1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
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 46–0–2 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 | |
|---|---|
National champion | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 1 |
| 1949 record | 10–0 |
| Head coach | Frank Leahy (7th season) |
| Offensive scheme | T formation |
| Captains | |
| Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
| 1949 Midwestern college football independents records | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Notre Dame | – | 10 | – | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State Normal | – | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
| |||||
Personnel
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 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
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 (freshmen)
Postseason
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 |
Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.[7]
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 |
References
- "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- "SI's Top 20 Dynasties of the 20th Century". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 1999-06-03. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- "College Football's 12 Greatest Dynasties". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
- 2010 Notre Dame information guide
- "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- "The Maxwell Award Collegiate Player of the Year: Past Recipients". The Maxwell Football Club. Archived from the original on 2009-02-14. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
- https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1950.htm