Catholics vs. Criminals

Miami-Notre Dame to renew rivalry

(AP) – 9 hours ago

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami and Notre Dame have agreed to renew a football rivalry that during the 1980s helped define each program and decide several national championships.

The Hurricanes and Fighting Irish will play Oct. 6, 2012, at Soldier Field in Chicago, then play a home-and-home starting in 2016 at South Bend, Ind. They play in Miami the next season.

The rivalry dates to the 1950s and Notre Dame leads the series 15-7-1.

But it was during the 1980s, when Miami became a national power, that the rivalry got interesting.

In 1985, Miami embarrassed Notre Dame 58-7 in Gerry Faust's last game as coach of the Fighting Irish.

Faust was replaced by Lou Holtz. Soon after Notre Dame was a national title contender again and the Miami-Notre Dame game was routinely one of the biggest of the season.

Miami won three national championships in the 1980s and beat Notre Dame during the regular season each time. Notre Dame beat Miami in 1988, when the Irish won their last national title, and in 1990.

The tense and at times nasty series was dubbed Catholics vs. Convicts by some Notre Dame supporters.

The 1988 game was marked by a pregame shoving match and the next season the teams nearly squared off at midfield before the coin toss.

After the 29-20 victory by the Irish in 1990 — which knocked Miami out of the national title hunt and helped Notre Dame go the Orange Bowl with a chance to win another championship — the series was stopped.

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