Notre Dame’s Top Classes: No. 7

The class ratings were based on 1) impact on the program through production, championship contention and talent level of other classes around them, 2) balance at the various positions and 3) overall depth in number of major producers.

THE 1963 RECRUITING CLASS

Players Originally Signed: Approximately 34

Record At Notre Dame From 1964-66: 25-3-2 (.867)

Associated Press Final Rankings: No. 3 (1964), No. 9 (1965), No. 1 (1966)

Leaders In The Lineup

Fullback: Larry Conjar

Tight End: Don Gmitter

Offensive Tackle: Paul Seiler

Offensive Guards: Tom Regner, Dick Swatland

Center: George Goeddeke

Defensive Ends: Alan Page, Tom Rhoads

Defensive Tackles: Kevin Hardy

Linebackers: Jim Lynch, John Horney

Punter: Hardy

IMPACT

This class was the fulcrum of a program that went from 34-45 in 1956-63 to 25-3-2 in 1964-66, capturing a consensus national title in 1966 and sharing another (the MacArthur Bowl) in 1964. When they were freshmen in 1963 and not allowed to participate on the varsity (per NCAA rules until 1972), they saw interim coach Hugh Devore’s Irish finish 2-7 — the fifth straight year Notre Dame failed to post a winning record.

Once they became eligible as sophomores in 1964 under first-year head coach Ara Parseghian, all four starters along the defensive line were from this class:

• Right end Page, a first-round NFL pick who in 1971 became the first defensive player in its history to be named MVP. He is in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.

• Right tackle Regner, a first-round NFL pick.

• Left tackle Hardy, a first-round NFL pick. One of the school’s greatest all-around athletes, Hardy also played basketball and baseball for the Irish.

• Left end Gmitter, who would eventually move to tight end so that classmate and fourth-round NFL pick Rhoads could start on defense in 1965-66. With its new cast of “super sophs,” Notre Dame went from 2-7 to 9-1 in 1964.

How many defensive lines in the country feature four true sophomore starters — and then hold the opposition to 77 points in 10 games? In 1965, the Irish surrendered only 73 points, and in 1966 merely 38.

BALANCE

The lack of a quarterback, halfback, wide receiver and defensive back prevented us from ranking this class in the top five. Had fleet All-American halfback Nick Eddy (who signed in 1962) been in this haul, then it would have ranked among the five best.

Nevertheless, no Notre Dame recruiting class since has had better across-the-board balance along the offensive and defensive lines — where football is ultimately won.

• Stepping in at linebacker in 1964 was Lynch, a Maxwell Award winner and College Football Hall of Fame inductee who made 255 tackles from 1964-66 and was a second-round NFL pick for the Kansas City Chiefs. Eventually joining Lynch at linebacker was Horney, who registered 128 tackles in 1965-66.

• Like Gmitter, Regner shifted to offense in 1965. Joining those two on the front were Seiler — yet another first-round pick from this class — at left tackle.

• Another 1963 recruit, the colorful Goeddeke, nicknamed “Mr. Clean” because of his shaven pate, became the starting center in 1965-66 and a third-round choice.

• In 1966, Swatland, a 1963 recruit, joined Regner at the other guard slot.

• Fullback Conjar represented the backfield and carried the ball the most for the 1965-66 Irish, totaling 1,056 yards and 14 touchdowns. He rushed for 116 yards against USC in 1965 while scoring all four touchdowns in the 28-7 victory. He also proved to be a superior blocker and was a second-round NFL pick.

DEPTH

Both lines were so deep, the Irish were able to move starting defensive end Gmitter to tight end when Rhoads was too good to keep out of the lineup at defensive end in 1965. Plus, starting defensive tackle Regner shifted to offensive guard.

Backup defensive end Allen Sack was drafted by the NFL (the 10th member of this class), and defensive tackle Harry Alexander probably would have started for most teams had he not been behind a couple of All-Americans.

SUMMARY

This probably ranks among the greatest four or five defensive/offensive line hauls in college football history since World War II, featuring four first-round draft picks (Hardy, Seiler, Page and Regner). Linebacker Lynch and fullback Conjar were tabbed in the second round, and center George Goeddeke in the third. Six players from one class were taken among the top 59 players. More significant was they were the backbone of Notre Dame’s spectacular revival under Parseghian.

The missing pieces, specifically with the passing combination, were filled in with the John Huarte to Jack Snow duo in 1964 and Terry Hanratty/Coley O’Brien to Jim Seymour connection in 1966.

Although Devore had shortcomings as a head coach, he and predecessor Joe Kuharich helped set the table for Notre Dame’s 1964 savior, Ara Parseghian.

“When I went to Notre Dame, the talent was there,” said Parseghian, who was 4-0 against the Irish while coaching Northwestern from 1955-63. “It was a matter of putting people in the right positions, motivating and giving them direction.”

“When you talk of our success in the NFL Draft, the best ‘drafting’ job was when Ara Parseghian came in,” Lynch said. “That was the most propitious thing that happened. He put you in the position to succeed. You have to have the clay to work with, but he was the sculptor.”

When quality clay meets a master sculptor, you end up with a class like this.

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