#91
First Team: Robin Weber (1972-74)
Weber isn’t the best Notre Dame player to wear this number, but it’s probably safe to say he is the most remembered. The sophomore tight end’s 35-yard catch on 3rd and 8 from the Irish three with Notre Dame precariously hanging on to a 24-23 lead helped clinch the national title in the 24-23 victory over Alabama in the 1973 Sugar Bowl. In BGI’s countdown of the most timeless/sensational/famous plays in the program’s history, that was No. 1.
The buffer tight end between first-team All-America Dave Casper (1973) and three-time first-team All-America Ken MacAfee (1975-77), Weber was a starter in 1974 before an injury all but ended his career. His 15 career catches totaled 252 yards and included a TD, but he was the Johnny “One Play” O’Brien of his era. O’Brien, a track star who was mainly a reserve receiver in 1928, caught the winning TD on a long pass in the closing minutes of the 12-6 “One For The Gipper” victory versus Army in Yankee Stadium.
Second Team: Mike Creaney (1970-72)
Although he never played in the NFL, Creaney was a good enough tight end that the Irish coaching staff had the luxury of shifting superb blocker Dave Casper to left offensive tackle out of necessity in 1971-72. After Creaney graduated, Casper was moved back to tight end for the 1973 national champs.
A three-year starter, Creaney averaged a remarkable 19.1 yards per his 49 catches (including bowls), with five TDs. That’s not including his game-winning two-point conversion in the 8-7 victory at Purdue in 1971.
Third Team: Bob Clasby (1979-82)
Two-year starter at defensive tackle for Gerry Faust’s first two Notre Dame teams, Clasby recorded 129 tackles in those years, including six sacks for a “Gold Rush” defense that finished 10th nationally in total defense and 8th against the run. A ninth-round NFL pick, Clasby played five years in the league.
#92
First Team: Joe Gramke (1978-81)
A four-year regular as a defensive end and tackle, Gramke recorded 128 tackles, the most significant coming in his freshman year. With the Irish trailing Houston 34-28 and only 28 seconds left in the 1979 Cotton Bowl, Gramke and Mike Calhoun made the penetration and stop on 4th and 1 that gave the ball back to Notre Dame at the Cougar 29. That set up the Joe Montana to Kris Haines TD as time elapsed, and Joe Unis’ game-winning PAT. It was Gramke’s fifth tackle in the game.
He started all 11 games as a sophomore and the last six in 1980 while helping Notre Dame to a school record 23 straight quarters without permitting a TD.
Second Team: Kyle Budinscak (2001-04)
Started more than 30 games in his career as an end and finished with 75 career tackles, 11 of them sacks. He also earned Academic All-District V honors each of his four seasons as a regular in the lineup.
Third Team: Bryan Flannery (1986-89) & Greg Dingens (1982-85)
Both started several games along the defensive line during their careers, but were primarily utility players on talented front lines that featured numerous first- and second-round picks. They also were outstanding student-athlete representatives, with Dingens twice earning Academic All-America notice while preparing for the medical field.
#93
First Team: Paul Grasmanis (1992-95)
Just like 91 and 92, this is one of 17 numbers at Notre Dame that hasn’t featured a first-, second- or third-team All-America, although Grasmanis did receive honorable mention notice from Football News as a senior nose tackle. The fourth-round pick also played 10 years in the NFL.
He improved each year, recording 49 tackles as a 10-game starter in 1994. One of five team captains as a senior, Grasmanis totaled 69 stops despite facing double teams at the nose and also spraining his knee during the middle of the season.
Second Team: Bob Dahl (1988-90)
Relatively unheralded as a recruit and overshadowed while playing with All-Americans such as Chris Zorich, Jeff Alm, Frank Stams, Ned Bolcar, Michael Stonebreaker, Todd Lyght, etc. , Dahl did quite well for himself with 92 career tackles along the line. Like Grasmanis he received honorable mention All-America notice from the Football News after his senior year.
The third-round pick also played six years in the NFL — as an offensive lineman.
Third Team: Fred Swendsen (1969-71)
Similar to Dahl in that luminaries such as first-round picks Walt Patulski and Mike Kadish, and second-round selection Greg Marx, overshadowed him along the line. Swendsen, a defensive end, never played in the NFL despite being a third-round choice (53rd overall), but he was a starter or co-starter in each of his three varsity seasons. His TD recovery of a muffed punt by Purdue set up the two-point pass to Creaney (see No. 91) in the aforementioned 8-7 victory at Purdue.
Honorable Mention & Notes: Two other defensive linemen who went undrafted but had fine careers at Notre Dame were Chick Lauck (1966-68) and Jeff Kunz (1984-87). Lauck made 101 stops during his playing days, while Kunz recorded 88.
Defensive tackle B.J. Scott (1997-2000) had a productive senior campaign along the defensive front during his senior year when the Irish went to the BCS.
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