Looking back at when Notre Dame didn’t get screwed over against Colorado

College Football: Orange Bowl: Colorado Jeff Campbell (84) in action, being tackled short of goalline after fake field goal in fourth quarter vs Notre Dame Stan Smagala (29) at Orange Bowl Stadium. Miami, FL 1/1/1990 CREDIT: Anthony Neste (Photo by Anthony Neste /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X39221 TK1 R15 ) As Notre Dame fans, we all have those games we never forget—and this is one of them. We’ve all heard about the “Orange Bowl jinx”… that lingering storyline that seemed to follow the Irish into Miami year after year.

But on New Year’s Night in 1990, something felt different. This wasn’t just another bowl game—it was a moment. A chance to prove who they really were after a tough loss to Miami, and to remind the college football world exactly what Notre Dame football is made of.

I came across this gem while digging through old Notre Dame Football Review archives, and it felt like the perfect Throwback Thursday story to share. Because this one isn’t just about a win—it’s about what happens when a team refuses to stay down. Let’s take a look back at the night the Irish rose from the ashes in Miami and took down the nation’s top-ranked team… The excerpt below is from the 1989 Football Review , published in Scholastic , Notre Dame’s student magazine (Vol.

131, No. 11), and written by Jim Maggio . Rising from Orange Ashes Notre Dame erases any thoughts of a Miami jinx with a convincing 21–6 victory over top-ranked Colorado by Jim Maggio Jan 1, 1990, Miami, FL His voice neither wavered nor showed any twinge of anxiety.