1941 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 1941 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1941 college football season. In its first season under head coach Frank Leahy, Notre Dame compiled an 8–0–1 record, outscored opponents by a total of 189 to 64, and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll.[1]

1941 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	No. 3
1941 record	8–0–1
Head coach	Frank Leahy (1st season)
Captain	Paul Lillis
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium

1941 Midwestern college football independents records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Western Michigan			–					8	–	0	–	0
No. 3 Notre Dame			–					8	–	0	–	1
Youngstown			–					7	–	0	–	1
Xavier			–					9	–	1	–	0
Detroit			–					7	–	2	–	0
Ohio			–					5	–	2	–	1
Dayton			–					7	–	3	–	0
Cincinnati			–					6	–	3	–	0
Akron			–					5	–	3	–	1
Michigan State			–					5	–	3	–	1
Central Michigan			–					4	–	3	–	0
Ohio Wesleyan			–					5	–	4	–	0
Marquette			–					4	–	5	–	0
Wayne			–					2	–	6	–	0
Miami (OH)			–					2	–	7	–	0
Wichita			–					1	–	6	–	1
Michigan State Normal			–					0	–	5	–	2
Detroit Tech			–					0	–	6	–	1

Tackle Paul Lillis was the team captain. Quarterback Angelo Bertelli led the team on offense and went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1943. End Bob Dove was a consensus first-team player on the 1941 All-America team; he was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Guard Bernie Crimmins was also selected by Collier's and Liberty magazines as a first-team All-American.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 27	Arizona		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	W 38–7	30,000	[2]
October 4	Indiana		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	W 19–6	42,000	[3]
October 11	at Georgia Tech		Grant Field Atlanta, GA	W 20–0	31,000	[4]
October 18	at Carnegie Tech	No. 8	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	W 16–0	27,719	[5]
October 25	Illinois	No. 7	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	W 49–14	45,000	[6]
November 1	vs. No. 14 Army	No. 6	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY (rivalry)	T 0–0	76,000	[7]
November 8	vs. No. 6 Navy	No. 7	Municipal Stadium Baltimore, MD (rivalry)	W 20–13	64,795	[8]
November 15	at No. 8 Northwestern	No. 5	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry)	W 7–6	48,000	[9]
November 22	USC	No. 4	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (rivalry)	W 20–18	56,000	[10]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1941 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
2. Jack Ledden (September 28, 1941). "Irish Conquer Arizona, 38-7". The South Bend Tribune. pp. Main 1, Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.(one-third of the crowd of 30,000 was admitted free of charge)
3. Wilfrid Smith (October 5, 1941). "Irish Have Too Many Backs For Indiana, 19 to 6". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Jack Troy (October 12, 1941). "Irish Score in First Three Quarters To Beat Tech, 20 to 0: Juzwik's Long Jaunt Features Irish Victory". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 2D.
5. Eddie Beachler (October 19, 1941). "Underdog Tartans Hold Notre Dame To 16-0". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Edward Burns (October 26, 1941). "Irish Run Up 28 Points in Last Quarter To Rout Illinois, 49-14". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Gene Ward (November 2, 1941). "Army Deflates ND To Gain 0-0 Tie; Mazur Is Star". New York Daily News. p. 86 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Notre Dame Beats Navy, 20 to 13, as Bertelli's Passes Spark Attack". The Baltimore Sun. November 9, 1941. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Edward Burns (November 16, 1941). "Notre Dame Wins, 7 to 6; Blocks N.U.'s Kick: Strategic Play Blocks N.U.'s Extra Point Kick, Wins for Irish". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Arch Ward (November 23, 1941). "Notre Dame Unbeaten: Irish Edge Out U.S.C., 20-18, In Season's Final". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.