The 1988 classic was a game Gary should have never played in. He had cracked ribs and could barely travel, nonetheless get dressed in the locker room. He pleaded with Miami coach Jimmy Johnson to let him stay home and watch the game on TV. Johnson said it was only appropriate for him to get on the plane and support his teammates from the sideline.

Notre Dame travels to Miami to open the 2025 season on Sunday night in South Florida. Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish came tantalizingly close to a national title last season and look to take the first step toward capturing the program’s first national title since 1988 against the Hurricanes.

Of course, Miami and Notre Dame have played multiple times since the infamous “Catholics vs. Convicts” game, which the Irish won 31-30. In fact, Notre Dame has a 5-2 record over the Hurricanes since that matchup, including winning four straight between 1990-2016 before Miami blasted the Irish 41-8 in their most-recent game on Nov. 11, 2017.