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]
| 1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
|---|---|
Consensus national champion | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 1 |
| Record | 10–0 |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | T formation |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Notre Dame | – | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | – | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | – | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Valparaiso | – | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington University | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baldwin–Wallace | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wabash | – | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dayton | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Carroll | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Michigan State | – | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | – | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | – | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | – | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | – | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wayne | – | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | – | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State Normal | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | Indiana | W 49–6 | 53,844 | |||
| October 1 | at Washington | W 27–7 | 41,500 | |||
| October 8 | at Purdue | No. 2 | W 35–12 | 52,000 | ||
| October 15 | No. 4 Tulane | No. 1 |
| W 46–7 | 58,196 | [4] |
| October 29 | vs. Navy | No. 1 | W 40–0 | 62,000 | ||
| November 5 | at No. 10 Michigan State | No. 1 | W 34–21 | 51,277 | ||
| November 12 | vs. North Carolina | No. 1 | W 42–6 | 67,000 | [5] | |
| November 19 | Iowa | No. 1 |
| W 28–7 | 56,790 | |
| November 26 | No. 17 USC | No. 1 |
| W 32–0 | 57,214 | |
| December 3 | at SMU | No. 1 | W 27–20 | 75,457 | [6] | |
| ||||||
Rankings
edit| Week | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
| AP | 2 (15) | 1 (67) | 1 (146) | 1 (120) | 1 (133) | 1 (137) | 1 (140) | 1 (113) | 1 (172) |
Personnel
editDepth chart
edit| 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 Johnson | Paul Burns | Art Perry | |
| C | Walt Grothaus | Jim Hamby | ||
| RG | Bob Lally | Fred Wallner | Bill Higgins | |
| RT | Ralph McGehee | Gus Cifelli | John Nusskern | |
| RE | Leon Hart | Ray Espenan | Chet Ostrowski |
Coaching staff
editHead 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 (freshmen)
Postseason
editAward winners
editHeisman voting:
- Leon Hart, 1st[8]
- Bob Williams, 5th[8]
- Emil Sitko, 8th[8]
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 |
Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.[10]
1950 NFL Draft
editThe 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 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ "SI's Top 20 Dynasties of the 20th Century". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. June 3, 1999. Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ "College Football's 12 Greatest Dynasties". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- ^ "'Super' Irish rout Tulane team 46–7 with 2-lane battering". The Courier-Journal. October 16, 1949. Retrieved February 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tar Heels lose to Notre Dame after valiant battle". The Asheville Citizen-Times. November 13, 1949. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lorin McMullen (December 4, 1949). "Irish Outscore Spirited Mustangs, 27-20". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c 2010 Notre Dame information guide
- ^ a b c d "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- ^ "The Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year: Past Recipients". The Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- ^ "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- ^ "1950 NFL Draft Listing | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
This college football 1940s season article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |