(EDITOR’S NOTE - This is the final in a series of articles the Times News is running that ranks the top quarterbacks of the last half century for pro and college football teams with strong local followings. Today, the top Notre Dame quarterbacks are ranked)

By JEFF MOELLER

TNSPORTS@tnonline.com

When one thinks about the greatest University of Notre Dame quarterback since 1970, Joe Montana may be the first one that comes to mind.

Montana certainly had a Hall of Fame NFL career with San Francisco and Kansas City, yet he didn’t have the glowing numbers and performances that one may have thought with the Fighting Irish.

Most die-hard Notre Dame fans likely have their own thoughts on the top quarterbacks down through the years.

Here is one man’s top-10 list of Notre Dame quarterbacks since 1970 - based on statistics and performances during their college days only.

1. Brady Quinn (2003-06)

Joining legendary quarterbacks Angelo Bertelli and Johnny Lujack - who both dominated in the 1940s and were arguably the best ever to play the position at ND - Quinn is largely considered among the best to ever play for the Irish.

Quinn earns that status based on the fact that he holds the Notre Dame season and career marks in completions, passing yards, touchdown passes and points responsible for (a combination of passing and rushing touchdowns).

He had a banner year in 2005 when he was named the Maxwell Award winner and finished third in the Heisman ballot. However, his glaring fault was his ability to win big games, losing two bowl games and a pair of games to USC when the Trojans were ranked in the top 5.

As good as he was at Notre Dame, Quinn was just as bad in the pros. The No. 1 pick of the Browns in 2007, Quinn spent time with four others teams over the next seven years, playing in 24 games with 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Quinn currently is a TV analyst.

2. Joe Theismann (1967-70)

Remember the “Theismann-Heisman” rhyme that captured the nation in his senior year - during which he finished second in the Heisman behind Stanford’s Jim Plunkett. Theismann threw for 2,429 yards and 16 touchdowns and completed nearly 58 percent of his passes that year.

He ended his career with a win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl in which he accounted for all three touchdowns - two rushing and one passing. Overall, Theismann once held the records for passing yards (4,411) and passing touchdowns (31). At the time, he was only the second ND quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in his career behind Paul Hornung.

Theismann was drafted by Miami in the fourth round of the 1971 draft, but he instead embarked on a three-year Canadian Football League career. His rights were obtained by the NFL’s Washington franchise in 1974, and he had a successful 12-year run there that included a Super Bowl victory.

Theismann followed that up with a long and colorful broadcasting career.

3. Tom Clements (1971-74)

Clements probably is best known as the quarterback who followed Theismann, but he should be recognized for his presence in the Green and Gold.

He captured the Sugar Bowl MVP as he guided the Irish to a National Championship as a junior in 1973 in a 24-23 win over Alabama. In that game, he threw for 169 yards and ran for 74 yards.

The following season, Clements was named an All-American and finished fourth in the Heisman vote. He set the team record for victories as a starting quarterback with 29 in 34 games.

Clements wasn’t drafted by the NFL, but he had an outstanding 14-year career in the Canadian Football League in which he was an Outstanding Player Award winner, a two-time Grey Cup champion, and a seven-time All-Star.

Clements is currently the Arizona Cardinals’ quarterbacks coach.

4. Joe Montana (1975-78)

There are ND quarterbacks who have better overall numbers than him, but Montana was just as clutch with the Irish as he was in the NFL. His list of dramatic comeback victories includes rallying his team to a 35-34 victory over Houston in the Cotton Bowl when ND stormed back from a 34-12 second-half deficit and Montana threw the winning TD pass on the final play of the game.

It capped a career that saw him lead his team to a National Championship win over Texas a season earlier, also in the Cotton Bowl.

Montana finished his career with 4,121 yards passing and 25 touchdowns. He also had 14 rushing touchdowns.

“Joe Cool’s” NFL career speaks for itself with four Super Bowl rings and three Super Bowl MVPs.

5. Tony Rice (1986-89)

Rice made his mark as a junior when he guided his team to a 12-0 record and the 1988 National Championship.

During that season, the option quarterback threw for 1,176 yards with eight touchdowns, and he also ran for 700 yards and nine touchdowns. He was named the 1989 Fiesta Bowl MVP for his 288-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 34-21 win over West Virginia.

In his senior year, Rice helped his team extend its winning streak to 23 games, but he had an overall subpar season compared to the previous one. Still, he finished fourth in the Heisman voting and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award for the top senior quarterback. He also notched more rushing touchdowns (23) than any other player since 1940.

Rice wasn’t drafted and had a brief three-year pro career, spending a year apiece in the Canadian League, the World League, and the European League.

6. Ron Powlus (1994-97)

He came to Notre Dame from the legendary Berwick High School program with much hyped anticipation of Heisman Trophies and National Championships. He was the top recruit in the country and chose Notre Dame over several national-ranked powerhouses.

Unfortunately, Powlus never attained his projected status. He broke his collarbone as a freshman and redshirted. Powlus later broke a bone in his upper left arm in 1995.

Powlus did have a stellar 42-game career as a starter, as he threw for over 7,000 yards with 52 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He also set 20 school records during his time. Powlus posted an overall 30-11-1 mark as a starter, but lost his lone bowl game appearance.

Powlus signed as an NFL free agent with Tennessee in 1998 and spent time on Detroit and Philadelphia’s rosters over the next two years before he spent a year playing in Europe.

7. Jimmy Clausen (2007-09)

“The Kid With the Golden Arm, ”Clausen nearly had a mirror career with Powlus. He threw for 8,148 yards with 60 touchdowns and 27 interceptions in just three years. Clausen declared for the NFL draft before his senior season after head coach Charley Weis was fired.

Clausen snapped Notre Dame’s nine-game bowl winless streak when he led his team to a 49-21 win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. He set team bowl records with 406 yards passing and five touchdowns.

In his senior season, Clausen set the record for 300-yard passing games in a season with seven, tied for the best passing efficiency mark (161.4) in a season, and he threw 160 passes in between interceptions. One of his drawbacks was his record as a starter (16-18).

Clausen was picked by Carolina in the second round of the 2010 draft. He had a rather uneventful pro career, spending three years with Carolina, two years with Chicago and one with Baltimore in which he started 14 of 22 games, throwing seven touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

8. Rick Mirer (1989-92)

Although his overall numerous weren’t gaudy, Mirer had three consistent seasons as a starter.

He won nine games as a freshman, and 10 games apiece in his junior and senior seasons. Mirer never won a national title, but he ended his senior season like some of his predecessors with a victory in the Cotton Bowl. In his junior year, Mirer set the team record for touchdowns in a season with 18, and was named the co-MVP with Jerome Bettis in the Sugar Bowl.

Mirer threw for 5,997 yards with 41 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

He was the second overall pick by Seattle in the 1993 NFL draft, but his talents never materialized in the pros. Over the next 11 seasons, Mirer was with six more teams before his career ended in Detroit in 2004. He had a 24-38 record as a starter and tossed 50 touchdowns with 76 interceptions.

9. Steve Beuerlein (1983-87)

He may be one of the most prolific passers in modern Notre Dame history, breaking numerous passing and total offense records.

Beuerlein threw for 6,527 yards, completing 430 of 850 attempts (56 percent). He completed 60 percent of his passes during his sophomore season.

However, Beuerlein’s pass-happy offense gave him an unbalanced ratio of 27 touchdowns to 44 interceptions. He threw for over 2,000 yards his senior season after he endured a rash of injuries through his first three years.

Beuerlein had an overall 21-18 record in 39 career starts. He was only the second ND signal caller to have a 4-0 record against USC.

A fourth-round pick of Oakland in the 1987 NFL draft, Beuerlein had an accomplished 17-year NFL career, nearly setting every passing mark during a strong five-year stay with Carolina. He also won a Super Bowl during this time with Dallas as Troy Aikman’s backup.

For the past 16 years, Beuerlein has been a football analyst for CBS.

10. Jarious Jackson (1996-99)

Jackson had the distinction of being the lone team captain in 1999 - a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1991.

He set several school records that year, his 2,573 passing yards being the most prevalent. Jackson also set single-season marks for completions (184) and attempts (316). He also threw for 17 touchdowns, and was second on the team in rushing his final year.

He amassed most of his 4,820 yards during his two-year career as a starter, and finished with 39 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

Jackson was drafted in the seventh round by Denver in the 2000 NFL draft. He spent four seasons getting little time as a backup. He spent one season in Europe before an eight-year career in Canada, where he remains an offensive coordinator.

Honorable mention

Blair Kiel (1980-83), DeShone Kizer (2015-16), Kevin McDougall (1990-93), Tommy Rees (2010-13).