Miami and Notre Dame became a true rivalry when Lou Holtz jumped into the fray

In the late 1980s, there was no bigger rivalry in college football than Miami and Notre Dame. Fans of the Fighting Irish, so desperate to get back to relevance, dubbed the controversial 1988 game, 'Catholics vs. Criminals', a title made around a t-shirt slogan that offered a questionable perception of good vs. evil.

And the programs were led by two of the most iconic coaches in college football at the time, Jimmy Johnson and Lou Holtz. It was passionate, it was intense, it was nasty, and it was everything great about the sport. Miami and Notre Dame might have hated each other, but there was always an underlying respect for what each program was doing on the field and the coaches that led them. 

That makes today's announcement of Lou Holtz's death particularly tough because, outside of Bobby Bowden, he was Miami's greatest rival even though the teams played just four times during his tenure at Notre Dame.

Lou Holtz, one of Miami football's greatest rivals, dies at 89

Holtz had been dealing with major health issues in his later years, dealing with prostate cancer and symptoms from a bout with COVID-19, but he was an honorary captain for a game between Notre Dame and Arkansas in September. He had coached both programs during his career, and also coached at N.C. State from 1972-75 and South Carolina from 1999-2004. Holtz finished his career with a record of 249-132-7. He won a national championship at Notre Dame in 1988.

And about that 1988 game.

Miami was fresh off of a national championship in 1987 and a run that included 23 wins in its past 24 games. The Hurricanes started the season beating No. 1 FSU 31-0 at the Orange Bowl and were riding high heading into South Bend. Notre Dame had taken some early lumps, but in Holtz's third season, the Irish were fielding their best team in years and had climbed into the top five. 

The game, which was nationally televised in the early-afternoon window on CBS, was one of the best of the decade, and truly one of the best of all time. Notre Dame took an early lead, but Miami rallied in the second quarter and from there it was a heavyweight bout with both sides trading punches (you can watch it here). The pivotal plays came in the fourth quarter. 

Miami converted a 4th and 7, which should have led to a 1st and goal inside Notre Dame's 5, but the referees incorrectly ruled that Cleveland Gary fumbled the ball when he was clearly down. Unfortunately, there was no replay in those times. 

The Hurricanes would bounce back and converted another 4th down with under a minute remaining when Steve Walsh and Andre Brown connected on a touchdown to make the score 31-30. Miami could've taken the tie and been no worse for wear, but Johnson isn't about that life. He went for two like a real champion and the conversion failed. Notre Dame went on to run the table and beat West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. Miami won out and whipped Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to finish No. 2 in the final polls.

The Hurricanes would get their sweet revenge a year later when they dominated the Irish 27-10 at the Orange Bowl, converting a 3rd-and-43 during the game. 

Miami won the national championship in 1989, but lost to Notre Dame again in 1990 when the series ended finishing 2-2 against the Hurricanes. For many older Hurricane fans, Holtz was a coach that loved to hate, but they also loved beating him, and he'll be missed.