47 Squad Runs to Perfect Record As Heisman Winner Lujack Heads List

2011 Notre Dame Football Supplement Dominating ’47 Squad Runs to Perfect Record As Heisman Winner Lujack Heads List Of All-Stars In any discussion of college football’s Heisman winner Leon Hart ranked team in the Grantland Rice added after the final game of greatest teams, one team that always comes and the man who later country while Army the season, “There no longer is any doubt as to mind is the 1947 Notre Dame squad. The succeeded Leahy as head was rated eighth. The to the best team in college football, it hap- Irish never trailed in any game that year and coach of the Irish, Terry Irish struck first when pens to be Notre Dame. College football compiled a 9-0 record, their first unblem- Brennan. Brennan broke loose for a never before has known a team so big, so ished record in 17 years. The Irish began the 97-yard kickoff return. fast and so experienced.” Notre Dame held its opponents to under six season with six turn- Notre Dame built a 20-0 His words may still hold true today. points a game while averaging over 32 overs against lead before Army finally — Willie Shearer points. Only one team — Northwestern Pittsburgh, but scored. The Irish won 27-7 — scored more than one touchdown Lujack scored three before a record crowd of 1947 — 9-0-0 against the Irish that year. But maybe the times to lead Notre 59,171 at Notre Dame “Yes, if they let us use the two-team most impressive note about the squad is that Dame to an easy Stadium. system — two teams at one time.” it sent 42 players to professional football. 40-6 win. Leahy’s The next week was the only The mainstays on that team included con- squad stumbled a Leon Hart close game of the year. — Tulane coach Henry Frnka when sensus All-Americans George little bit in the next Northwestern became the only asked if his squad had a chance to Connor, Bill Fischer and John Lujack, who game, too, but came out ahead of Purdue, team in 1947 to come within two upset Notre Dame. won the Heisman Trophy that year. The 22-7. touchdowns of the Irish as Notre Dame won team also includ- Notre Dame then exploded for three con- 26-19. “Be a fighter, gents. Not only out there on the football field, but out in life as well.” ed secutive shutouts over Nebraska (31-0), The Irish ended the season with a 59-6 future Iowa (21-0) and Navy (27-0). The win over thrashing of Tulane and an impressive 38-7 — Irish coach Frank Leahy the Cornhuskers avenged a 17-0 loss that win over third-ranked Southern California. Knute Rockne’s 1925 squad suffered to When the final national polls came out, Nebraska, the last time the two schools had Notre Dame was No. 1 for the second straight met. year. Following three impressive shutouts, the Just how good was this ’47 team? Well, Irish faced Army, a team that had become consider that several of the first string play- such a fierce rival in previous years that the ers that year (such as Brennan) didn’t even series was discontinued for 10 years after the try out for professional football but opted to 1947 game. The two teams battled to a 0-0 coach instead. tie in 1946 in one of the most famous games The great ’47 squad also included six play- in Notre Dame history. ers who were elected into the National Larry Coutre Notre Dame entered the game as the top- Football Foundation Hall of Fame — Lujack, Connor, Hart, Fischer, Sitko and Ziggy Czarobski. And to top that off, their coach, Frank Leahy, wound up the second win- ningest coach in college history just behind his mentor, Knute Rockne. The Boston Herald called the ’47 Irish team, “the greatest Notre Dame squad of all time. Its third string could whip most varsities.” The immortal sportswriter Emil Sitko 166.

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