The University of Notre Dame, located in Notre Dame, Indiana, is home to the intercollegiate football team known as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The team's home games are held in the 77,622-seat Notre Dame Stadium on campus.
As one of only four universities to compete as an independent in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Notre Dame plays five games a year against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), of which it is a member in all but ice hockey. Notre Dame has won 11 consensus national titles since their debut season in 1887, including 8 from major wire services (AP, Coaches), and they have a total of 22 titles from 11 unclaimed co-national champions.
There are seven Heisman Trophy winners among Notre Dame players. Though the NCAA annulled 21 of Notre Dame's wins in 2016, the school still holds 957 official victories. Notre Dame has had 22 seasons without a loss, including 12 perfect seasons.
Read More: Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team
How many National Championships has Notre Dame won?
Notre Dame has won 11 national championships in the years1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, and 1988.
In addition to its eleven claimed national titles, Notre Dame has been recognized as the national champion in eleven more seasons (1919, 1920, 1927, 1938, 1953, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1993, and 2012) by at least one NCAA-designated "major selector.”
Read More: Marcus Freeman Teams coached
When was the last time Notre Dame won the National Championships?
Notre Dame’s most recent win was in 1988. Coach Lou Holtz led his 10–0 Irish team to Los Angeles in 1988. In 1988, Holtz won the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award for national coach of the year. That same year, he led Notre Dame to victories over No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl and No. 1 Miami in the Catholics vs. Convicts series, earning the team the national championship. In 1988, the Irish achieved a perfect 12-0 record, marking their final season without a loss and their national championship to date.
Notre Dame National Championships Wins Years
| Year | Coach | Selector | Record | Bowl |
| 1924 | Knute Rockne | Dickinson System | 10–0 | Won Rose |
| 1929 | 9–0 | – | ||
| 1930 | 10–0 | – | ||
| 1943 | Frank Leahy | AP | 9–1 | – |
| 1946 | 8–0–1 | – | ||
| 1947 | 9–0 | – | ||
| 1949 | 10–0 | – | ||
| 1966 | Ara Parseghian | AP, Coaches | 9–0–1 | – |
| 1973 | AP | 11–0 | Won Sugar | |
| 1977 | Dan Devine | AP, Coaches | 11–1 | Won Cotton |
| 1988 | Lou Holtz | 12–0 | Won Fiesta | |
| National Championships | 11 | |||
Notre Dame National Championships Appearances
Over 71 seasons, Notre Dame has appeared in 874 Associated Press polls. Notre Dame has been ranked first for 98 weeks, in the top 5 for 277 weeks, and in the top 10 for 591 weeks. In the final Associated Press poll of the season, Notre Dame was ranked 56 times at the end of the year.
| Year | Ranking | Record |
| 1936 | 8 | 6–2 |
| 1937 | 9 | 6–2–1 |
| 1938 | 5 | 8–1 |
| 1939 | 13 | 7–2 |
| 1941 | 3 | 8–0–1 |
| 1942 | 6 | 7–2–1 |
| 1943 | 1 | 9–1 |
| 1944 | 9 | 8–2 |
| 1945 | 9 | 7–2–1 |
| 1946 | 1 | 8–0–1 |
| Year | Ranking | Record |
| 1947 | 1 | 9–0 |
| 1948 | 2 | 9–0 |
| 1949 | 1 | 9–0 |
| 1952 | 3 | 7–2–1 |
| 1953 | 2 | 8–0–1 |
| 1954 | 4 | 8–1 |
| 1955 | 9 | 8–2 |
| 1957 | 10 | 6–3 |
| 1958 | 17 | 6–4 |
| 1959 | 17 | 5–5 |
| Year | Ranking | Record |
| 1964 | 3 | 9–1 |
| 1965 | 9 | 7–2–1 |
| 1966 | 1 | 9–0–1 |
| 1967 | 5 | 8–2 |
| 1968 | 5 | 7–2–1 |
| 1969 | 5 | 8–2–1 |
| 1970 | 2 | 10–1 |
| 1971 | 13 | 8–2 |
| 1972 | 14 | 8–3 |
| 1973 | 1 | 11–0 |
| Year | Ranking | Record |
| 1974 | 6 | 10–2 |
| 1976 | 12 | 9–3 |
| 1977 | 1 | 11–1 |
| 1978 | 7 | 9–3 |
| 1980 | 9 | 9–2–1 |
| 1987 | 17 | 8–4 |
| 1988 | 1 | 12–0 |
| 1989 | 2 | 12–1 |
| 1990 | 6 | 9–3 |
| 1991 | 13 | 10–3 |
| Year | Ranking | Record |
| 1992 | 4 | 10–1–1 |
| 1993 | 2 | 11–1 |
| 1995 | 11 | 9–3 |
| 1996 | 19 | 8–3 |
| 1998 | 22 | 9–3 |
| 2000 | 15 | 9–3 |
| 2002 | 17 | 10–3 |
| 2005 | 9 | 9–3 |
| 2006 | 17 | 10–3 |
| 2012 | 4 | 12-1 |
| Year | Ranking | Record |
| 2013 | 20 | 9–4 |
| 2015 | 11 | 10–3 |
| 2017 | 11 | 10–3 |
| 2018 | 5 | 12–1 |
| 2019 | 12 | 11–2 |
| 2020 | 5 | 10-2 |
| 2021 | 8 | 11–2 |
| 2022 | 18 | 9–4 |
| 2023 | 14 | 10–3 |
| 2024 | -- | -- |
FAQs on Notre Dame National Championship Wins
A. Notre Dame has won 11 national championships (1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, and 1988).
A. Discrepancies exist due to differing opinions on titles, influenced by seasons like 1938, 1953, and 1964.
A. Notre Dame has been recognized as a national champion in eleven more seasons (1919, 1920, 1927, 1938, 1953, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1993, and 2012).
A. Notre Dame's most recent national championship win was in 1988.
A. Notre Dame has been ranked 56 times in the final AP poll, appearing in a total of 715 polls.
