1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

American college football season August 2023 January 2026 1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Independent 1 (No. 2 in special postseason poll) 9–0 Frank Leahy 5th T formation George Connor Notre Dame Stadium AP Poll national champion The 1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1947 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 9 wins and no losses, winning a share of the national championship.http://und.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07fbguidehistory 2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175) und.cstv.com 2008-12-31 https://web.archive.org/web/20080610005741/http://und.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07fbguidehistory 2008-06-10 deadhttps://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/ia_football_past_champs.html Past Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I FBS) National Champions (formerly called Division I-A) ncaa.org 2009-01-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20080325105535/http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/ia_football_past_champs.html March 25, 2008 deadhttps://www.ncaa.com/history/football-fbs.html NCAA History ncaa.org 2009-01-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20081215012800/http://www.ncaa.com/history/football-fbs.html 2008-12-15 dead The 1947 team became the sixth Irish team to win a national title and the second in a row for Leahy. The squad is the second 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 from 1946 to 1949. The 1947 team was cited by Sports Illustrated as part of the second best sports dynasty (professional or collegiate) of the 20th centuryhttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/centurys_best/news/1999/05/06/top_dynasties/ SI's Top 20 Dynasties of the 20th Century Sports Illustrated 2008-12-31 1999-06-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20090129114416/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/centurys_best/news/1999/05/06/top_dynasties/ 29 January 2009 dead and second greatest college football dynasty. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/12/25/gallery.dynasty/content.11.html https://web.archive.org/web/20051227053905/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/2005/12/25/gallery.dynasty/content.11.html dead December 27, 2005 College Football's 12 Greatest Dynasties Sports Illustrated 2008-12-31 Schedule 1947 AP Eastern October 4 w y Pittsburgh Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA rivalry 40–6 64,333 Notre Dame Shows Great Power Overwhelming Panthers, 40 to 6 The Pittsburgh Press Chester L. Smith October 5, 1947 28 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28473712/notre_dame_shows_great_power/ Newspapers.com October 11 w y 1 Purdue Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN rivalry 22–7 42,000 N.D. Tops Purdue: Lujack's Arm Propels Irish To 22-7 Edge The South Bend Tribune Jim Costin October 12, 1947 III-1, III-3 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28437925/nd_tops_purdue_lujacks_arm_propels/ Newspapers.com October 18 w 2 Nebraska Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN rivalry 31–0 56,000 Notre Dame Whips Nebraska Eleven, 31-0 The South Bend Tribune Jim Costin October 19, 1947 III-1, III-2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28644907/notre_dame_whips_nebraska_eleven_310/ Newspapers.com October 25 w 2 Iowa Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN 21–0 56,000 Irish Win: N.D. Performs Brilliantly To Whip Iowa, 21-0 The South Bend Tribune Jim Costin October 26, 1947 III-1, III-2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28437205/irish_win_nd_performs_brilliantly_to/ November 1 w y 1 Navy Cleveland Stadium Cleveland, OH rivalry 27–0 84,117 Notre Dame Sinks Navy: Lujack Passes Notre Dame To 27 To 0 Victory Against Navy Chicago Tribune Edward Burns November 2, 1947 II-1, II-7 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28663061/notre_dame_sinks_navy_lujack_passes/ Newspapers.com November 8 w 1 Army 9 Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN rivalry 27–7 59,171 59,171 See Irish Whip Army The South Bend Tribune Jim Costin November 9, 1947 1 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28514106/59171_see_irish_whip_army/ Newspapers.com November 15 w y 1 Northwestern Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL rivalry 26–19 48,000 Notre Dame, 26, Northwestern, 19: Irish Score 3 Touchdowns with Passes Chicago Tribune Wilfrid Smith November 16, 1947 II-1 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28433899/notre_dame_26_northwestern_19_irish/ Newspapers.com November 22 w 2 Tulane Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN 59–6 57,000 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99566680/notre-dame-easily-beats-back-wave/ The Miami News Notre Dame easily beats back Wave November 23, 1947 April 11, 2022 Newspapers.com December 6 w y 1 USC 3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA rivalry 38–7 104,953 https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6FwbAAAAIBAJ&pg=3618%2C2457591 Pittsburgh Press United Press Notre Dame routs Southern California, 38-7 December 7, 1947 47https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1nxWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6488%2C2258120 Spokesman-Review Spokane, Washington Associated Press Notre Dame avalanche snows under Trojans, 38 to 7, on long runs December 7, 1947 1, sports'Greatest Notre Dame Team' Ruins SC Los Angeles Times Braven Dyer December 7, 1947 11–12 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28461475/greatest_notre_dame_team_ruins_sc/ Newspapers.com Rankings 1947 college football rankings AP 1 10 1 (52) 2 (23) 2 (21) 1 (78) 1 (106) 1 (117) 2 (87) 1 (97) 1 (58½) 1 (107) (2 (226) in special postseason poll) Award winners Johnny Lujack – Heisman Trophyhttp://und.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/nd-m-footbl-archive.html/ Heisman Voting und.cstv.com 2008-12-30 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081217101247/http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/nd-m-footbl-archive.html 2008-12-17 + All-AmericansNotre Dame Fighting Irish #003 Name #003 AP #003 UP #003 NEA #003 INS #003 COL #003 AA #003 SN #003 L #003 FC † John Lujack, QB 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 George Connor, T 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 Bill Fischer, G 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 Zygmont Czarobski, T 2 1 1 2 3 Leon Hart, E 1 † denotes unanimous selectionSource: + College Football Hall of Fame InducteesNamePositionYear Inducted George Connor Tackle 1963 Zygmont "Ziggy" Czarobski Tackle 1977 Bill Fischer Tackle/Guard 1983 Leon Hart End 1973 Frank Leahy Coach 1970 Johnny Lujack Quarterback 1960 Jim Martin End/Tackle 1995 Emil "Red" Sitko Halfback/Fullback 1984 Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx Hall of Fame: Select group by school College Football Hall of Fame Football Foundation 2008-12-30 The 1947 national championship dispute While Notre Dame was voted national champion in the final official AP poll, Michigan went on to beat USC, 49–0, in the 1948 Rose Bowl, a greater margin that by which Notre Dame had beaten USC. Notre Dame and Michigan had traded the top spot in the polls through much of the season. Michigan took the #1 spot in the AP poll on November 16, 1947, and Notre Dame moved into the #1 spot on November 23, 1947, by a margin of 1,410 points to 1,289 points.Chandler, John Writers Rate Irish Second to Wolverines The Kingsport (Tenn.) News 1948-01-07Chandler, John Scribes of Nation PIck Michigan: A.P.'s Poll Favors Wolverines; Final Vote Stands at 226-119 The Salt Lake Tribune 1948-01-07 This last regular season poll determined the recipient of the AP's national championship trophy. Debate arose among some prominent sports writers, among them football writer Pete Rozelle"Rozelle, Pete Scribes Warble Praises of Mighty Big Nine Kings Long Beach Press-Telegram 1948-01-02 and Grantland Rice, the dean of the nation's sports writers. Rice lauded the Wolverines, saying, "It is the best all-around college football team I've seen this year..." Red Smith of the New York Herald Tribune said, "No other team that I have seen this season did things with so little effort. Crisler has so many that do so much." Notre Dame supporters argued that the post-season AP poll was final and should not be revisited. They contended that Michigan had run up the score on USC, noted that Notre Dame had not had an opportunity to play in a bowl game, and asserted that Michigan and other Big Nine schools were unwilling to schedule Notre Dame in the regular season. Detroit Free Press Sports Editor Lyall Smith argued the debate should be answered by comparing the two team's performance against common opponents. Smith noted: "They played three common foes. Notre Dame beat Pitt, 40–6, a margin of 34 points: Michigan beat Pitt 59–0. Notre Dame defeated Northwestern, 26 to 19, a margin of seven points: Michigan beat the 'Cats 49 to 21, for a 28-point advantage. Notre Dame dropped USC, 36 to 7, in what Coach Frank Leahy termed his team's 'greatest game of the year,' while Michigan slaughtered the same Trojans, 49 to 0. Against those three common opponents the Irish scored 104 points to 32. Michigan's margin was 167 to 21."Smith, Lyall Michigan or Notre Dame? Hot Argument Still Raging Throughout U.S. Florence (S.C.) Morning News 1948-01-04 In response to the debate over which team truly deserved to be recognized as the nation's best, an unofficial post-bowl ballot was held, with the only two options being Michigan and Notre Dame. The AP reported on the rationale for the special poll this way: "The Associated Press is polling sports editors of its member papers throughout the country to help settle the argument as to which is the better football team -- Michigan or Notre Dame. The AP's final poll of the top ten teams, released Dec. 8 at the conclusion of the regulation season, resulted in Notre Dame winning first place with 1,410 points. Michigan was second with 1,289. . . . Returns so far received indicate that voting in this latest poll is likely to be the heaviest ever recorded."AP to Conduct Special Poll Ironwood Daily Globe 1948-01-03 Another AP report indicated the special poll was "conducted by popular demand" to answer "the burning sports question of the day" and to do so "at the ballot box."Michigan Winner Nearly 2-1 Over Irish in AP Poll Albuquerque Journal 1948-01-07Grimsley, Will Michigan the Uncrowned National Grid Champion: Wolves Win 2-1 In Special Poll; 119 Ballots Cast for Irish, 226 for Mich. Ironwood Daily Globe 1948-01-06 Michigan was voted No. 1 in the post-bowl poll by a vote of 226 to 119. The AP reported: "The nation's sports writers gave the final answer Tuesday to the raging controversy on the relative strength of the Notre Dame and Michigan football teams, and it was the Wolverines over the Irish by almost two to one—including those who saw both powerhouses perform... In the over-all total, 226 writers in 48 states and the District of Columbia picked Michigan, 119 balloted for Notre Dame, and 12 called it a draw. Opinion of the 54 writers who saw both in action last fall coincided at almost the same ratio, with 33 giving the nod to Michigan, 17 to Notre Dame, and four voting for a tie."John Chandler Scribes of Nation PIck Michigan: A.P.'s Poll Favors Wolverines; Final Vote Stands at 226-119 The Salt Lake Tribune January 7, 1948With Men Who Know Football Best: It's Michigan 2 to 1 Over Notre Dame The Amarillo Daily News January 7, 1948 The 357 votes cast in the post-bowl poll represented "the largest ever to take part in such an AP voting." Commenting on the post-Rose Bowl poll, Michigan coach Fritz Crisler said "the men who voted couldn't have made a mistake if they had picked either team." He described Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy as a "superb coach."Liska, Jerry Leahy Praises Wolverines After Voting The Kingsport (Tenn.) News 1948-01-07 Notre Dame President, Father John Cavanagh said, "We at Notre Dame feel grateful for the magnanimous statement of Coach Crisler. I listened to Michigan against Southern California and have only praise for the skill and accomplishment of your fine team." Despite the magnanimous statements of Coach Crisler and Father Cavanagh, the reversed decision in the post-Rose Bowl poll only stoked the debate over which team was best. Said one columnist: "Hottest argument of the moment is the one over which had the better football team, Michigan or Notre Dame. To settle it the Associated Press polled better than 350 sports writers in 48 states . . . with a two to one nod for the Wolverines."Warden, Al Patrolling the Sport Highway with Al Warden The Ogden Standard-Examiner 1948-01-11 Forty years later, the debate was still ongoing. In 1988, Michigan All-American Dan Dworsky noted: "Notre Dame still claims that national championship and so do we."Florence, Mal The Magicians: Split Personality in 1947 Helped Michigan Drive Everyone Crazy Los Angeles Times 1988-12-27 The AP lists Notre Dame as the official AP title winner.College football championship history NCAA.com https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/college-football-national-championship-history 2024-08-06 www.ncaa.com en References Notre Dame Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons Category:College football national champions Category:College football undefeated seasons Notre Dame Fighting Irish football