Air Force kicker Sean Pavlich not only sensed the pressure of the moment but also the heat coming from his left side, the right side of Notre Dame’s defensive front.
There was a multitude of emotion riding on his extra-point attempt Nov. 19, 1983, at Notre Dame Stadium. Moments before, fullback John Kershner had scored a touchdown on a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line to tie the score at 22 with 1:35 left in the game.
“We had heard all about what it would mean to go into South Bend and beat them on that storied ground,” Pavlich said. “They already were going to a bowl game and that gave us a little incentive. Getting to the point where we had a chance and the way we did it was special.”
Notre Dame coach Gerry Faust spent the week assuring the Irish faithful that his team wouldn’t overlook Air Force as he claimed it had the year before. He still was smarting from a 30-17 loss to the Falcons at Falcon Stadium when the Irish were nationally ranked. It was Air Force’s first win in 12 games against Notre Dame.
As Pavlich, who kicked straight- on and not soccer style, readied for what was maybe the most important extra-point kick of his career, if not Air Force’s football history, the religious beads were out among the fans sitting in the front row so close to the playing field that the players could hear their prayers.
“I had my kicking net out on the sideline behind our bench,” Pavlich remembered. “The fans were screaming at me and my holder. It was pretty intimidating. A fan jumped up on the wall, grabbed the net and knocked it over. I remember my holder looked up at me and said, ‘I think you’re good.’ ”
Pavlich missed the kick. However, Notre Dame was offside, and Pav- lich didn’t miss his second chance as the Falcons took a 23-22 lead.
“I didn’t see the flag at first, but I had a pretty good idea that there was no way the movement I sensed to my left could have gotten that close without being offside,” Pav- lich said. “I was very relieved to get a second chance. As a kicker, you know there will be times when you’re a hero and times when you’re a goat. I didn’t want to be the goat in that game. Coach (Ken) Hatfield told me to go out there and knock it through and win the game so we could get out of there.”
It wasn’t that simple.
Hatfield said after the game he thought the Falcons had left too much time on the clock for Notre Dame.
With sturdy running back Allen Pinkett carrying the load, the Irish quickly moved into field-goal range. Faust let the clock run down to three seconds and sent out kicker Mike Johnston to attempt a 30-yard field goal to win the game.
But Johnston’s left foot slipped on the soggy turf as he kicked, and a hand belonging to Air Force’s Christian Funk came out of the pile of linemen and blocked the kick.
“That was the single game I remember the most,” Pavlich said. “We easily could have lost the game at the end. I know I rushed the kick that I missed. Sometimes you need to just slow things down. The kick I made was one of the more sure kicks of my career.”
The Falcons went on to defeat Notre Dame the next two years for a four-game winning streak.
After graduating, Pavlich was an Air Force pilot for 22 years, with two tours in Iraq. He returned to the area in 1991 and participates in football training camps for high school players.
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun has started bringing former players back to participate in the coin-toss ceremony before home games. Calhoun hopes to make his players of today aware of Air Force’s rich football tradition.
Pavlich is a memorable part of that tradition.
Pavlich bio
Born: May 7, 1962, in Moreci, Ariz.
High school: Prescott, Ariz., High School
College: U.S. Air Force Academy
Family: Wife Judi, daughters Jordan and Lexie, son Nik.
Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, some golf, sports all the time.
Ambition: Coaching football in college or high school.
