The Notre Dame–Purdue football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and Purdue Boilermakers football of Purdue University.
Trophy
The Shillelagh Trophy is a trophy exchanged between Notre Dame and Purdue, being held by the winner of the game. The two in-state rivals first played each other in 1896. The game occurred annually from 1946 to 2014. The trophy, first presented in 1957, is a shillelagh donated by Joe McLaughlin, a merchant seaman and a Fighting Irish supporter who brought it from Ireland.
Notable games
Notable games since 1946 include:
1950 – Purdue 28, Notre Dame 14 Notre Dame's 39-game unbeaten string came to an end at the hands of the Boilermakers. Future NFL QB Dale Samuels threw two touchdowns to defeat the Irish. The Irish finished 4–4–1, easily the worst season for head coach Frank Leahy.
1954 – #19 Purdue 27, #1 Notre Dame 14 The top-ranked Irish were done in by their intrastate rival as their 13-game unbeaten streak ended. It was their only loss of the year as they finished 9–1 under new coach Terry Brennan.
1957 – Notre Dame 12, Purdue 0 A psychological ploy enabled the Irish, coming off their worst season in history at that point, to start off on the right foot. Purdue coach Jack Mollenkopf heard that Terry Brennan had installed the single wing after spending some time in Knoxville, and wasn't sure how to prepare for Notre Dame. As it turned out, the single wing was not used against the tentative Boilermakers.
1960 – Purdue 51, Notre Dame 19 Purdue set two records for Notre Dame opponents in this game that still stand: most points ever scored against the Fighting Irish in the second quarter (31) and the most points ever by an opponent in Notre Dame Stadium. To date, it is the only time the Irish have ever given up 50 points in a game at Notre Dame Stadium. It was the worst defeat for the Fighting Irish under coach Joe Kuharich and at the time, it was only the fourth time in which the Fighting Irish had ever given up 50 points in a game.
1964 – Notre Dame 34, Purdue 15 The Fighting Irish made a statement under new coach Ara Parseghian as they throttled the Boilermakers. Alan Page blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown and defensive back Nick Rassas caught a touchdown pass late in the game.
1965 – Purdue 25, Notre Dame 21 In a seesaw battle, Purdue scored the winning touchdown late in the game. Bob Griese set a Notre Dame opponent record by completing 19 of 22 passes, a record that stood until 1991.
1966 – Notre Dame 26, Purdue 14 This game is best remembered for the debut of one of Notre Dame's greatest passing combinations – Terry Hanratty to Jim Seymour. Hanratty completed 16 of 24 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns, all to Seymour, who had 13 receptions. The teams traded quick touchdowns early on when Purdue's Leroy Keyes grabbed an errant pitch out of the air and returned it 95 yards for a score, only to have Fighting Irish halfback Nick Eddy return the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for the equalizer. Notre Dame finished 9–0–1 and win the national championship while Purdue made its first trip to the Rose Bowl a memorable one, beating USC, 14–13. Purdue was allowed to go to the Rose Bowl because Michigan State's 9-0-1 record prevented the Spartans from repeating as Big Ten Champions and the Rose Bowl berth.
1967 – Purdue 28, Notre Dame 21 Once again, the top-ranked and defending national champion Fighting Irish were done in by the Boilermakers despite the efforts of Terry Hanratty, who completed 29 out of a still-standing record 63 attempts. The loss snapped a 12-game unbeaten streak by the Fighting Irish.
1968 – Purdue 37, Notre Dame 22 In the only #1 vs #2 matchup in the history of this rivalry, the top-ranked Boilermakers and quarterback Mike Phipps walloped the #2 Fighting Irish.
1970 – Notre Dame 48, Purdue 0 After three years of frustration, the Irish exploded all at once against the Boilermakers, holding them to 144 total yards and six first downs. Joe Theismann threw three touchdown passes to Tom Gatewood and Ara Parseghian was carried off the field after the game.
1971 – Notre Dame 8, Purdue 7 In a game played in the rain, the Fighting Irish, trailing 7–0, took advantage of a botched snap on a punt to score a touchdown late in the game, then executed a successful two-point conversion to win. It was their first win in West Lafayette since 1961.