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	Leon Hart Jim Martin
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium

1949 Midwestern college football independents records
	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

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 24	Indiana		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, 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 South Bend, IN	W 46–7	58,196
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	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (Megaphone Trophy)	W 34–21	51,277
November 12	vs. North Carolina	No. 1	Yankee Stadium New York, NY	W 42–6	67,000
November 19	Iowa	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	W 28–7	56,790
November 26	No. 17 USC	No. 1	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN (rivalry)	W 32–0	57,214
December 3	at SMU	No. 1	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	W 27–20	75,457
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[4]

Personnel

Depth char

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

[4]

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)

[4]

Postseason

Award winners

• Leon Hart - Heisman Trophy,[5] Maxwell Award[6]

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

[8]

References

1. "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.
2. "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.
3. "College Football's 12 Greatest Dynasties". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
4. 2010 Notre Dame information guide
5. "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
6. "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.
7. "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
8. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1950.htm