Aug. 27, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior defensive lineman Sheldon Day, graduate cornerback Matthias Farley, graduate center Nick Martin, graduate linebacker Joe Schmidt and junior linebacker Jaylon Smith have been named captains for the 2015 University of Notre Dame football team.
The five-player captain contingent is the largest season-long collection of captains for the Irish since 2007, when Tom Zbikowski, Travis Thomas, John Carlson, John Sullivan and Maurice Crum Jr. served as team captains. Day and Martin are the 20th and 21st different two-time captains in program history after previously serving in the role in 2014, with Smith joining the duo to represent three Indiana natives among the 2015 captains.
Day (Indianapolis, Indiana/Warren Central) has appeared in 35 career games for the Irish during his first three seasons, starting 11 contests in 2014. Day has recorded 16.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and added two fumble recoveries at Notre Dame. His 40 total tackles in 2014 were the second-most among all Irish defensive linemen, as were his nine quarterback hurries and 7.5 tackles for loss.
Farley (Charlotte, North Carolina/Christian) has played in 39 games during his Notre Dame career, including 23 starts. Farley has added seven interceptions, including a career-high four in 2014, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as a member of the Irish secondary. Farley is the third defensive back in as many seasons to be named a Notre Dame team captain (Bennett Jackson, 2013; Austin Collinsworth, 2014).
Martin (Indianapolis, Indiana/Bishop Chatard) has played in 37 games on the Notre Dame offensive line over the past three seasons, starting all 13 games in 2014 at center (three games) and left guard (10 games). Martin’s brother and current Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman, Zack Martin, was also a two-time Notre Dame captain in 2012-13. The Martins become the first pair of brothers to serve as team captains for the Notre Dame football team over multiple seasons, and are only the second brother combination in program history to be named captain along with Bob Golic (1978) and Mike Golic Sr. (1984).
Schmidt (Orange, California/Mater Dei), who was selected as the 2014 Notre Dame Most Valuable Player, has appeared in 31 games at linebacker after notching the first eight starts of his career last season. Schmidt led the Irish with 65 tackles (42 solo), a 0.5 tackle for loss and the first two forced fumbles of his career before suffering a season-ending injury against Navy in 2014.
Smith (Fort Wayne, Indiana/Bishop Luers) is the second true junior to be selected as a Notre Dame captain in as many seasons, joining Day in 2014. Smith has started all 26 games over his first two seasons at linebacker for the Irish, making 179 tackles (106 solo) and adding 15.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He has also contributed two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and one interception during his Notre Dame career.
More than two hundred student-athletes, including this year’s quintet, have served as permanent Irish football captains during the program’s storied 127-year history.
ALL-TIME NOTRE DAME CAPTAINS
1887: Henry Luhn
1888: Edward Prudhomme
1889: Edward Prudhomme
1892: Pat Coady
1893: Frank Keough
1894: Frank Keough
1895: Dan Casey
1896: Frank E. Hering
1897: Jack Mullen
1898: Jack Mullen
1899: Jack Mullen
1900: John Farley
1901: Al Fortin
1902: Louis (Red) Salmon
1903: Louis (Red) Salmon
1904: Frank Shaughnessy
1905: Pat Beacom
1906: Bob Bracken
1907: Dom Callicrate
1908: Harry Miller
1909: Howard Edwards
1910: Ralph Dimmick
1911: Luke Kelly
1912: Charles (Gus) Dorais
1913: Knute Rockne
1914: Keith Jones
1915: Freeman Fitzgerald
1916: Stan Cofall
1917: Jim Phelan
1918: Leonard Bahan
1919: Leonard Bahan
1920: Frank Coughlin
1921: Eddie Anderson
1922: Glen Carberry
1923: Harvey Brown
1924: Adam Walsh
1925: Clem Crowe
1926: Gene Edwards, Tom Hearden
1927: John Smith
1928: Fred Miller
1929: John Law
1930: Tom Conley
1931: Tommy Yarr
1932: Paul Host
1933: Hugh Devore, Tom Gorman
1934: Dom Vairo
1935: Joe Sullivan
1936: Bill Smith, John Lautar
1937: Joe Zwers
1938: Jim McGoldrick
1939: Johnny Kelly
1940: Milt Piepul
1941: Paul Lillis
1942: George Murphy
1943: Pat Filley
1944: Pat Filley
1945: Frank Dancewicz
1947: George Connor
1948: Bill Fischer
1949: Leon Hart, Jim Martin
1950: Jerry Groom
1951: Jim Mutscheller
1952: Jack Alessandrini
1953: Don Penza
1954: Paul Matz, Dan Shannon
1955: Ray Lemek
1956: Jim Morse
1957: Dick Prendergast, Ed Sullivan
1958: Al Ecuyer, Chuck Puntillo
1959: Ken Adamson
1960: Myron Pottios
1961: Norb Roy, Nick Buoniconti
1962: Mike Lind
1963: Bob Lehmann
1964: Jim Carroll
1965: Phil Sheridan
1966: Jim Lynch
1967: Bob (Rocky) Bleier
1968: George Kunz, Bob Olson
1969: Bob Olson, Mike Oriard
1970: Larry DiNardo, Tim Kelly
1971: Walt Patulski, Tom Gatewood
1972: John Dampeer, Greg Marx
1973: Dave Casper, Frank Pomerico,Mike Townsend
1974: Tom Clements, Greg Collins
1975: Ed Bauer, Jim Stock
1976: Mark McLane, Willie Fry
1977: Ross Browner, Terry Eurick, Willie Fry, Steve Orsini
1978: Bob Golic, Jerome Heavens, Joe Montana
1979: Vagas Ferguson, Tim Foley, Dave Waymer
1980: Bob Crable, Tom Gibbons, John Scully
1981: Bob Crable, Phil Carter
1982: Phil Carter, Dave Duerson, Mark Zavagnin
1983: Blair Kiel, Stacey Toran
1984: Mike Golic, Joe Johnson, Larry Williams
1985: Tony Furjanic, Mike Larkin, Allen Pinkett, Tim Scannell
1986: Mike Kovaleski
1987: Chuck Lanza, Byron Spruell
1988: Ned Bolcar, Mark Green,Andy Heck
1989: Ned Bolcar, Anthony Johnson,Tony Rice
1990: Mike Heldt, Todd Lyght, Ricky Watters, Chris Zorich
1991: Rodney Culver
1992: Demetrius DuBose, Rick Mirer
1993: Jeff Burris, Tim Ruddy, Aaron Taylor, Bryant Young
1994: Lee Becton, Justin Goheen, Brian Hamilton, Ryan Leahy
1995: Paul Grasmanis, Ryan Leahy, Derrick Mayes, Shawn Wooden, Dusty Zeigler
1996: Lyron Cobbins, Marc Edwards, Ron Powlus
1997: Melvin Dansby, Ron Powlus, Allen Rossum
1998: Bobbie Howard, Kory Minor, Mike Rosenthal
1999: Jarious Jackson
2000: Anthony Denman, Jabari Holloway, Grant Irons, Dan O’Leary
2001: Rocky Boiman, David Givens, Grant Irons, Anthony Weaver
2002: Arnaz Battle, Sean Mahan, Gerome Sapp, Shane Walton
2003: Darrell Campbell, Vontez Duff, Omar Jenkins, Jim Molinaro
2004: Mike Goolsby, Ryan Grant, Carlyle Holiday, Justin Tuck
2005: Brady Quinn, Brandon Hoyte
2006: Brady Quinn, Tom Zbikowski, Travis Thomas
2007: Tom Zbikowski, Travis Thomas, John Carlson, John Sullivan, Maurice Crum Jr.
2008: David Bruton, Maurice Crum Jr., David Grimes
2009: Jimmy Clausen, Kyle McCarthy, Eric Olsen, Scott Smith
2010: Game-by-Game
2011: Harrison Smith
2012: Manti Te’o, Kapron Lewis-Moore,Zack Martin, Tyler Eifert
2013: Zack Martin, TJ Jones, Bennett Jackson
2014: Austin Collinsworth, Sheldon Day, Nick Martin, Cam McDaniel
2015: Sheldon Day, Matthias Farley, Nick Martin, Joe Schmidt, Jaylon Smith
Three-time captain: Jack Mullen (1897-99)
Two-time captains: Leonard Bahan (1918-19); Ned Bolcar (1988-89); Phil Carter (1981-82); Bob Crable (1980-81); Maurice Crum Jr. (2007-08); Sheldon Day (2014-15); Pat Filley (1943-44); Willie Fry (1976-77); Grant Irons (2000-01); Frank Keough (1893-94); Ryan Leahy (1994-95); Nick Martin (2014-15); Zack Martin (2012-13); Bob Olson (1968-69); Ron Powlus (1996-97); Edward Prudhomme (1888-89); Brady Quinn (2005-06); Louis “Red” Salmon (1902-03); Travis Thomas (2006-07); Tom Zbikowski (2006-07)