Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

The name Kris Haines warms the hearts of Notre Dame fans all over the world thanks to his miracle catch against Houston in the 1979 Classic. Haines and his Irish teammates braved the ice and the cold to rally Notre Dame from a 22-point deficit in the game’s final eight minutes. Down the stretch, Haines grabbed a two-point conversion pass that brought the Irish within six points of the Cougars with 4:15 left to play. Minutes later, Haines stepped forward again to become Notre Dame’s man of the hour. Irish quarterback Joe Montana connected with his standout receiver on an eight-yard touchdown pass just as time expired. Haines made a diving catch in the corner of the end zone to tie the score at 34-34. The ensuing PAT added an exclamation point to an amazing 35-34 come-from-behind Irish victory.