Catholics vs Convicts

Men's Heavyweight T-Shirt

The first in our series of retro Canes shirts memorializes another of the greatest rivalries in the history of college football. Although they last played in 1990, Miami and Notre Dame played some of the most thrilling games ever -- and it's time to bring the rivalry back! Catholics vs. Convicts was the name given to the 1988 match up between Notre Dame ("the Catholics") and Miami ("the Convicts"). The shirt, first printed by an enterprising Notre Dame fan, was originally meant to demean the Hurricanes players. However, Canes fans and players found the slogan funny and embraced it as well. "Catholics" was an obvious reference to Notre Dame's Catholic character (although before the game, Miami quarterback Steve Walsh noted that Miami in fact had more Catholics on its team than Notre Dame, including himself and the entire Hurricane offensive line). "Convicts" was a derogatory reference to the "bad boy" image that the media had attached to Miami during the mid-and-late 80s.