Feat of Clay

Digger Phelps wants Dwight Clay to get out on the court and re-create the shot that ended UCLA’s 88-game winning streak 30 years ago.

“It would still go in,” Clay said confidently. “I replay that shot in my mind and it always goes in.”

Clay and other members of the 1973-74 squad are having their first reunion this weekend. They will attend today’s Kentucky-Notre Dame game, trade life stories and tell some tall tales, but no one will top the story of how the No. 2 Irish beat the top-ranked Bruins on Jan. 19, 1974.

“Digger told us at practice the day before the game that if you win this game, it will be a part of your life for the rest of your life,” John Shumate said. “He was absolutely right.”

Shumate, Clay, Phelps and even former UCLA coach John Wooden say people still ask about that game.

“I’ve been a professional player and coach on all different levels, but the one thing that people say when they see me is, ‘Oh, that’s the guy who played for the Notre Dame team that beat UCLA,’ ” Shumate said.

It isn’t only that the Irish beat UCLA. It was how they beat the Bruins.

Down, 70-59, with 3:32 left, Notre Dame used a 12-0 run to beat a UCLA team led by center Bill Walton.

“Definitely that was a surprise to me,” Wooden said. “I didn’t feel anyone playing any place, wherever it might be, could ever score that many points in a row against us.”

While Wooden found it hard to believe, Phelps never gave up. Shumate said Phelps was the picture of confidence during a timeout.

“He looked at each one of us and said, ‘Do you believe? If you don’t believe, then turn and go to the locker room. But if you stay, you believe, because we’re going to beat these guys.’ ”