Notre Dame announced on Saturday.
He was 71 years old.
The cause of his death is unknown.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Eric Pennick,” the Notre Dame Football X account posted on Saturday. “We express our sadness to his family and friends.”
Pennick played a major role in the 1973 Fighting Ireland national championship, particularly in the 85-yard touchdown run worthy of his highlight against USC.
That season, the running back ran for 586 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games.
A few years after his retirement, Pennick has amputated his leg after a battle with diabetes, but he was a complication of several other injuries he had suffered before in his life.
Pennick, drafted in the 13th round by the Broncos in 1975, shared these experiences in his autobiography, Notre Dame Man: Eric Pennick’s Life, Lore and Running.
