Army–Notre Dame football rivalry
First meeting | November 1, 1913 Notre Dame, 35–13 |
---|---|
Latest meeting | November 12, 2016 Notre Dame, 44–6 |
Next meeting | November 23, 2024 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 51 |
All-time series | Notre Dame leads, 39–8–4[1] |
Largest victory | Army, 59–0 (1944) Notre Dame, 62–3 (1973) |
Longest win streak | Notre Dame, 15 (1965–present) |
Current win streak | Notre Dame, 15 (1965–present) |
The Army–Notre Dame football rivalry is an American
Series history
The first Army–Notre Dame game in 1913 is generally regarded as the game that established the national reputation of the Fighting Irish.[2] In that game, Notre Dame revolutionized the forward pass in a stunning 35–13 victory.[2] For years it was "The Game" on Notre Dame's schedule, played at Yankee Stadium in New York.[2] During the 1940s, the rivalry with the Army Cadets reached its zenith. This was because both teams were extremely successful and met several times in key games (including one of the Games of the Century, a scoreless tie in 1946). In 1944, the Cadets administered the worst defeat in Notre Dame football history, crushing the Fighting Irish 59–0. The following year, it was more of the same, a 48–0 blitzkrieg. After meeting every year since 1919, the series went on a ten-year hiatus starting in 1947 and lasting until 1957. The game was played in South Bend for the first time and the Fighting Irish won 27–7. Since then, there have been infrequent meetings over the past several decades, and Army's last win was 66 years ago in 1958.
Like Navy, due to the small capacity of Army's
The 1944 game
It had been thirteen years since Army had beaten Notre Dame. In fact, the last time Army had scored against the Irish was in 1938.[5] The Irish were the defending national champions, but lost many key players to graduation and the armed services. The Irish even lost head coach Frank Leahy to military service, and were now being led by Ed McKeever.
Notre Dame went into the game 5–1 and ranked #5, coming off a 32–13 loss to Navy. The Army squad was being led by Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard. The Cadets also had a quarterback named Doug Kenna, and a transfer from the University of Texas,
Army overwhelmed the Irish. Kenna opened the scoring with a run for touchdown. He wasn't done, as he played defense as well, intercepting an Irish pass, which led to a scoring run by Minor. Kenna then pulled a trifecta of sorts, when he passed for a third score. Davis, a late scratch as a starter, also intercepted a pass, and had two offensive runs for scores. By halftime, Army had a commanding 33–0 lead.
Kenna added another scoring pass, and Davis another run for a score. Even Army's back-ups got into the act. Harold Tavzel, a second string tackle, intercepted a poorly thrown pass from the Irish quarterback, and jogged a few yards for a score. When the game was over, Army won 59–0, handing the Irish the worst loss in the program's history. The Irish would recover, winning their last three games to finish 8–2 and ranked #9 in the nation.
When asked by a reporter about the score, Army halfback Doc Blanchard said "If there was anyone to blame for the size of the margin, it was Notre Dame, which fired our desire to win with its long humiliation of Army teams."[5]
Game results
Army victories | Notre Dame victories | Tie games |
|
Venues
- The Plain, West Point, NY: 1913–1922 (10 times)
- Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, NY: 1923 (once)
- Polo Grounds, New York, NY: 1924 (once)
- Yankee Stadium (1923), Bronx, NY: 1925–29, 1931–1946, 1969 (22 times)
- Soldier Field, Chicago, IL: 1930 (once)
- Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN: 1947, 1958, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1985, 1998, 2006 (9 times)
- Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, 1957 (once)
- Shea Stadium, Queens, NY: 1965 (once)
- Michie Stadium, West Point, NY: 1973 (once)
- Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ: 1977, 1983, 1995 (thrice)
- Yankee Stadium (current), Bronx, NY: 2010, 2024
- Alamodome, San Antonio, TX: 2016
See also
References
- ^ a b "Winsipedia – Army Black Knights vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish football series history". Winsipedia.
- ^ ISBN 0-253-21568-4.
- ^ "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131–175)". und.cstv.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ Dinich, Heather (February 14, 2024). "Notre Dame to play Army in Shamrock Series game at Yankee Stadium". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ ISBN 0-13-314641-3