1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
| 1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
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National Champions
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| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| AP | #1 |
| 1949 record | 10-0 |
| Head coach | Frank Leahy (4th year of 2nd stint; 7th overall year) |
| Offensive scheme | T-Formation |
| Captain | Leon Hart |
| Captain | Jim Martin |
| Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
The 1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1949 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 10 wins and no losses, winning the national championship.[1] The 1949 team became the seventh Irish team to win the national title and the third in four years. Led by Heisman winner Leon Hart, the Irish outscored their opponents 360-86.[1] The 1949 team is the last team in what is considered to be the Notre Dame Football dynasty, a stretch of games in which Notre Dame went 36-0-2 and won three national championships and two Heisman Trophies. The Irish squad was cited by Sports Illustrated as the part of the second best sports dynasty (professional or collegiate) of the 20th century[2] and second greatest college football dynasty.[3]
Contents
Season
Depth chart
| POS | Name | Name | Name | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Bob Williams | John Mazur | Bill Whiteside | |
| LHB | Frank Spaniel | Ernie Zalejski | Bill Gay | Leo McKillip |
| RHB | Larry Coutre | Billy Barrett | Dick Cotter | |
| FB | Emil Sitko | Jack Landry | Del Gander | |
| LE | Bill Wightkin | Jim Mutscheller | Doug Waybright | |
| LT | Jim Martin | Al Zmijewski | John Zancha | |
| LG | Frank Johnston | Paul Burns | Art Perry | |
| C | Walt Grothaus | Jim Hamby | ||
| RG | Bob Lally | Fred Wallner | Bill Higgins | |
| RT | Ralph McGhee | Gus Cifelli | John Nusskern | |
| RE | Leon Hart | Ray Espenan | Chet Ostrowski |
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Frank Leahy
Assistants: Bernie Crimmins (First Assistant/Backfield), John F. Druze (Chief Scout), Bill Earley (Backfield), Joe McArdle (Guards), Robert McBride (Tackles), Fred Miller (Volunteer Assistant), Benjamin Sheridan (Freshman)
Schedule
| Date | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | Result | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | Indiana | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 49-6 | 53,844 | |||||
| October 1 | at Washington | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | W 27-7 | 41,500 | |||||
| October 8 | at Purdue | #2 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN (Rivalry) | W 35-12 | 52,000 | ||||
| October 15 | #4 Tulane | #1 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 46-7 | 58,196 | ||||
| October 29 | vs. Navy | #1 | Memorial Stadium • Baltimore, MD (Rivalry) | W 40-0 | 62,000 | ||||
| November 5 | at #10 Michigan State | #1 | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI (Megaphone Trophy) | W 34-21 | 51,277 | ||||
| November 12 | vs. North Carolina | #1 | Yankee Stadium • New York, NY | W 42-6 | 67,000 | ||||
| November 19 | Iowa | #1 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | W 28-7 | 56,790 | ||||
| November 26 | #17 USC | #1 | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (Rivalry) | W 32-0 | 57,214 | ||||
| December 3 | at SMU | #1 | Cotton Bowl • Dallas, TX | W 27-20 | 75,457 | ||||
| #Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||
Post-season
Award winners
Heisman Voting:
- Leon Hart, 1st[5]
- Bob Williams, 5th[5]
- Emil Sitko, 8th[5]
All-Americans:
| Name | AP | UP | NEA | INS | COL | AA | SN | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| † Emil Sitko, FB | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| † Leon Hart, E | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Bob Williams, QB | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Jim Martin, T | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||
| †denotes unanimous selection Source:[1] | |||||||||
College Football Hall of Fame Inductees:
| Name | Position | Year Inducted |
|---|---|---|
| Jerry Groom | Center | 1994 |
| Leon Hart | End | 1973 |
| Frank Leahy | Coach | 1970 |
| Jim Martin | End/Tackle | 1995 |
| Emil "Red" Sitko | Halfback/Fullback | 1984 |
| Bob Williams | Quarterback | 1988 |
[7] Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.
1950 NFL Draft
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| Leon Hart | End | 1 | 1 | Detroit Lions |
| Jim Martin | Guard | 2 | 26 | Cleveland Browns |
| Larry Coutre | Halfback | 4 | 43 | Green Bay Packers |
| Mike Swistowicz | Halfback | 5 | 55 | New York Yanks |
| Frank Spaniel | Halfback | 5 | 58 | Washington Redskins |
| Ernie Zalejski | Defensive Back | 5 | 62 | Chicago Bears |
John Nusskern Tackle Green Bay Packers
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 2010 Notre Dame information guide
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1950.htm
