notre dame football history – Syndication Server

Major outlet explores history of Notre Dame’s “Four Horsemen”

Notre Dame football historians will love this one.

If you say the words “four horsemen” to a Notre Dame fan, die-hard college football fan, journalism student or sports historian, there will be instant recognition.

Sportswriter Grantland Rice penned those words about Notre Dame running backs Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Leyden on this date in 1924.

Rice wrote what might be the best lede in all of sportswriting history — a lede is the opener to an article — and in so doing, he helped Notre Dame, Knute Rockne, and college football in general gain popularity.

Rice put those words to paper for the New York Herald Tribune after Notre Dame upset Army at the old Polo Grounds in New York by a score of 13-7.

Now ESPN’s Ryan McGee has a deep-dive feature on how Rice’s article came about, how it drove the popularity of Notre Dame and college football, and what became of those four men as they lived out their lives.

Here’s the lede in full, courtesy of ESPN and McGee:

“Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again.

In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below.”

The whole feature is worth a read for any Notre Dame football obsessive.

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Former Notre Dame captain, All-American passes away

A former Notre Dame captain and All-American football player died this week. Find out more about the life of Dan Shannon here.

The Shannon name has been around Notre Dame football for a very long time.

Most recently it was long snapper John who finished up his collegiate career by winning the inaugural Patrick Mannelly Award, given out to the nation’s best senior long snapper.

Before that it was his father, Gerard, who played for the Fighting Irish in the 1980’s.

And before both of them was Gerard’s father, Dan, who has passed away at the age of 86.

Dan Shannon played for Notre Dame from 1951-54 as the Irish accumulated a 32-5-3 record in that time.

Shannon tied for eighth in program history in recovered fumbles (season), with four in 1951, and he served as a team captain in 1954, the season in which he was named a Sporting News All-American linebacker.

Shannon played under both Frank Leahy and Terry Brennan.

Shannon graduated from Notre Dame in 1955 with a degree in accounting and went on to serve in the Air Force before being elected to president of the Chicago Park District, a post he held from 1969-73.

Shannon also served as president of Notre Dame’s Monogram Club from 1995-97.

Shannon was living in Lake Barrington, Illinois when he died this week at 86 years of age.

Our condolences to the Shannon family.

Notre Dame Wasn’t Tight End U Until This Birthday Boy Paved Way

It’s not that great tight ends weren’t a thing before Derek Brown joined Lou Holtz and the Fighting Irish in 1988, but the high level of performance at the position wasn’t as steady as it is now. More on that later, let’s focus on Brown, the birthday boy, for now.

Think for a second about how Notre Dame has become Tight End U in the last few decades. Just tracking the position from now to the late 80’s is remarkable in a way to do.

In a few weeks Cole Kmet will join Alize Mack, Durham Smythe, Ben Koyack, Troy Niklas, Tyler Eifert, Kyle Rudolph, John Carlson, Anthony Fasano, Jerome Collins, Josh Owens, Jabari Holloway, Dan O’Leary, Pete Chryplewicz, Irv Smith and Derek Brown as the 15th different Notre Dame tight end to be drafted since 1992. On average, every other year has seen a Notre Dame tight end get drafted in that time. So let’s examine that last name listed a bit as he turns 50 today.

Derek Brown’s numbers at Notre Dame look rather pedestrian by today’s standards, having pulled down 62 receptions in four seasons. Eight of those receptions wound up being touchdowns while he totaled 899 yards along the way, 71 of which came against West Virginia to clinch the ’88 national title.

He was also very key in helping run an offense that required tight ends that were willing to throw their body around and get physical, something his career stats don’t show.

With Brown turning 50 today I looked up any stories or information I could find about him. Back in 2013 he did an interview with “Her Loyal Sons” that shares the bizarre feeling he had after winning the ’88 title, why he chose Notre Dame over Miami and plenty on what he’s been up to since leaving football.

Ultimately Brown didn’t prove worth the 14th overall pick, scoring just one touchdown in his NFL career but he did raise the bar significantly for what has since become Tight End U. There were greats before him in the form of Ken MacAfee, Dave Casper and Mark Bavaro but the regularity they came out wasn’t nearly as great, although still impressive.

Those soon to be 15 draft picks at the position in 29 years is insane. For comparisons sake though, in the17 years previous to Brown being drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft, five Notre Dame tight ends were drafted. That’s not bad talent at the position but clearly after Brown ended the four year drought of Irish tight ends getting drafted at all, it’s become a regular occurrence.

Happy 50th, Derek Brown!

ND Football All-Decade Team – Quarterback

He’s 22 starts in, with 13 or 14 more to go hopefully, but Book was the only Notre Dame quarterback during this time period whose big numbers matched the team’s lofty success.

With Notre Dame’s season concluded and the entire college football season just waiting for the coronation next Monday night, what better time than now to reflect on the last decade of Notre Dame football. There is a little over three months until the April 18th spring game so let’s fill that time with some Brian Kelly-era reflection.

Over the next few months, we’re going to run through the best games, players and moments from the last ten years of Notre Dame football.

With the first installment, we start with the most important position in football. Here are the four quarterbacks on our 53-man All-Decade Team.

BACKUPS

Pages: 123

Notre Dame Football: A Lou Holtz Stat in Honor of his 83rd Birthday

Instead of giving some biography on how Lou Holtz stunk as coach of the New York Jets or how he had the famous out-clause to Notre Dame while head coach at Minnesota, we’ve heard those time and time again and although enjoyable, I’d offer nothing new.

So instead, let’s look at a crazy stat from his time as head coach at Notre Dame, a post he held from 1986-1996.

Legendary football coach and the man that helped lead Notre Dame to their last championship in football is celebrating a birthday today as Lou Holtz turns 83.

So instead, let’s look at a crazy stat from his time as head coach at Notre Dame, a post he held from 1986-1996.

In 11 years as Notre Dame head coach, Lou Holtz and the Fighting Irish played 54 games against AP Top 25 opponents, an average of just under five per season (4.9). In those games the Irish went 33-19-2 in such games, with nine occuring in bowl appearances of which Holtz and Notre Dame were 5-4.

Holtz departed Notre Dame after that 1996 season and in the 23 seasons since the Fighting Irish have won a total of 36 games against AP Top 25 teams since, going 36-45 in 81 such games since.

By comparison to Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis before him most Notre Dame fans have been pretty aware of the steps the program has taken to winning 10 games in three straight seasons.

However, even Kelly has won just 20 games against ranked teams in ten years while he’s dropped exactly 20 as well. His .500 percentage in such games feels tiny when put next to Holtz’s 33-19-2 (.629).

Even Kelly’s last three years that have seen the program take such a great stride see Notre Dame 9-6 against ranked foes, good for a mark of 60%. As great as that relatively seems, it’s still short of Holtz’s .629 percentage overall, but especially in his best three year run from ’88 to ’90 in which Holtz and the Irish went 15-3 against ranked teams, good for a mark just north of 83%.

A great number to celebrate Lou on his 83rd.

Happy birthday, coach!