The University of Notre Dame, located in Indiana, has a long and illustrious panel of famous Fighting Irish football players. They boast among their alumni 7 Heisman Trophy winners and 62 College Football Hall of Fame recipients. Probably the most famous Notre Dame players were the Four Horsemen. They were the backfield of the 1924 team that was comprised of Harry Stundreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley and Elmer Layden. Legendary as backfield players whose combined talents for ball-carrying, field running, intercepting and passing allowed them to go on to win the 1925 Rose Bowl. They played 30 games and lost to only one team – Nebraska. All were eventually inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

George Gipp, who had never played high school football, became one of the greatest all-around players in football history. He still holds many ND records today. In his last 20 games he led the Fighting Irish to outscore their opponents 506-97.

Among current day players is Joe Montana who was much underplayed at Notre Dame. In his first year he was a seventh string quarterback. Eventually his ability to survive high-pressure play resulted in his being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. Montana holds the record for post-season touchdown passes and passing yards. He is the only player to win three Super Bowl MVP awards. Terry Hanratty played for ND from 1966-1968 and holds the record for 63 pass attempts in a game. He was a second round draft pick for Pittsburgh. Joe Theismann still holds the ND record for passing yards with 526 in a single game in 1970. He was the 1983 NFL most Valuable Player playing for the Washington Redskins. He was the runner-up for the 1970 Heisman Trophy and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Notre Dame has had a distinguished list of famous football players, nearly as famous as the school itself.