Stanford and Notre Dame will meet each other at 7:30 p.m. ET in South Bend, Indiana this Saturday. The meeting will mark the 33rd time the teams meet for the rivalry, which began in 1925.
Commemorating the first game between both schools where more "Legends" played than any other college football game! pic.twitter.com/l8fC0zjht8
— The Legends Trophy (@LegendsTrophy) March 16, 2016
Since 1997, the teams have met at Notre Dame early in the season during even numbered years, and at Stanford the weekend after Thanksgiving during odd numbered years. They’ve met every year since 1988, other than 1995 and 1996.
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This particular battle for the Legends Trophy is even more special than usual as it marks the first time the No. 7 Cardinal and and No. 8 Fighting Irish are both in the AP top 10.
Is it Saturday yet?! 🙏
— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) September 27, 2018
#7 @StanfordFball vs. #8 @NDFootball at 7:30p on @NBC! pic.twitter.com/sDDXoRQDxA
As its name suggest, the Legends Trophy is named after the teams’ meeting in the 1925 Rose Bowl, which was said to host more legends on one field than any other game. This was the Fighting Irish’s first trip to California, and they got there by train. In a game with players including the Four Horsemen (Jim Crowley, Don Miller, Elmer Layden, and Harry Stuhldreher), Notre Dame topped Stanford 27-10. It was Notre Dame’s first national championship.
The Notre Dame Club of the San Francisco Bay area created the trophy with nods to both teams — an Irish crystal bowl and Northern California redwood.
The Notre Dame and Stanford logos etched in the Irish crystal bowl that sits atop the California Redwood base! pic.twitter.com/4NoGtEjAdZ
— The Legends Trophy (@LegendsTrophy) March 16, 2016
Each year, the trophy gets a small metal plaque with the final score of the game.
Picked up @LegendsTrophy this morning and polishing it up now in preparation for this weekends activities! Thanks @StanfordFball for letting us get it today. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! pic.twitter.com/DqoxUlEQeP
— The Legends Trophy (@LegendsTrophy) November 23, 2017
Stanford came out of the last three games on top, but there has been no clear dominance over the past decade. And the games usually end up pretty close. All three of the last Legends Trophy games played in West Bend have been decided by seven or less points.
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Notre Dame leads the series 19-13. In the 31 years the game has been played at Notre Dame or Stanford, the traveling team has won on the road only eight times. So, this is a series in which the home team has a major advantage. Can the Cardinal notch a road win over the Fighting Irish this year to bring the Legends Trophy back to Stanford?
Here’s who won each year during the rivalry:
| Number | Date | Location | winner | score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan. 1, 1925 | Rose Bowl | Notre Dame | 27-10 |
| 2 | Oct. 10, 1942 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 27-0 |
| 3 | Oct. 26, 1963 | Stanford | Stanford | 24-14 |
| 4 | Oct. 24, 1964 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 28-6 |
| 5 | Oct. 1, 1988 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 42-14 |
| 6 | Oct. 7, 1989 | Stanford | Notre Dame | 27-17 |
| 7 | Oct. 6, 1990 | Notre Dame | Stanford | 36-31 |
| 8 | Oct. 5, 1991 | Stanford | Notre Dame | 42-26 |
| 9 | Oct. 3, 1992 | Notre Dame | Stanford | 33-16 |
| 10 | Oct. 2, 1993 | Stanford | Notre Dame | 48-20 |
| 11 | Oct. 1, 1994 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 34-15 |
| 12 | Oct. 4, 1997 | Stanford | Stanford | 33-15 |
| 13 | Oct. 3, 1998 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 35-17 |
| 14 | Nov. 27, 1999 | Stanford | Stanford | 40-37 |
| 15 | Oct. 7, 2000 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 20-14 |
| 16 | Nov. 24, 2001 | Stanford | Stanford | 17-13 |
| 17 | Oct. 5, 2002 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 31-7 |
| 18 | Nov. 29, 2003 | Stanford | Notre Dame | 57-7 |
| 19 | Oct. 9, 2004 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 23-15 |
| 20 | Nov. 26, 2005 | Stanford | Notre Dame | 38-31 |
| 21 | Oct. 7, 2006 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 31-10 |
| 22 | Nov. 24, 2007 | Stanford | Notre Dame | 21-14 |
| 23 | Oct. 4, 2008 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 28-21 |
| 24 | Nov. 28, 2009 | Stanford | Stanford | 45-38 |
| 25 | Sept. 25, 2010 | Notre Dame | Stanford | 37-14 |
| 26 | Nov. 26, 2011 | Stanford | Stanford | 28-14 |
| 27 | Oct. 13, 2002 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 20-13 |
| 28 | Nov. 30, 2013 | Stanford | Stanford | 27-20 |
| 29 | Oct. 4, 2014 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | 17-14 |
| 30 | Nov. 28, 2015 | Stanford | Stanford | 38-36 |
| 31 | Oct. 15, 2016 | Notre Dame | Stanford | 17-10 |
| 32 | Nov. 25, 2017 | Stanford | Stanford | 38-20 |
