WGN at 75: Notre Dame’s last national title in 1988

CHICAGO – There once was a time when football games played under the Golden Dome would occasionally be televised on Channel 9.

Back then, WGN would air occasional home games for Notre Dame football, and that included the last time the Fighting Irish brought home a national championship. In 1988, on their way to their last title, Notre Dame beat Rice 54-11 on November 5 at Notre Dame Stadium with Channel 9 televising the game.

One of the big players on that Fighting Irish team was, fittingly, one of “Chicago’s Very Own.”

Chris Zorich, who was a standout at Chicago Vocational High School, was establishing himself as one of the best interior linemen in college football during that season. He was in the middle of a strong Notre Dame defense that would help the team to a 12-0 record, with a Fiesta Bowl win over West Virginia clinching the national championship.

While the Irish would fall short the next two seasons despite holding the No. 1 ranking for a major part of the 1989 and 1990 seasons., Zorich became an elite defensive tackle. He was a consensus All-American during both of those seasons and won the Lombardi Award in 1990.

He went on to play for his hometown Bears from 1991-1997 with a stint in Washington in that last year and was a Pro Bowl alternate in 1993.

Yet it was that 1988 season that was the focus of Zorich’s discussion on GN Sports as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of WGN-TV. Jarrett Payton talked with him about some of the memorable moments from that campaign, including the famous 31-30 win over No. 1 Miami in South Bend.

You can watch Chris & Jarrett’s discussion in the video above.