He would also earn a place in Notre Dame lore as an offensive tackle in helping Notre Dame escape with a tie against the University of Iowa by spontaneously suffering a phantom injury which stopped the clock with no timeouts remaining and time winding down at the end of the first half, helping to enable a critical touchdown. His dramatic flop at a critical moment would help Varrichione earn the moniker "Faintin' Frank." He would also be the recipient of a deluge of flowers and get-well-soon cards from sarcastic Hawkeye football fans, perturbed by the outcome of Varricihone's timely ailment.