Oct. 27, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Entering into this weekend’s game against the Midshipmen of Navy, the Irish are riding a 35-game winning streak, which is the longest in the series history. The last time Navy won was back in 1963 behind the leadership of Midshipmen Roger Staubach.
The Midshipmen turned in a solid performance knocking off the Irish, 35-14. At the time, Notre Dame found itself in the midst of a dismal season. Under the watchful eyes of then head coach Hugh Devore, the Irish entered the home game with a record of 2-3.
The biggest issue for the Irish was how to contain Staubach, Navy’s star quarterback. Staubach led his team to a 5-1 record heading into Knute Rockne Stadium in the first week of November. He boasted a 72 percent completion rate, completing 80 of 111 passes.
Staubach actually took over the quarterbacking reins in 1962 and made his first Division I start against the Irish. He transferred from New Mexico Military to the Naval Academy in 1962.
Besides the back-to-back wins in October, the Irish would not win another game until Ara Parseghian took over the reigns in the 1964 season. Devore’s squad finished the season with seven losses and two wins.
While Staubach and Co. did secure the victory, the Irish held the Midshipmen quarterback to his lowest total offense of the season. He completed nine of 15 passes.
The true star for the Naval Academy was fullback Pat Donnelly and the 127 yards he amassed. Donnelly averaged around nine yards per carry. He also racked up two touchdowns for his team.
Notre Dame quarterback Frank Budka completed only three of 19 passes in a lackluster performance.
“In that second half, nothing went right for us. They us with those two quick touchdowns, and after they had scored their third, we just couldn’t get our offense going,” Budka said.
The only bright spot for the Irish was Bill Wolski. He gained 64 yards on 14 carries.
“Penalties and mental errors hurt us most,” Wolski said after the game. “No matter what we tried, we couldn’t gel, offensively or defensively. That’s not to take anything away from Staubach or Donnelly. They were great.”
Navy finished with one of its best seasons in the history of school. The Midshipmen finished with a record of 9-2. Staubach went on to win the Heisman in 1963. He was the last Navy player to win college football’s most prestigious award.
On the other hand, Devore coached the team to one of its worst records. The Irish won only two games in Devore’s second stint as head coach. He also coached the 1945 team where the team posted the record of 7-2-1.