1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
National champion (NFF, Football News, Devold)
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 3
AP	No. 3
Record	9–1
Head coach	Ara Parseghian (1st season);
Captain	Jim Carroll
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium

1964 NCAA University Division independents football records
	Conf.			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 3 Notre Dame		–		9	–	1	–	0
Florida State		–		9	–	1	–	1
Colgate		–		7	–	2	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		7	–	3	–	0
Syracuse		–		7	–	4	–	0
Villanova		–		6	–	2	–	0
Boston College		–		6	–	3	–	0
Southern Miss		–		6	–	3	–	0
New Mexico State		–		6	–	4	–	0
Penn State		–		6	–	4	–	0
Memphis State		–		5	–	4	–	0
Utah State		–		5	–	4	–	1
Holy Cross		–		5	–	5	–	0
Buffalo		–		4	–	4	–	1
Colorado State		–		5	–	6	–	0
Air Force		–		4	–	5	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		4	–	5	–	1
Xavier		–		4	–	5	–	1
Army		–		4	–	6	–	0
West Texas State		–		4	–	6	–	0
San Jose State		–		4	–	6	–	0
Pittsburgh		–		3	–	5	–	2
Navy		–		3	–	6	–	1
Dayton		–		3	–	7	–	0
Detroit		–		3	–	7	–	0
Boston University		–		2	–	7	–	0
Houston		–		2	–	6	–	1
Texas Western		–		0	–	8	–	2

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1964 NCAA University Division football season. Led by first-year head coach Ara Parseghian, the Fighting Irish compiled a record of 9–1. John Huarte was the sixth Notre Dame player to win the Heisman Trophy. Notre Dame was crowned national champion by the National Football Foundation (NFF) at the end of the season, however the title is not claimed by the university.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	at Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	W 31–7	64,398	^[2]
October 3	Purdue	No. 9	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	W 34–15	59,611	^[3]
October 10	at Air Force	No. 6	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)	W 34–7	44,384	^[4]
October 17	UCLA	No. 4	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	W 24–0	58,335	^[5]
October 24	Stanford	No. 2	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	W 28–6	56,721	^[6]
October 31	vs. Navy	No. 2	John F. Kennedy Stadium Philadelphia, PA (rivalry)	W 40–0	66,752	^[7]
November 7	at Pittsburgh	No. 1	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	W 17–15	56,628	^[8]
November 14	Michigan State	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	W 34–7	59,265	^[9]
November 21	Iowa	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	W 28–0	59,135	^[10]
November 28	at USC	No. 1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	L 17–20	83,840	^[11]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game Source: ^[12]^[13]

Game summaries

Wisconsin

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) at Wisconsin Badgers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	3	10	0	18	31
Wisconsin	0	0	7	0	7

at Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wisconsin

Date: September 26
Game time: 1:30 pm CDT
Game weather: Rain
Game attendance: 64,398
Notre Dame Football Archives

Game information

Notre Dame

John Huarte
15/24, 270 Yds, 2 TD
Jack Snow
9 Rec, 217 Yds, 2 TD

Wisconsin

In Ara Parseghian's coaching debut for Notre Dame, the players carried Parseghian off the field while the Irish fans in attendance chanted "We're number one" following the victory.

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	ND	WIS
1	0:06				Notre Dame	31-yard field goal by Ken Ivan	3	0
2					Notre Dame	Jack Snow 61-yard touchdown reception from John Huarte, kick good	10	0
2	0:18				Notre Dame	-yard field goal by Ken Ivan	13	0
3					Wisconsin	Jimmy Jones 45-yard touchdown reception from Harold Brandt, kick good	13	7
4					Notre Dame	Joe Kantor -yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed	19	7
4			45		Notre Dame	Bill Wolski 2-yard touchdown run, kick no good	25	7
4	3:12		87		Notre Dame	Jack Snow 42-yard touchdown reception from John Huarte, kick no good	31	7
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							31	7

Purdue

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	7	0	0	8	15
• Notre Dame	0	14	7	13	34

Date: October 3
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
Game start: 1:30 pm EST

Air Force

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	7	7	7	13	34
Air Force	7	0	0	0	7

Date: October 10
Location: Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO
Game start: 1:30 pm MST

UCLA

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
UCLA	0	0	0	0	0
• Notre Dame	6	6	12	0	24

Date: October 17
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
Game start: 1:30 pm EST

^[14]

Stanford

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Stanford	0	0	0	6	6
• Notre Dame	0	15	7	6	28

Date: October 24
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
Game start: 1:30 pm EST

Navy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	0	21	7	12	40
Navy	0	0	0	0	0

Date: October 31
Location: John F. Kennedy Stadium, Philadelphia, PA
Game start: 1:30 pm EST

Pittsburgh

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Notre Dame	14	3	0	0	17
Pittsburgh	0	8	0	7	15

Date: November 7
Location: Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
Game start: 1:30 pm EST

Michigan State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan St.	0	0	7	0	7
• Notre Dame	12	8	0	14	34

Date: November 14
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
Game start: 1:30 pm EST
Television network: NBC

Iowa

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Iowa	0	0	0	0	0
• Notre Dame	0	14	0	14	28

Date: November 21
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
Game start: 1:30 pm EST
Game weather: 13 degrees

USC

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	3	14	0	0	17
• USC	0	0	7	13	20

Date: November 28
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Game start: 1:30 pm PST
Referee: Jack Sprenger

Personnel

1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
HB		John Atamian	Sr
HB		Nick Eddy
QB	`7`	John Huarte	Sr
HB		Joe Kantor
E		Jack Snow	Sr
HB		Bill Wolski

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB		Jim Carroll (C)	Sr
DB		Tony Carey
DB		Tom Longo
LB	`61`	Jim Lynch	So
DT		Alan Page	So
DB		Nick Rassas	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K		Ken Ivan

Head coach

Ara Parseghian

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Tom Pagna (OC)
John Ray (DL)
Joe Yonto (OL)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Awards and honors

John Huarte, Heisman Trophy^[15]

References

^ "1964 Heisman award". heisman. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009.
^ "Irish win for new coach". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 27, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Notre Dame Trounces Purdue, 34–15". The Hammond Times. October 4, 1964. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish rip Air Force". Evansville Courier and Press. October 11, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish remain unbeaten, top Bruins 24–0". St. Petersburg Times. October 18, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish trim Stanford, 28–6, as passing records fall". Omaha World-Herald. October 25, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Huarte passes for 3 touchdowns as Notre Dame sinks Navy 40–0". The Courier-Journal. November 1, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish nearly stumble into 'Pitt'-fall, 17–15". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 8, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Irish clobber Spartans". Port Huron Times-Herald. November 15, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Notre Dame puts Hawkeyes into deep freeze, 28–0". Rockford Morning Star. November 22, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Trojans shatter Irish dream, 20–17". Chicago Tribune. November 29, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Schedule/Results (1964 Notre Dame)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
^ "1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
^ Palm Beach Post. 1964 Oct 17.
^ "Heisman trophy winners by year". heisman. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009.

[1] "1964 Heisman award". heisman. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009.

[2] "Irish win for new coach". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 27, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Notre Dame Trounces Purdue, 34–15". The Hammond Times. October 4, 1964. p. E1 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Irish rip Air Force". Evansville Courier and Press. October 11, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Irish remain unbeaten, top Bruins 24–0". St. Petersburg Times. October 18, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Irish trim Stanford, 28–6, as passing records fall". Omaha World-Herald. October 25, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Huarte passes for 3 touchdowns as Notre Dame sinks Navy 40–0". The Courier-Journal. November 1, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Irish nearly stumble into 'Pitt'-fall, 17–15". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 8, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] "Irish clobber Spartans". Port Huron Times-Herald. November 15, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Notre Dame puts Hawkeyes into deep freeze, 28–0". Rockford Morning Star. November 22, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] "Trojans shatter Irish dream, 20–17". Chicago Tribune. November 29, 1964. Retrieved March 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] "Schedule/Results (1964 Notre Dame)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved March 15, 2026.

[13] "1964 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 15, 2026.

[14] Palm Beach Post. 1964 Oct 17.

[15] "Heisman trophy winners by year". heisman. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009.

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Q1	PU	Griese 1 yard run (Griese kick)	PU 0-7

Q2	ND	Snow 2 yard pass from Huarte (Ivan kick)	Tied 7-7

Q2	ND	Wolski 3 yard run (Ivan kick)	ND 14-7

Q3	ND	Page 57 yard return of blocked punt (Ivan kick)	ND 21-7

Q4	ND	Andreotti 23 yard run (Ivan kick)	ND 28-7

Q4	ND	Rassas 2 yard pass from Huarte (kick failed)	ND 34-7

Q4	PU	Hadrick 10 yard pass from Huarte (Hadrick pass from Griese)	ND 34-15


Q1	AF	Jarvis 25 yard interception return (Holiday kick)	AF 0-7

Q1	ND	Eddy 46 yard run (Ivan kick)	Tied 7-7

Q2	ND	Huarte 1 yard run (Ivan kick)	ND 14-7

Q3	ND	Wolski 20 pass from Huarte (Ivan kick)	ND 21-7

Q4	ND	Huarte 1 yard run (Ivan kick)	ND 28-7

Q4	ND	Snow 9 yard pass from Huarte (kick failed)	ND 34-7


Q1	ND	Wolski 1 yard run (kick failed)	ND 6–0

Q2	ND	Sheridan 37 yard pass from Huarte (pass failed)	ND 12–0

Q3	ND	Snow 16 yard pass from Huarte (run failed)	ND 18–0

Q3	ND	Farrell 1 yard run (pass failed)	ND 24–0


Q2	ND	Ivan 28 yard field goal	ND 3–0

Q2	ND	Wolski 54 yard pass from Huarte (kick failed)	ND 9–0

Q2	ND	Eddy 2 yard run (pass failed)	ND 15–0

Q3	ND	Wolski 1 yard run (Azzaro kick)	ND 22–0

Q4	ND	Wolski 9 yard run (run failed)	ND 28–0

Q4	SU	Lewis 3 yard pass from Handley (pass failed)	ND 28-6


Q2	ND	Eddy 74 yard pass from Huarte (Azzaro kick)	ND 7-0

Q2	ND	Snow 55 yard pass from Huarte (Azzaro kick)	ND 14-0

Q2	ND	Wolski 1 yard run (Azzaro kick)	ND 21-0

Q3	ND	Farrell 1 yard run (Azzaro kick)	ND 28-0

Q4	ND	Snow 7 yard pass from Huarte (kick failed)	ND 34-0

Q4	ND	Conway 15 yard run (kick failed)	ND 40-0

College football national champions (poll era)
1936–1949	1936: Minnesota (AP) 1937: Pittsburgh 1938: TCU 1939: Texas A&M 1940: Minnesota 1941: Minnesota 1942: Ohio State 1943: Notre Dame 1944: Army 1945: Army (AP) / Oklahoma A&M (AFCA) 1946: Notre Dame 1947: Notre Dame 1948: Michigan 1949: Notre Dame
1950s	1950: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches) 1951: Tennessee 1952: Michigan State 1953: Maryland 1954: Ohio State (AP) / UCLA (FWAA, Coaches) 1955: Oklahoma 1956: Oklahoma 1957: Auburn (AP) / Ohio State (Coaches, FWAA) 1958: LSU (AP, Coaches) / Iowa (FWAA) 1959: Syracuse
1960s	1960: Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ole Miss (FWAA) 1961: Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA) 1962: USC 1963: Texas 1964: Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF) 1965: Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF) 1966: Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF) 1967: USC 1968: Ohio State 1969: Texas
1970s	1970: Nebraska (AP, FWAA) / Texas (NFF, Coaches) / Ohio State (NFF) 1971: Nebraska 1972: USC 1973: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF) / Alabama (Coaches) 1974: Oklahoma (AP) / USC (FWAA, NFF, Coaches) 1975: Oklahoma 1976: Pittsburgh 1977: Notre Dame 1978: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF) / USC (Coaches) 1979: Alabama
1980–1991	1980: Georgia 1981: Clemson 1982: Penn State 1983: Auburn (BR, NYT) / Miami (FL) (AP, Coaches) 1984: BYU 1985: Oklahoma 1986: Penn State 1987: Miami (FL) 1988: Notre Dame 1989: Miami (FL) 1990: Colorado (AP, FWAA, NFF, USAT/CNN) / Georgia Tech (Coaches) 1991: Miami (FL) (AP) / Washington (Coaches, FWAA, UPI/NFF)