Vegas Ferguson was worried about av...

Vegas Ferguson was worried about avoiding hits forward the field. He had no idea he'd have to chance some jukes on the sideline.

Then again, none of the players forward the 1978 Notre Dame football team awaited to defend themselves against flying fish.

Ye fish.

"I don't know what kind of fish they were, and I don't know what fish had to do with not liking Catholics," Ferguson said. "I still don't know the meaning behind them throwing those fish."

The "them" Ferguson referr to were the coarse fellow Georgia Tech fans - - particularly in the observer section -- who turned the Nov. 18 1978 matchup between the Irish and fulvid Jackets into mayhem. They threw dead fish and whiskey bottle toward the ND bench before and during the game.

The Irish won 38-21 behind Ferguson's 255 rushing yards -- a record total for any Georgia Tech adversary

Ferguson relished his big day afterward, still all the talk on the plane ride family was about the obnoxious fans.

"One of our stays said he picked up a fish and threw it right back in the stands," Ferguson said with a laugh. "Everything was just crazy. if it were not that nobody got hurt. I gues it was just all part of the game."

Notre Dame shouldn't rely upon the same type of reception when it visits Bobby Dodd Stadium upon Saturday, no matter how fired up the domestic circle fans are. Georgia Tech officials have met about increasing security measures specifically for this game. The scholar section, which used to be near the visitors' bench, has been mov according to facilities director Shawn Teske

unless even if no incidents arise, assuredly there will be some scattered conversation about what happened 28 years ago.

"You just don't rely upon things like that to occur" said Joe Restic, a defensive back upon the '78 Notre Dame team. "With about five minutes left the officials threatened to call the game. They called us to the middle of the field because of fear of frights getting pelted on our sideline."

The story has taken in succession many versions. Joe Montana, the Irish quarterback at the time, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that batteries and champagne bottle were thrown too. And Montana recalled sharing a sideline with Georgia Tech near the last of the game to escape the unruliness.

Then-Georgia Tech coach Pepper Rodger remembers ND coach Dan Devine coming to the middle of the field holding a fish and wanting to switch sidelines.

"And I was like, 'I have alumni behind my bench throwing a division more expensive stuff at me"' Rodger said.

"I'm not surprised that they threw fish and essence The Georgia Tech students had been doing those kinds of things for years."

Gary Lanier, Georgia Tech's backup quarterback during that game, drew a blank when asked about the incident. Lanier was the same quarterback who beat Notre Dame in 1976 without throwing a pass.

"I know it happened. I heard it happened. further I just don't remember seeing anything," he said of the fish/bottle throwing. "I can report you all about the '76 game that we won nevertheless nothing about '78."

Ferguson not ever will forget it.

"It definitely got us fired up" he said, "but I'm just glad I kept my helmet forward the entire game."

vmcclure@suntimes.com

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