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Notre Dame Football: The 5 Teams the Irish Have Dominated

By Daniel Morrison

NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 27: Manti Te'o #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Tom Wort #21 of the Oklahoma Sooners talk after the game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 27, 2012 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Fighting Irish defeated the Sooners 30-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 27: Manti Te'o #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Tom Wort #21 of the Oklahoma Sooners talk after the game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 27, 2012 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Fighting Irish defeated the Sooners 30-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Navy (77-13-1)

Notre Dame
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 16: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish throws a pass while being chased by Jackson Perkins #96 of the Navy Midshipmen in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on November 16, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Despite the historic lopsidedness of the series, there has been outstanding players on both sides. They’ve had 9 Heisman Trophy winners between the two sides, including the likes of Navy’s Rodger Staubach. That Heisman list doesn’t include Notre Dame’s Joe Montana or Alan Page.

As a program, Navy has over 700 wins and a National Championship. Now, Notre Dame’s over 900 wins and 11 National Championships make those look like beginner numbers from the Midshipmen, but they’re still very impressive.

This historic strength of the Navy program makes it surprising that the series is so one-sided. Of course, in the modern era, it’s almost impossible for any military academy to play at the level of a blue blood. They recruit lesser athletes, because only a certain type of person can get into the Naval Academy.

Given that drastic talent gap, maybe it isn’t surprising that at one point the Irish won 43 straight match-ups between the two programs. Still, there’s something shocking about a streak like that. It’s the type of streak where even the biggest Notre Dame die hard couldn’t help but smile for Navy, as they celebrated on Charlie Weis and the Irish. It would be a three overtime thriller, with the Irish coming up short on a failed two point conversion.

Notre Dame’s largest victory over Navy came in 1970, by a score of 56-7. Navy, like Oklahoma, had their largest ever win against Notre Dame in 1956. That score was 33-7.

Assuming the 2020 season is happening, it will be the first time this game is played in Annapolis. In its own right, that fact might be the most impressive stat about this rivalry.

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