Long before Anthony Fasano, John Carlson, Kyle Rudolph, and Tyler Eifert were making Notre Dame a tight end factory, former Irish great Dave Casper earned All-American status on his way to a 1973 National Championship. From there, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound former Irish star joined the Oakland Raiders on his way to a professional career that ended with his enshrinement in Canton, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The five-time All-Pro, and member of the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1970s is now being honored for his work back in South Bend, as the College Football Hall of Fame announced that Casper will be inducted in the 2012 class, a part of 14 former players and three coaches to be inducted at the 55th annual awards dinner this December at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
Here’s more on Casper’s impressive career, courtesy of Notre Dame’s official release:Born in Bemidji, Minn., Casper played his first three years of high school football at St. Edward Central Catholic High School in Elgin, Ill., and his senior campaign at Chilton High School in Chilton, Wis. His Chilton team in 1969 outscored its opponents 363-0.
The 6-3, 243-pound Irish tight end served as co-captain of the 1973 Notre Dame team that finished 11-0 and won the national title on a consensus basis after a 24-23 victory over top-rated and unbeaten Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. He caught three passes for 75 yards in that contest.
Casper played his first two seasons at offensive left tackle in 1971 and ’72 (he started final four games as a sophomore, then won honorable mention All-America honors in 1972 from Associated Press), then switched to tight end as a senior. Former Irish coach Ara Parseghian called Casper the best athlete he ever coached.
Casper finished with 21 career catches for 335 yards and four touchdowns, with all but two of those receptions coming in his senior campaign in ’73. He was a participant in the 1974 College All-Star Game and the Hula Bowl. Selected Notre Dame’s offensive MVP in ’73, he also played earlier in his Notre Dame career as a linebacker, defensive tackle and split end.
In 1973, Casper earned first-team All-America recognition from United Press International, the American Football Coaches Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America and the Walter Camp Football Foundation - plus second-team honors from AP. In 2003 the Walter Camp Football Foundation named him its Alumnus of the Year.
A standout in the classroom, Casper earned postgraduate scholarships from the NCAA and the National Football Foundation after the 1973 season. The NCAA presented him its prestigious Silver Anniversary Award in 1999 for career achievements. With a 3.6 grade-point average, he earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 1973 (following second-team notice in ’72)--then in 1993 he was chosen to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame.Casper joins George Connor, Paul Hornung, Wayne Millner, and Alan Page among former Irish standouts that are members of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is the 44th former Irish player to be inducted in the collegiate hall and among 50 players and coaches to have been a part of the Irish football program.
