Former Notre Dame quarterback and uncle to current Irish freshman signal caller Gunner Kiel passed away on Easter Sunday of natural causes at the age of 50.
Early reports surfaced that Kiel died of an apparent heart attack, but those reports appear to have been premature with news outlets later reporting Kiel died of natural causes. Below we have some details of Kiel’s career from the University’s official release on the untimely passing of a Notre Dame great.
The thoughts and prayers of the UHND.com community go out to the entire Kiel family.
He completed 297 career throws (only Terry Hanratty with 304 had completed more at the time Kiel finished his college career) on 609attempts for 3,650 yards, 17 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. He also punted260 times for a 40.67-yard average that ranked second only behind Bill Shakespeare’s 40.71-yard mark (Kiel set a Notre Dame career mark with his 10,534 punting yards). Kiel also rushed 165 times for 164 career yards and five TDs.
Kiel came on the scene for the final offensive series of Notre Dame’s epic 1980 29-27 win over Michigan, led the Irish on the final drive that produced Harry Oliver’s game-winning field goal — and held onto the starting signal-calling job most of the remainder of his Irish career.
As a freshman in 1980, Kiel led the Irish to the number-one ranking and a Sugar Bowl matchup with top-rated Georgia. For the season he completed 48 of 124 throws for 531 yards. He also rushed 71 times for 148 yards and three TDs–and he played more minutes in 1980 (250) than any freshman Notre Dame quarterback since Dorais.
As a sophomore in ’81 he completed 67 of 151 for 936 yards and seven TDs–to go with 31 rushes for 53 yards and one TD. In 1982 as a junior Kiel connected on 118 of 219 passes for 1,273 yards and three TDs. His .539 completion percentage that year ranked fourth all-time at that point in the Notre Dame records. As a senior in ’83, Kiel hit 64 of 115 passes for 910 yards and seven TDs.
In the 1982 opener (the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium) against Michigan, Kiel completed 15 of 22 passes for 141 yards in the 23-17 Irish win. Then in the season finale at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Kiel completed 11 of 19 passes for 151 yards in the 19-18 Irish victory. He also helped the Irish to a win that season over number-one-ranked and unbeaten Pittsburgh.
Kiel set the record for the longest pass completion in Notre Dame history – a 96-yarder to Joe Howard against Georgia Tech in 1981.
