- Johnny Lujack led Notre Dame to three national title wins.
- Joe Montana led Notre Dame to a national title win in 1977.
- Brady Quinn is Notre Dame’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program was founded in 1887 and is one of the most well-known college football programs in history.
Over that time, numerous notable quarterbacks passed through their system, helping them capture 11 national championships.
Today, football bets are made on the Fighting Irish’s NCAA football futures odds to win a national championship at the BetMGM online sportsbook.
Below, I’ll take a look back through history and rank the top five quarterbacks to suit up for them.
For more top Notre Dame players, see my list of the top Fighting Irish football players of all time.
5 Best Notre Dame Fighting Irish Quarterbacks, Ranked
| Rank | Player | Fighting Irish Years |
| 1 | Johnny Lujack | 1943; 1946-1947 |
| 2 | Joe Montana | 1974-1978 |
| 3 | Brady Quinn | 2003-2006 |
| 4 | Angelo Bertelli | 1941-1943 |
| 5 | Joe Theismann | 1968-1970 |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish All-Time Greatest Quarterbacks
1. Johnny Lujack
Lujack was at Notre Dame in 1943, 1946, and 1947. He didn’t play at Notre Dame in 1944 and 1945 because he was serving in World War II.
However, in all three years he played for Notre Dame, he led them to a national championship win.
On top of that, he won the Heisman Trophy, was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year, and the Sporting News Player of the Year.
Lujack was also a two-time unanimous All-American.
He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
2. Joe Montana
Montana’s career at Notre Dame spanned from 1974 to 1978, but he didn’t become the team’s starting quarterback until the third game of the 1977 season.
He started the entire 1978 campaign.
However, after taking over as the starter in 1977, Montana would go on to lead Notre Dame to a national championship, defeating Texas 38-10 in the Cotton Bowl.
He also led Notre Dame to a Cotton Bowl win over Houston on Jan. 1, 1979, despite fending off hypothermia with a body temperature of just 96 degrees.
Houston was up 20-12 at halftime, and while Montana was in the locker room being tended to, Houston went up 34-12.
Montana came back in the late third quarter and led them to a 35-34 come-from-behind win.
Over his career, he threw for 4,121 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. He also had 14 rushing touchdowns.
3. Brady Quinn
Quinn was at Notre Dame from 2003 to 2006 and threw for 11,762 yards (most in program history) and 95 touchdowns (first).
He holds the single-season passing yardage (3,919) and passing touchdown (37) records.
Quinn won the Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Sammy Baugh Trophy, was the Cingular All-America Player of the Year, and was a second and third-team All-American.
4. Angelo Bertelli
Bertelli was at Notre Dame from 1941 to 1943.
He led them to a national title in 1943 and also won the Heisman Trophy.
Additionally, Bertelli was the SN Player of the Year and a consensus and first-team All-American.
Bertelli is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
5. Joe Theismann
A first-team All-American in 1970, Theismann was with Notre Dame from 1968 to 1970.
Over that time, he threw for 4,411 yards and 31 touchdowns (10th).
He’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Who Was the Best Quarterback Ever for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish?
The best quarterback ever for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is Johnny Lujack.
He led Notre Dame to three national title victories in 1943, 1946, and 1947.
Who Is the Winningest Quarterback in Notre Dame Fighting Irish History?
The winningest quarterback in Notre Dame Fighting Irish history is Ian Book, who won 30 games.
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