10 Greatest Notre Dame Football Players of All Time

One of the most storied schools in the country is home to one of the most storied college football teams, too.

Asking a Notre Dame fan to pick the school’s 10 best players would probably be an impossible task. Some names are guaranteed. Your Paul Hornungs. Your Tim Browns. Your Johnny Lujacks. But depending on the picker’s age and fondness for history, a bulk of the top 10 will look wildly different from person to person.

Well, we gave it a shot, anyway. For the most part, we counted what they did in a uniform while in South Bend as the greatest weight. As such, you won’t find Joe Montana, for example. We also tried to take into context the era and legacy within the school, too.

So you may not love this top 10. Or, well, you very well might. Either way, for our money, these are the greatest to do it.

Honorable Mentions

• OL/LB George Conner (1946-1947)
• OL Bill Fischer (1946-1948)
• End/FB Leon Hart (1946-1949)
• QB Joe Theismann (1967-1970)
• TE Ken MacAfee (1974-1977)
• QB Joe Montana (1975-1978)
• DL Chris Zorich (1987-1990)
• RB Jerome Bettis (1990-1992)
• WR Michael Floyd (2008-2011)
• OL Zack Martin (2009-2013)

10. OL Aaron Taylor (1990-1993)

Taylor likely isn’t a name many would expect to find here. Offensive linemen often get overlooked on "best of" lists. But he deserves recognition.

Taylor was a consensus All-American in 1992 and a unanimous choice in 1993, winning the Lombardi Award as the nation’s best lineman that season, too.

9. WR Raghib Ismail (1988-1990)

They called him “Rocket.” Ismail was absolutely electric for Notre Dame over his three seasons from 1988 to 1990. He recorded more than 1,500 yards receiving during an era in which the Fighting Irish rarely passed the ball. He notched more than 1,000 yards on the ground, too.

But it was in the return game where he earned his nickname. Ismail returned five kickoffs and a punt for a score in his time, earning the Walter Camp Award and finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting.

8. HB/QB/P George Gipp (1917-1920)

America continues to know the phrase, “Win one for the Gipper.” Gipp died shortly after his final season of college football from a throat infection and pneumonia in 1920. He was Notre Dame’s first-ever All-American who played mostly at halfback, quarterback, and punter.

Over four seasons, Gipp registered 2,341 yards rushing, 1,800 yards passing, and 21 total touchdowns.

7. QB Angelo Bertelli (1941-1943)

Bertelli played just 1 1/2 years at quarterback for Notre Dame as he joined the Marine Corps during World War II.

In his second season at the position, through only six games, he became the Fighting Irish’s first Heisman Trophy winner, recording 512 yards on 25 completions. Ten of those 25 completions resulted in touchdowns.

6. LB Manti Te’o (2009-2012)

Probably the most famous Notre Dame player of the 21st century, Te’o started 47 straight games for the Fighting Irish.

He logged more than 120 tackles in his sophomore and junior seasons, then, as a senior, Te’o picked up more than 100 plus seven interceptions en route to finishing second in Heisman voting. As a linebacker, no less.

5. QB Johnny Lujack (1942-43, 1946-47)

Lujack won the national championship three times with Notre Dame (1943, 1946, and 1947) while picking up the Heisman Trophy in his final year as a collegian. In that ‘47 season, Lujack completed 61-of-109 passes for 777 yards while running for 139 on the ground.

4. DL Alan Page (1964-1966)

Page isn’t the most decorated player in Notre Dame history. He’s not even in the top four. But the defensive lineman’s impact from his time in South Bend through 15 seasons in the NFL to an admirable post-playing career as a Supreme Court justice in Minnesota is worth recognizing.

You want football only? How about a consensus All-American who led the Fighting Irish’s defense during a national-championship year.

3. WR Tim Brown (1984-1987)

Notre Dame’s most recent Heisman Trophy winner, Brown led Notre Dame in receiving during his last three seasons and finished second on the team even as a freshman.

His senior year of 1987 was the most special as Brown captured that aforementioned trophy and the Walter Camp Award after recording 1,837 all-purpose yards.

2. HB/QB/DB/K Paul Hornung (1954-1956)

Hornung ranked as our second-greatest quarterback in school history, but the man in front of him here isn’t a quarterback. That happens because Hornung was much more than a quarterback. He threw passes and caught passes. He handed the ball off and took hand-offs. He punted and returned punts.

There’s little Hornung couldn’t do, and he remains the only player in college football history to win the Heisman while on a team with a losing record.

1. DL Ross Browner (1973, 1975-1977)

Outside of Notre Dame die-hards, you probably won’t find many who would think of Browner as the greatest football player in school history. Skill players often get more recognition. But we’re calling him tops, anyway.

Browner started all four years and earned All-American honors in his last two (1976 and 1977). He won the Outland Trophy as a junior, then the Lombardi Award and the Maxwell Award as a senior.

He ranks eighth in school history in tackles and would almost certainly rank first in sacks had that been a statistic that was logged in his day. Browner recorded 77 tackles for-loss over those four seasons. You know some of them were sacks.

More Notre Dame Football Rankings

• 5 Greatest Quarterbacks in Notre Dame History
• 5 Greatest Running Backs in Notre Dame History
• 5 Greatest Defensive Players in Notre Dame History