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Notre Dame & The College Football Hall Of Fame: Who's Next?

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Raghib "Rocket" Ismail is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the sixth straight year.
Raghib "Rocket" Ismail is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the sixth straight year. (Fighting Irish Digital Media)
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It took 1978-81 Notre Dame linebacker and two-time consensus All-American Bob Crable six appearances on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot before he was elected in 2017.

Maybe six will be the lucky number likewise for Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, (1988-90) who earlier this week made the ballot a sixth straight year. Joining him on it is 1990-93 Fighting Irish offensive lineman Aaron Taylor, who like Crable was a two-time consensus All-American.

This year’s ballot contains names of 76 players and six coaches, and about a dozen annually get selected for enshrinement. The announcement of the 2019 Class will be made Jan. 7, 2019, the day of the CFP National Championship. In fairness, it is extremely difficult to make it into the Hall. Even a Heisman Trophy winner such as Notre Dame’s John Huarte (1964) had to wait 41 years.

In Notre Dame’s football history, there have been 16 two-time consensus All-Americans, and Crable was one of four until 2017 not in the College Football Hall of Fame. The others are Taylor (1992-93), cornerback Todd Lyght (1989-90), the current Irish defensive backs coach, and linebacker Michael Stonebreaker (1988 and 1990).

Among the criteria to be eligible, a player must have been named first-team All-America by an NCAA recognized source — thereby making someone such as Joe Montana, an AP honorable mention choice in 1978, ineligible — not played a college game in at least 10 years and he can no longer be playing in the pros.

Three other national title/first-team All-America quarterbacks at Notre Dame — Terry Hanratty (1966), Tom Clements (1973) and Tony Rice (1988) — also are not in the Hall and unlikely to make it because of sheer numbers and statistics that are dwarfed by today’s game.

Other Notre Dame luminaries not on the ballot include 1969 consensus All-America defensive tackle Mike McCoy, 1971 Lombardi Award winner consensus All-America defensive end Walt Patulski, two-time All-America defensive lineman Steve Niehaus (1974-75), and wide receiver Jim Seymour (1966-68).

These are our top 5 (plus one) eligible Notre Dame players who are not in the Hall:


1. Raghib “Rocket” Ismail (1988-90)

In three seasons, Ismail became the first Notre Dame player to eclipse 1,000 career yards in three different categories: rushing, receiving and returns (Theo Riddick later did it in four years). The 1990 Walter Camp Award winner and Heisman runner-up as a junior averaged 7.7 yards per carry, holds the Irish career record for yards per catch (22.0) and had six returns of kickoffs or punts for scores.

Simply stated, he was the most electrifying Notre Dame player ever when the ball found his hands. He helped the Irish to a 24-1 ledger (including a school record 23-game winning streak) and a national title his first two seasons. In his third year, Notre Dame was 9-0 in the full regular season games he played, and 0-2 in the ones he was injured. In the loss to Penn State that year, the Irish were ahead 21-7 at halftime when he played — and then lost 24-21 when he was sidelined with an injury near the end of the first half. In the 10-9 Orange Bowl loss to No. 1 Colorado, his 91-yard punt return for a score in the closing seconds was called back because of a debatable clipping penalty.

This is the sixth consecutive year he is on the ballot.


2. Luther Bradley (1973, 1975-77)

Remarkably, Bradley has never been nominated and put on the ballot, an egregious oversight.

A freshman strong safety for the 1973 national champs — he led the team with six interceptions and 11 passes broken up — and a consensus All-America cornerback on the 1977 national champs, Bradley started all 46 games during his college career. He also received some first-team All-America recognition as a junior and as a sophomore. His 17 career interceptions are the school record, and his 27 passes broken up are third.

We consider him the greatest all-around defensive back in Notre Dame history because he could apply the thunderous hits of a linebacker with his 6-2 frame, yet still cover elite receivers such as USC’s Lynn Swann. As a freshman he had two interceptions, broke up a deep ball to Swann and forced a fumble in 1973 to help end USC’s 23-game unbeaten streak.


3. Todd Lyght (1987-90)

Recruited to be 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown’s successor in 1988 (a role Ismail took the following year), Lyght was crestfallen when he was shifted to the defensive backfield, where he started a few games at free safety his freshman year.

He then started at corner as a sophomore for the 1988 national champs, and in 1989 he became a consensus All-American, highlighted by recording eight interceptions, the third most in one season at Notre Dame. The following year as a senior he became one of 16 players in school history to earn two-time consensus All-America recognition. He made the ballot for the first time in 2015, but not the past three.


4. Bob Golic (1975-78)

Second to Crable in career tackles (479, not including bowls) at Notre Dame, he was an AP and UPI second-team All-America for the 1977 national champs at middle linebacker and nose guard, and a consensus All-America pick in 1978 at middle linebacker.

In the 38-10 Cotton Bowl win over No. 1 Texas to win the national title, he was named Defensive MVP with 17 tackles (almost all on Heisman winner Earl Campbell) and blocked a kick. He was powerful enough to line up at nose, yet fluid enough to play linebacker, including six career interceptions. He also was an All-American heavyweight wrestler.


5t. George Kunz (1966-68) & Aaron Taylor (1990-93)

Consensus All-America offensive tackle Kunz, also a tight end, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft (behind O.J. Simpson) and would play in eight Pro Bowls, although that has no bearing on his college career.

A two-time consensus All-American for the Irish, Taylor lined up at both guard and tackle for the Irish and was the 1993 Lombardi Award recipient while serving as a tremendous leader during a 17-game winning streak. He was on the 2017 ballot, as well as 2013.

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