The podcast will be hosting Tony Rice this week (and Chris Zorich for those keeping track). I kicked off research by going to the videotape in trying to capture some of Rice’s greatest moments and highlights from the 1988 National Championship . While we’ve had his teammates Stonebreaker & Pritchett, Stams, and Brown on recently, we all know that this is the quarterback – a different, more special beast. Tony Rice may not have gone in the NFL’s 1st Round or found himself on many All-Time Passing lists for the Irish, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a player who evokes more positive memories surrounding their career than #9 in blue and gold.
Tony Rice 1988 Highlight Reel
I plan on asking him about it myself, but for you fans bitching about the 2012 schedule (Standard Operating Procedure in South Bend) maybe you remember Tony Rice and the late 1980′s so fondly because he was leading the Fighting Irish to wins over big-time opponents time and again:
- During Tony Rice & Notre Dame’s 23 game winning steak (1988-89), the Irish beat 10 AP Top 25 teams, 5 of which were AP TOP 5!! (Notre Dame’s schedules in 1988 & 1989)
- 1988 saw Rice and Co. defeat teams ranked #1, #2, #3, & #9 (Miami, USC, West Virginia, Michigan)
- 1989 saw Rice and Co. defeat teams ranked #1, #2, #9, #17, #17 (Colorado, Michigan, USC, Air Force, Penn St.) and lost to a team ranked #7 (Miami)
Going out on a limb and guessing Tony doesn’t have much sympathy for the 2012 schedule … and he shouldn’t.
Another video I came across during my prep for all these legends is the 1988 National Championship Game highlights versus the Mountaineers. All I could think about while watching some of the game’s biggest offensive plays was
“Everett Golson makes that play possible and Tommy Rees doesn’t.”
We’ve already exhausted the Rees v. Golson debate to the bitter end on this site, but these highlight reels provide vivid images of a mobile quarterback with a quality arm devastating defenses who try to take one aspect of his game away. Golson is built differently than Rice but both provide elements to the game that can make it easier for their teammates to succeed.
Make sure you check out the interview with Rice and Chris Zorich on TNNDN Network.
Go.Irish.
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Steve Herring is the Editor-in-Chief of HerringBoneSports.com and hosts TNNDN’s Down the Line & Ask Oscar. As the TNNDN Network President he acts as Executive Producer of four Notre Dame related shows. Steve worked in broadcasting at Madison Square Garden Media and the Arena Football League. You can find all his articles and radio show links on this site. Contact Steve on Twitter @HB_Sports or e-mail HerringBoneSports@gmail.com |
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