American Football Database
American Football Database
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Northwestern–Notre Dame football rivalry
First contestedNovember 14, 1889
Notre Dame 9, Northwestern 0
Number of meetings49
Most recent meetingNovember 3, 2018
#3 Notre Dame 31, Northwestern 21
All-time seriesNotre Dame leads, 38–9–2
Largest victoryNotre Dame, 48–0 (1976)
Longest win streakNotre Dame, 14 (1965–94)
Current streakNotre Dame, 1 (2018)

The Northwestern–Notre Dame football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Northwestern Wildcats and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.[1]

History[]

Starting in the 1920s, Northwestern and Notre Dame played for a Shillelagh until the mid-1970s. The trophy game was created at the behest of Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne, who wanted a rivalry in the Chicago metropolitan area to help build Notre Dame's fanbase there.[2]

The game decided the national championship in 1930, and a Notre Dame victory cost Northwestern a national championship in 1936. The two schools stopped playing regularly in the 1970s, though the rivalry was renewed from 1992 to 1995. When Northwestern stunned No. 8 Notre Dame 17–15 as a 28-point underdog in 1995, the Chicago Sun-Times billed it as the "Upset of the Century."[3]

In 2014, the rivalry was renewed in a two-game series, with Northwestern winning 43–40 in overtime in South Bend. It gave Northwestern only their second winning streak against the Irish since they won four straight from 1959–62. Notre Dame traveled to Evanston in November 2018 for their first encounter on the Wildcats' home turf since 1976. The Fighting Irish got their revenge for the Wildcats overtime upset in South Bend four years prior, winning 31-21 at Ryan Field. [4] Notre Dame leads the series 38–9–2.[5]

Game results[]

Northwestern victoriesNotre Dame victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 November 14, 1889 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 9–0
2 October 28, 1899 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 12–0
3 October 12, 1901 Evanston, IL Northwestern 2–0
4 November 14, 1903 Evanston, IL Tie0–0
5 November 20, 1920 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 33–7
6 November 22, 1924 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 13–6
7 November 21, 1925 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 13–10
8 October 23, 1926 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 6–0
9 November 23, 1929 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 26–6
10 November 22, 1930 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 14–0
11 October 10, 1931 Evanston, IL Tie0–0
12 November 12, 1932 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 21–0
13 November 18, 1933 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 7–0
14 November 17, 1934 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 20–7
15 November 9, 1935 South Bend, IN Northwestern 14–7
16 November 21, 1936 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 26–6
17 November 20, 1937 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 7–0
18 November 19, 1938 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 9–7
19 November 18, 1939 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 7–0
20 November 23, 1940 Evanston, IL Northwestern 20–0
21 November 15, 1941 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 7–6
22 November 21, 1942 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 27–20
23 November 13, 1943 Evanston, IL #1 Notre Dame 25–6
24 November 18, 1944 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 21–0
25 November 17, 1945 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 34–7
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
26 November 16, 1946 South Bend, IN #2 Notre Dame 27–0
27 November 15, 1947 Evanston, IL #1 Notre Dame 26–19
28 November 13, 1948 South Bend, IN #2 Notre Dame 12–7
29 October 24, 1959 South Bend, IN #2 Northwestern 30–24
30 October 22, 1960 Evanston, IL Northwestern 7–6
31 October 28, 1961 South Bend, IN Northwestern 12–10
32 October 27, 1962 Evanston, IL #3 Northwestern 35–6
33 October 2, 1965 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 38–7
34 October 1, 1966 Evanston, IL #4 Notre Dame 35–7
35 October 12, 1968 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 27–7
36 September 20, 1969 South Bend, IN Notre Dame 35–10
37 September 19, 1970 Evanston, IL #6 Notre Dame 35–14
38 September 18, 1971 South Bend, IN #2 Notre Dame 50–7
39 September 23, 1972 Evanston, IL #13 Notre Dame 37–0
40 September 22, 1973 South Bend, IN #8 Notre Dame 44–0
41 September 21, 1974 Evanston, IL #1 Notre Dame 49–3
42 September 27, 1975 South Bend, IN #7 Notre Dame 31–7
43 September 25, 1976 Evanston, IL Notre Dame 48–0
44 September 5, 1992 Chicago, IL #3 Notre Dame 42–7
45 September 4, 1993 South Bend, IN #6 Notre Dame 27–12
46 September 3, 1994 Chicago, IL #4 Notre Dame 42–15
47 September 2, 1995 South Bend, IN Northwestern 17–15
48 November 15, 2014 South Bend, IN Northwestern 43–40OT
49 November 3, 2018 Evanston, IL #3 Notre Dame 31–21
Series: Notre Dame leads 38–9–2

See also[]

References[]

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