Lots of great individuals. I think the best pair was Fry and Browner. I think there current trio puts 2 on at any time that are better than any pair since
I've heard of Leon Hart but never saw him play. I'm getting too old but those guys are before my time. I go back as far as Theisman and Greenwood and was pretty young at that time :)
and Swenson.
Mike Kadish played OT on the 1968 Frosh team/Marx & Al Pope were the DT & Patulski & Swendsen were the DEs..
But Marx got hurt in the preseason of '69 (and was lost for the season)
Pope had flunked out of school.
Ara moved Kadish from OT to DT at the beginning of Kadish's soph yr...to help replace the loss of Marx &Pope
Then when Marx came back in '70, he and Kadish were the DT for 2 years....Marx got a 5th yr in '72....Kadish was taken in the 1st rd after the '71 season...same draft where Patulski DE went #1...after playing a 5th yr at ND, Marx was taken in the 2nd rd in the next draft
Ara Parseghian was watching films of HS recruits one day...he was 'scouting' prospect Mike Kadish from Grand Rapids Central Catholic.
GR Central Catholic happened to be playing their archrival Grand Rapids Central in this film. Ara was focusing on Kadish, but couldn't help but keep noticing a player on the other team = #23.
Ara asked assistant coach Paul Shoults(who recruited the State of Michigan) to find out who #23 was for Grand Rapids Central.
Shoults found out that #23 was Clarence Ellis.
Ara offered both Kadish & Ellis scholarships. I believe Ellis' only other offer was from Eastern Michigan.
Both Kadish & Ellis were selected in the 1st rd of the 1972 NFL draft
#2 overall in 1969. I should have known better!
Notre Dame had 13 players taken in the '67 draft
Kunz !st rd
Seymour 1st
Hanratty 2nd
Kuechenberg 4th
Winegardner 5th
Tuck 6th
Gladieux 8th
Norri 11th
Belden 12 th
Lavin 12th
Quinn 13th
A few interesting notes:
*Ed Tuck G
was taken in the 6th rd even though he hadn't started much for ND....in a video I posted on Cartier of the USC_ND game of '68, Tuck #69 started for the injured Larry DiNardo & played well....the NFL scouts always watched that game closely (big man on big man) considering it the best test of USC & ND players. Tuck moved way up the draft board due mostly to that game.
Bob Belden QB
the 3rd string ND QB was also drafted-pretty impressive, especially when you consider that he had knee problems that slowed him at ND
Bob Kuechenberg DE
Bob played OT in '66 (he actually replaced Kunz when George was injured & lost for the season). Ara moved Kuechenberg to DE for '67 & the rest of his ND career...though Miami moved Kuechenberg back to OL in the pros where he became an All Pro OG.
"Mean Joe" =Mean Joe Greene to Pittsburgh as #4 in 1st rd from N Texas St.
And one of my favorite DEs, Walt Patulski, preceded Browner and Fry.
Niehaus was a DT in both '72 & '73 (both short seasons due to knee injury); moved to DE in '74(with both Browner & Fry suspended)
and moved back to DT for '75 when Browner & Fry came back.
Fanning
1971 DE on Frosh team
1972 DE
1973 DT
1974 DT
Niehaus
1972 DT (frosh were eligible for varsity)
1973 DT
1974 DE
1975 DT
to his knees his first two years. He got additional injuries to his shoulder, I believe, and he played defensive end as a senior to protect himself and allow him to use what physical gifts he had left. He may well have been the most physically gifted DT to ever enroll at ND.
in a story about freshman eligibility but was injured before the SI jinx could take effect.
an All-American DE.
Yards per Attempt #3. Passing TDs given up #2 (6 with 12 picks).
Michigan is rated #1 in Pass Defense but ND has defended 393 passes versus 276 for Michigan.
Our defense has an All American at each level: the firm of Tillery, Coney & Love.
They held off both Patterson (Michigan) and Costello (Stanford), ranked #17 and #18, respectively, as passers with Book #8 and the lefty from Bama #1.
The kid from Clemson is # 20.
So I would say we have an elite pass defense with defensive ends just coming into their own...Rick