1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Consensus national champion
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 1
Record	10–0
Head coach	Frank Leahy (7th season);
Offensive scheme	T formation
Captains	Leon Hart; Jim Martin;
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium
	Seasons ← 1948 1950 →

1949 Midwestern college football independents records
v t e	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

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]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
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	No. 2	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	W 35–12	52,000
October 15	No. 4 Tulane	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	W 46–7	58,196	^[4]
October 29	vs. Navy	No. 1	Memorial Stadium Baltimore, MD (rivalry)	W 40–0	62,000
November 5	at No. 10 Michigan State	No. 1	Macklin Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	W 34–21	51,277
November 12	vs. North Carolina	No. 1	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY (rivalry)	W 42–6	67,000	^[5]
November 19	Iowa	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	W 28–7	56,790
November 26	No. 17 USC	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	W 32–0	57,214
December 3	at SMU	No. 1	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	W 27–20	75,457	^[6]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[7]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
	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

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

^[7]

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)

^[7]

Postseason

Award winners

Leon Hart - Heisman Trophy,^[8] Maxwell Award^[9]

Heisman 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

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

^[11]

References

^ ^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.

[2007_ND_Guide_History-1] "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.

[CNN/SI_ND_Dynasty-2] "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.

[CNN/SI_ND_Dynasty_2-3] "College Football's 12 Greatest Dynasties". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2008.

[4] "'Super' Irish rout Tulane team 46–7 with 2-lane battering". The Courier-Journal. October 16, 1949. Retrieved February 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Tar Heels lose to Notre Dame after valiant battle". The Asheville Citizen-Times. November 13, 1949. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] Lorin McMullen (December 4, 1949). "Irish Outscore Spirited Mustangs, 27-20". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.

[IG-7] 2010 Notre Dame information guide

[Heisman_Vote-8] "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.

[Maxwell-9] "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.

[CFOB-10] "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.

[11] "1950 NFL Draft Listing | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2018.

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v t e Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Venues	Brownson Hall field (1892?–1899) Cartier Field (1899–1928) Soldier Field (1929) Notre Dame Stadium (1930–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Emerald Isle Classic Army Boston College Michigan Michigan State Navy Northwestern Pittsburgh Purdue Stanford USC
Culture and lore	History Band of the Fighting Irish Irish Guard Notre Dame Box Notre Dame Leprechaun "Notre Dame, Our Mother" "Notre Dame Victory March" Play Like a Champion Today Subway Alumni T formation Tall Grass Game 1946 "Game of the Century" 1966 "Game of the Century" Catholics vs. Convicts 30 for 30 film 1993 "Game of the Century" Bush Push Navy ends the drought Death of Lizzy Seeberg 2020 ACC Championship Game The Spirit of Notre Dame Knute Rockne, All American Notre Dame Football on NBC Rudy
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks Four Horsemen NFL draftees Statistical leaders Team captains
Seasons	1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e College football national champions (poll era)
1936–1949	1936: Minnesota (AP) 1937: Pittsburgh 1938: TCU 1939: Texas A&M 1940: Minnesota 1941: Minnesota 1942: Ohio State 1943: Notre Dame 1944: Army 1945: Army (AP) / Oklahoma A&M (AFCA) 1946: Notre Dame 1947: Notre Dame 1948: Michigan 1949: Notre Dame
1950s	1950: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches) 1951: Tennessee 1952: Michigan State 1953: Maryland 1954: Ohio State (AP) / UCLA (FWAA, Coaches) 1955: Oklahoma 1956: Oklahoma 1957: Auburn (AP) / Ohio State (Coaches, FWAA) 1958: LSU (AP, Coaches) / Iowa (FWAA) 1959: Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
1960s	1960: Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ole Miss (FWAA) 1961: Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA) 1962: USC 1963: Texas 1964: Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF) 1965: Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF) 1966: Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF) 1967: USC 1968: Ohio State 1969: Texas
1970s	1970: Nebraska (AP, FWAA) / Texas (NFF, Coaches) / Ohio State (NFF) 1971: Nebraska 1972: USC 1973: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF) / Alabama (Coaches) 1974: Oklahoma (AP) / USC (FWAA, NFF, Coaches) 1975: Oklahoma 1976: Pittsburgh 1977: Notre Dame 1978: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF) / USC (Coaches) 1979: Alabama
1980–1991	1980: Georgia 1981: Clemson 1982: Penn State 1983: Miami (FL) 1984: BYU 1985: Oklahoma 1986: Penn State 1987: Miami (FL) 1988: Notre Dame 1989: Miami (FL) 1990: Colorado (AP, FWAA, NFF, USAT/CNN) / Georgia Tech (Coaches) 1991: Miami (FL) (AP) / Washington (Coaches, FWAA, UPI/NFF)