# Holy War (Boston College–Notre Dame)

The Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl, more commonly known as the Holy War, is an American rivalry between the Boston College Eagles and University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a technical nonconference rivalry in college football, but in most sports an Atlantic Coast Conference rivalry. The series derives its name from the fact that the Eagles and the Fighting Irish represent the only two Catholic universities in the United States which still compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the highest level of competition in American college football. Boston College and Notre Dame are also the only members of the ACC who sponsor men's ice hockey at the NCAA Division I level and this rivalry is referred to as the "Holy War on Ice".

## Series history

Although football at both universities dates to the 19th century, the series itself is relatively young. Boston College and Notre Dame first met on the gridiron on September 15, 1975, in a game held at Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts. Since then, the two schools have met a total of 25 times, including a match-up in the 1983 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. An annual series was held from 1992 to 2004 and after a two-season hiatus the rivalry resumed for the 2007–12, 2015, 2017, and 2019 seasons as part of Notre Dame's scheduling agreement with the ACC. Notre Dame leads the series 18–9. The future of the series had been in question for several years after Boston College left the Big East for the ACC and the Big East asked Notre Dame to add at least three Big East schools each year to its football schedule, but on June 8, 2010, it was announced that the series would continue.
While the "Holy War" moniker dates to the first contest between the two schools in 1975 and has become popularized in the sports media, the rivalry has also acquired a number of other nicknames over the years. These include the "Vatican Bowl", and the "Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl." Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a Notre Dame alumna, referenced the rivalry using the "Holy War" moniker during a 2006 commencement address at BC's Alumni Stadium.

## Game results

| Boston College victories | Notre Dame victories | Vacated wins |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 1 | September 15, 1975 | Foxborough | #9 Notre Dame | 17–3 |
| 2 | December 29, 1983 | Memphis | Notre Dame | 19–18 |
| 3 | November 7, 1987 | South Bend | #9 Notre Dame | 32–25 |
| 4 | November 7, 1992 | South Bend | #8 Notre Dame | 54–7 |
| 5 | November 20, 1993 | South Bend | #12 Boston College | 41–39 |
| 6 | October 8, 1994 | Chestnut Hill | Boston College | 30–11 |
| 7 | October 28, 1995 | South Bend | #15 Notre Dame | 20–10 |
| 8 | November 9, 1996 | Chestnut Hill | #19 Notre Dame | 48–21 |
| 9 | October 25, 1997 | South Bend | Notre Dame | 52–20 |
| 10 | November 7, 1998 | Chestnut Hill | #13 Notre Dame | 31–26 |
| 11 | November 20, 1999 | South Bend | #25 Boston College | 31–29 |
| 12 | November 11, 2000 | South Bend | #11 Notre Dame | 28–16 |
| 13 | October 27, 2001 | Chestnut Hill | Boston College | 21–17 |
| 14 | November 2, 2002 | South Bend | Boston College | 14–7 |
| 15 | October 25, 2003 | Chestnut Hill | Boston College | 27–25 |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 16 | October 23, 2004 | South Bend | Boston College | 24–23 |
| 17 | October 13, 2007 | South Bend | #4 Boston College | 27–14 |
| 18 | November 8, 2008 | Chestnut Hill | Boston College | 17–0 |
| 19 | October 24, 2009 | South Bend | Notre Dame | 20–16 |
| 20 | October 2, 2010 | Chestnut Hill | Notre Dame | 31–13 |
| 21 | November 19, 2011 | South Bend | #24 Notre Dame | 16–14 |
| 22 | November 10, 2012 | Chestnut Hill | #4 Notre Dame† | 21–6 |
| 23 | November 21, 2015 | Fenway Park | #4 Notre Dame | 19–16 |
| 24 | September 16, 2017 | Chestnut Hill | Notre Dame | 49–20 |
| 25 | November 23, 2019 | South Bend | #16 Notre Dame | 40–7 |
| 26 | November 14, 2020 | Chestnut Hill | #2 Notre Dame | 45–31 |
| 27 | November 19, 2022 | South Bend | #18 Notre Dame | 44–0 |
| Series: Notre Dame leads 17–9 |||||
| † Vacated by Notre Dame. |||||