The 5 Best Notre Dame Fighting Irish To Play In the NFL
The 5 Greatest Notre Dame Players in NFL History
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish boast one of the most successful college football programs in history.
The emotive Notre Dame Fighting Irish motif
The eleven-time national champions hold a unique place in the sport as Notre Dame has traditionally competed as one of six independent schools at the FBS level within the NCAA.
This means that, unlike most programs, they don’t compete in an official division.
However, the Fighting Irish usually play five games a year against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and in 2020 played a full ACC schedule for the first time in school history due to scheduling changes resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
A program that boasts a 120-year playing history, who is the best Notre Dame Fighting Irish to play in the NFL?
Notre Dame Fighting Irish NFL Facts (As of 2023)
Number of Players Drafted in NFL History: 652
Number of First Overall Draft Selections: 5
Number of Players Drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft: 3
5) Dave Casper: Tight End
Time with Notre Dame: 1971-1973
Entered the NFL: 2nd Round Pick (45th Overall) in the 1974 Draft by the Oakland Raiders
NFL Highlights: Super Bowl XI Champion, 4x First-Team All-Pro, 5x Pro-Bowler, Pro Football Hall of Famer
Nicknamed “The Ghost” by his teammates while playing for the Raiders, Casper was a trailblazer for the Tight End position.
At a time when the position wasn’t known for its pass catchers, Casper became a versatile weapon for the Raiders in the passing game.
His career statistics are even more impressive considering Casper was an offensive tackle for most of his Notre Dame career.
However, in the NFL, Casper caught 378 passes and 52 touchdowns over the course of 13 seasons.
The Tight End was an integral piece to the Raiders championship-winning team in 1976 as Casper made 53 catches for 691 yards and 10 touchdowns that year.
His role in running routes in the middle of the field opened up the Raider’s offense in a uniquely dynamic way for the NFL at the time.
Casper changed the mindset of coaches on what the tight end position could offer an offense and paved the way for NFL greats we have seen dominate the position in the years since.
In 2002, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
4) Paul Hornung: Running Back
Time with Notre Dame: 1954-1956
Entered the NFL: First Overall Selection by the Green Bay Packers in the 1957 Draft
NFL Highlights: Super Bowl I Champion, 4x NFL Champion, NFL MVP (1961), 2x First-Team All-Pro, Pro Football Hall of Famer
Very few players have transitioned to the running back position in the NFL following a successful college career as a quarterback.
Only Paul Hornung has earned a Heisman Trophy in college as a quarterback and gone on to earn an NFL MVP as a running back.
It’s an incredible achievement that best exemplifies Hornung’s athleticism, versatile skill set, and dedication to his craft.
Even more impressively, he was also the Green Bay Packers field goal kicker for several seasons of his pro career as well!
Hornung set numerous scoring records during his time in the NFL. In 1961, Hornung set the scoring record in an NFL Championship game with 19 points.
That record stood for 56 years until James White scored 20 points in Super Bowl LI.
Perhaps Hornung’s most impressive postseason performance came when he rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the 1965 NFL Championship game.
Another Notre Dame legend who became one of the first NFL superstars, Hornung earned his gold jacket in 1986 following his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He doesn’t quite make the list of the greatest running backs of all time, but he is not far away.
3) Tim Brown: Wide Reciever
Time with Notre Dame: 1984-1987
Entered the NFL: 1st Round Draft Pick (6th Overall) in the 1988 Draft by the Los Angeles Raiders
NFL Highlights: NFL 1990’s All-Decade Team, 9x Pro-Bowler, Pro Football Hall of Famer
As a rookie in the NFL, Brown led the league in kickoff returns, return yards, and yards per return average.
Brown entered the league with the added pressure of being the first-ever receiver to win the Heisman Trophy award for the nation’s best college player.
It actually took a few years for Brown to become the Raiders primary pass catcher on offense.
However, when it finally clicked for Brown on offense, he never slowed down. Brown racked up 9 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 1993-2001.
Ensuring his legacy as one of the best statistical performers in NFL history.
Brown remains one of only 12 receivers to surpass 14,000 receiving yards in the NFL, his 14,934 yards placing him 7th all-time.
The statistical success cannot be understated, Brown was phenomenal for the Raiders over 15 years with the franchise.
Perhaps the best deep threat in the NFL at his peak, Brown’s speed made him a weapon on special teams, where he enjoyed great success as a kick returner.
Brown is the only player ever to retire in the NFL's top five leaders for both receiving and return yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
2) Alan Page - Defensive Lineman
Time with Notre Dame: 1964-1966
Entered the NFL: First Round Pick (15th Overall) in the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings
NFL Highlights: NFL Champion (1969), NFL MVP (1971), 2x NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 6x First-Team All-Pro, Pro Football Hall of Famer
Page has a special place in Notre Dame history as he became a 2x national champion with the Fighting Irish.
The second of which, Page as a leader on the 1966 championship team, was named a consensus All-American. Page transitioned into a dominant defensive lineman for the Vikings over an 11-year career in Minnesota.
Page played for the Vikings in arguably the franchise’s most successful period.
Alan Page is one of only 11 Vikings to play in all 4 of the team’s Super Bowl appearances.
One of my favourite positional group nicknames ever, Page was a key piece of the “Purple People Eaters” Vikings defensive line that became famous for their ability to sack and rush the opposing quarterback.
Including his four seasons with the Chicago Bears defense at the end of his career, Page made 148.5 career sacks.
However, these sacks are an unofficial stat according to the NFL who only accredited sacks as an official statistic in 1982. Regardless, Page was a wrecking ball in the trenches.
In 1971, Page became the first defensive player to be named MVP since the award's inception.
He remains one of only two defensive players to earn the award. (Lawrence Taylor 1986). A true phenom, Page earned his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 1988.
1) Joe Montana - Quarterback
Time with Notre Dame: 1975-1978
Entered the NFL: 3rd Round Pick (82nd Overall) in the 1979 Draft by the San Francisco 49ers
NFL Highlights: 4x Super Bowl Champion, 3x Super Bowl Champion, 2x NFL MVP, Pro Football Hall of Famer
The best quarterback ever?
Montana certainly belongs in any discussion on the topic. While many consider Tom Brady to be the G.O.A.T “Joe Cool” arguably owned that title for decades.
Throughout his career, the lights were never too bright for Montana. In fact, he thrived under the pressure of playing on the sports biggest stage.
A 1977 national champion with Notre Dame, Montana entered the NFL still very much under the radar a 3rd round pick.
However, Montana would become perhaps the most clutch quarterback to play in the NFL.
With the San Franciso 49ers most of his career, Montana was 3-0 in the big game as a starter. The undefeated in Super Bowls statistic is one many Montana advocates point to when making a case for the quarterback to be heralded as the greatest to ever play in the NFL.
There are so many great moments from Montana’s career we could highlight. However, I’m going to focus on just one drive from his illustrious career.
Montana at Super Bowl XXIII
In Super Bowl XXIII, the 49ers were down 16-13 to the Cincinnati Bengals with only 3:20 left in the 4th quarter and the ball on their own 8-yard line.
The whole season came down to Montana’s ability to lead a 92-yard drive to win the Super Bowl. In a drive that showcased the skill, accuracy, poise, and fearlessness that Montana is famous for, the 49ers quarterback was nearly flawless.
The San Francisco offence chewed up the clock, and Montana completed 8 of 9 passes on the drive before executing the final nail in the Bengal’s coffin by throwing a 10-yard game-winning touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left.
Definitely one of the greatest Super Bowl endings in the history of the event. This was Montana’s second of three Super Bowl MVPs, ensuring his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
