College football’s 150th anniversary: The 150 best moments that stood the test of time

63. Notre Dame Ends Nation’s Longest Winning Streak (1957)

In the mid-1950s, Bud Wilkinson’s Oklahoma teams were unstoppable forces. After winning their last nine games of the 1953 season, Wilkinson’s Sooners went the next three straight seasons without a loss. Entering their November 16 showdown against Notre Dame, Oklahoma was 7-0 and on a 47-game winning streak.

The Fighting Irish side that came to Norman was a 19-point underdog after losing two straight to Navy and Michigan State. A defensive battle ensued, and as the two teams entered the fourth quarter it looked like they might remain in a scoreless deadlock until the final whistle.

But Notre Dame put together a late drive, taking up 20 plays and traveling 80 yards, to seal the upset. Facing a 4th-and-goal three yards from the goal line, Bob Williams pitched the ball to Dick Lynch. Racing through a hole, Lynch reached the endzone to stun the partisan crowd in Norman and end what remains the longest winning streak in college football history.

62. Washington Ends Miami’s Record Home Winning Streak (1994)

By 1994, Miami’s transformation over the past decade and a half from lovable loser to an intercollegiate juggernaut. The Hurricanes had proven especially invincible at the Orange Bowl. As they approached their home showdown with a Washington team they split the national title with three years earlier, Miami had won 59 games and counting at home dating back to 1985.

It looked at first like the Hurricanes would get Win No. 60 with relative ease, as they took a 14-3 halftime lead. But some key adjustments at the break allowed the Huskies to come out of the locker room after the intermission and absolutely obliterate any advantage or momentum Miami might have maintained.

Outscoring the Hurricanes 35-6 in the second half, Washington ended the game with a 12-minute advantage in time of possession. Once the Huskies took the lead, Miami had no answer or adjustment that could pull things back in line. For the first time in a decade, Miami was made to look mortal at home in one of the most memorable comeback upsets ever on a gridiron.

61. Bobby Grier Breaks Deep South Color Barrier (1956)

After a 7-3 season in 1955, Pitt was selected to play Georgia Tech in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The selection drew widespread condemnation throughout the south due to the fact that Pitt’s best player, Bobby Grier, happened to be black. Months after Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Grier’s participation in the contest marked the first time a black college football player participated in the Sugar Bowl.

Georgia governor Marvin Griffin called for the Yellow Jackets to boycott the game and many New Orleans residents demanded Grier be barred from playing in the contest. But Pitt put up a unified front, saying that either he would be allowed to play or none of the Panthers would take the field against Georgia Tech.

Grier led all players with 51 rushing yards in a 7-0 loss. The lone touchdown in the contest came on a pass interference call against Grier that the referee later admitted he had botched after reviewing the play on film. Even though the Panthers lost, the mere fact that Grier took the field in the Sugar Bowl proved a landmark moment for college football.