Rice was 28-3 (.903), highlighted by the school-record 23-game winning streak. More impressive is that 11 of those 23 victories were directed against teams that finished in the top 18 — and seven in the top 10. No other QB in college annals has such a record.
Holtz and Rice were the perfect match, similar to Bill Walsh and Joe Montana.
Running Backs: Jerome Bettis & Reggie Brooks
Holtz had a sensational line of fullbacks, including second-round picks Anthony Johnson, Ray Zellars and Marc Edwards, as well as the late Rodney Culver. But “The Bus” was on another level, averaging an amazing 5.7 yards per carry between the tackles while picking up 2,022 yards (including bowls) his last two seasons. The NFL’s No. 10 pick after turning pro following his junior campaign, he is among the league’s top 5 all-time rushers.
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Rice's win percentage as Notre Dame's quarterback is second only to Johnny Lujack.
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People such as Tony Brooks, Ricky Watters, Lee Becton or Autry Denson (who played his first two seasons under Holtz) rushed for more career yards than Reggie Brooks (younger brother of Tony), but no back in Notre Dame history had a more impressive senior campaign. While rushing for 1,343 yards in 1992, Brooks averaged 8.04 yards per carry, didn’t fumble, made the diving two-point catch to beat Penn State and finished fifth in the Heisman race.
Wide Receivers: Raghib “Rocket” Ismail & Tim Brown
Plain and simple, The Rocket was the most electrifying performer in Notre Dame history with the ball in his hands. Along with Joe Heap, he is the lone Notre Dame player to eclipse 1,000 yards in both receiving and rushing during his career…and he added six TDs on returns for good measure. His 22.0 yards per catch on 71 receptions is an Irish career record.
The 1987 Heisman Trophy winner, Brown averaged 20.9 yards per his 84 receptions in the two seasons he played for Holtz (1986-87).
Tight End: Derek Brown
Like Ismail, Brown was a freshman starter for the 1988 national champs and, as the nation’s top-ranked recruit that year, made a profound impact with his blocking and receiving skills. Although he never made more than 23 catches in a season, his 70 career grabs (including bowls) averaged 15 yards.
Brown’s successor, Irv Smith, also was a first-round selection.
Offensive Line: Andy Heck (right tackle), Tim Grunhard (right guard), Mike Heldt (center), Tim Ruddy (left guard), Aaron Taylor (left tackle)
To get what we believed were the best five linemen of the Holtz era on the field at the same time, we moved 1992-93 center Ruddy to guard — where he started a couple of games in 1991 — so that Mike Heldt can be inserted at center. Heldt was a reliable Iron Man who started every game during the halcyon 1988-90 years, despite having to go up against Chris Zorich on occasion in practice.
Ruddy had a stellar pro career with the Miami Dolphins, as did Tim Grunhard as a decade-long center with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mirko Jurkovic would be our wild card figure at guard.
Heck was shifted from tight end to tackle his senior year in 1988 and flourished under Joe Moore, earning first-team All-America notice for the national champs and becoming a first-round pick. Taylor won the Lombardi Award as a senior and also was a first-round pick. In our opinion, Heck and Taylor were two of the five most impressive leaders during the Holtz era.
Defensive Line: Chris Zorich (nose tackle), Bryant Young (end) and Jeff Alm (end)
Like Taylor on offense, Zorich was the Lombardi Award recipient as a senior and became the first Holtz player inducted into the Hall of Fame, with Tim Brown joining him this year. Zorich and Tony Rice were the program’s version of Fire and Ice.
Currently a grad assistant for Charlie Weis, Young combined unparalleled quickness off the line with brute strength to become one of the most dominant linemen ever to suit up for the Irish, and in the NFL for 15 seasons.
It was an extremely close call among Alm, Jim Flanigan and George Williams for the third spot, but Alm’s 6-7 height and reach confounded many a quarterback and running back. He recorded 124 tackles, nine pass breakups and four interceptions during the 1988-89 campaigns.
Linebackers: Frank Stams, Michael Stonebreaker, Wes Pritchett and Ned Bolcar
Rush end Stams was similar to Reggie Brooks in that he didn’t truly emerge until his senior season, but that one year left an indelible impression. He earned consensus All-America notice for the national champs while always performing his best on the grandest stages.
Like Zorich, Stonebreaker was a two-time consensus All-America pick, one of 16 in Notre Dame history.
Pritchett was overshadowed by All-Americans such as Stams, Stonebreaker and Bolcar, but his 6-5, 246-pound frame and appetite for on-field violence made him a force in the middle. Defensive coordinator Barry Alvarez claimed Pritchett deserved as much All-America notice as anyone, especially after leading the 1988 national champs in tackles with 112 even though he often ran interference for others.
Bolcar also had a habit of playing his best in biggest games and earned All-America notice twice, as well as captaincy twice.
Cornerbacks: Todd Lyght and Bobby Taylor
Leaving off first-round pick Tom Carter (1990-92) was difficult, but Lyght and Taylor may have been the two finest cover corners to suit up for the Irish. Lyght joined Zorich and Stonebreaker as two-time consensus All-America picks.
Taylor’s 1993 sophomore campaign against some of the nation’s finest receivers was as impressive as we’ve witnessed by a Notre Dame defensive back.
Safeties: Jeff Burris and Pat Terrell
Burris had the agility and speed to play corner and the tenacity and hitting skills to thrive at safety — plus the first-round pick also starred as a goal-line situation running back during his senior season in 1993.
A receiver early in his career, Terrell was switched to free safety as a junior and his impact was powerful during the 1988 title march, highlighted by his 60-yard touchdown and final minute pass breakup of a two-point conversion attempt versus Miami.
Kicker/Punter: Craig Hentrich
The NFL’s first million-dollar punter, Hentrich’s 44.1 career average from 1989-92 is a school record by nearly three yards. His 39 field goals are also the third most in the program’s history, highlighted by five in the 29-20 victory versus Miami in 1990.
