1949 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team American college football season
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]
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 24 Indiana W 49–653,844
October 1 at Washington W 27–741,500
October 8 at Purdue No. 2 W 35–1252,000
October 15 No. 4 Tulane No. 1 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN W 46–758,196 [ 4]
October 29 vs. Navy No. 1 W 40–062,000
November 5 at No. 10 Michigan State No. 1 W 34–2151,277
November 12 vs. North Carolina No. 1 W 42–667,000 [ 5]
November 19 Iowa No. 1 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN W 28–756,790
November 26 No. 17 USC No. 1 Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry ) W 32–057,214
December 3 at SMU No. 1 W 27–2075,457 [ 6]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
[ 7]
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ 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
[ 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
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 :
Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.[ 10]
1950 NFL Draft
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
[ 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 .
Venues Bowls and rivalries Culture and lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold
1936–1949 1950s 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 1980–1991