1919 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
{{short description|American college football season}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox college sports team season
| year = 1919
| team = Notre Dame Fighting Irish
| sport = football
| image = Notre dame 1919 champion team.jpg
| image_size = 285
| conference = Independent
| record = 9–0
| head_coach = Knute Rockne
| hc_year = 2nd
| off_scheme = Single-wing
| def_scheme = 7–2–2
| captain = Leonard Bahan
| stadium = Cartier Field
| champion = Co-national champion (NCF, Davis)
Indiana state champion{{Cite news|date=1919-11-23|title=Notre Dame Easily Wins State Title|pages=6|work=The Huntington Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53439406/notre-dame-easily-wins-state-title/|access-date=2020-06-14}}
| uniform = 70px
}}
{{1919 Midwestern college football independents records}}
The 1919 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1919 college football season. The team compiled a perfect 9–0 record and outscored opponents by a total of 229 to 47.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/notre-dame/1919-schedule.html|title = 1919 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/College Football|accessdate=March 31, 2022}}
Knute Rockne was in his second year as the team's head coach. Gus Dorais was the assistant coach.{{cite web|title=Football Review 1919: The Season's Undefeated Champs|publisher=Bresland & Heimann, University of Notre Dame|year=1919|accessdate=March 31, 2022|url=http://archives.nd.edu/Football/Football-1919.pdf}}
There was no contemporaneous system in 1919 for determining a national champion. However, Notre Dame was retroactively named as the co-national champion for 1919 by the National Championship Foundation and Parke H. Davis. Other selectors chose Harvard, Illinois, and/or Texas A&M as the 1919 national champion or co-champion.{{cite book | url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf | title=2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records | publisher=The National Collegiate Athletic Association | pages=112–114 | date=July 2020 | location=Indianapolis | access-date=January 12, 2021 | archive-date=November 1, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101032438/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf | url-status=live }}
Five persons affiliated with the 1919 Notre Dame team were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: coach Rockne (inducted 1951);{{cite news|title=Knute Rockne|publisher=National Football Foundation|accessdate=March 31, 2022|url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1377}} end George Gipp (inducted 1951);{{cite news|title=George Gipp|publisher=National Football Foundation|accessdate=March 31, 2022|url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1296}} assistant coach Dorais (inducted 1954);{{cite news|title=Gus Dorais|publisher=National Football Foundation|accessdate=March 31, 2022|url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1494}} end Eddie Anderson (inducted 1971);{{cite news|title=Eddie Anderson|publisher=National Football Foundation|accessdate=March 31, 2022|url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1493}} and guard Hunk Anderson (inducted 1974).{{cite news|title=Hunk Anderson|publisher=National Football Foundation|accessdate=March 31, 2022|url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1368}} In addition, tackle George Trafton was inducted in 1964 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.{{cite web|title=George Trafton|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame|accessdate=March 31, 2022|url=https://www.profootballhof.com/players/george-trafton}} Quarterback Leonard Bahan was the team captain. Other notable players from the 1919 Notre Dame team included Bernard Kirk, Cy DeGree, and John Mohardt.
The team played its home games at Cartier Field in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Schedule
{{CFB schedule
| timezone = Central
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 4
| w/l = w
| opponent = Kalamazoo
| site_stadium = Cartier Field
| site_cityst = Notre Dame, IN
| score = 14–0
| attend = 5,000
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 11
| w/l = w
| opponent = Mount Union
| site_stadium = Cartier Field
| site_cityst = Notre Dame, IN
| score = 60–7
| attend = 4,000
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 18
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = Nebraska
| site_stadium = Nebraska Field
| site_cityst = Lincoln, NE
| gamename = rivalry
| score = 14–9
| attend = 10,000
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = October 25
| time = 2:30 p.m.
| w/l = w
| opponent = Western State Normal
| site_stadium = Cartier Field
| site_cityst = Notre Dame, IN
| score = 53–0
| attend = 2,500
| source = {{cite news |last=Ward |first=Archie |title=Notre Dame Eleven And Western Normal Clash |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-south-bend-tribune/169153460/ |newspaper=South Bend Tribune |location=South Bend, Indiana |date=October 25, 1919 |page=12 |access-date=March 29, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news|title=Rockne's Squad Licks Pedagogs in 53 to 0 Game|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=October 26, 1919|page=17|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18418961/rocknes_squad_licks_pedagogs_in_53_to/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news |last=Kessler |first=Eugene |title=Notre Dame Tramples Over Western Normal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-south-bend-tribune/169153619/ |newspaper=South Bend Tribune |location=South Bend, Indiana |date=October 27, 1919 |page=10 |access-date=March 29, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{Cite news|date=1919-10-26|title=Irishers Win From Normal School, 53-0|pages=25|work=The Indianapolis Star|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53438876/irishers-win-from-normal-school-53-0/|access-date=2020-06-14}}
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 1
| w/l = w
| neutral = y
| opponent = Indiana
| site_stadium = Washington Park
| site_cityst = Indianapolis, IN
| score = 16–3
| attend = 5,000
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 8
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = Army
| site_stadium = The Plain
| site_cityst = West Point, NY
| gamename = rivalry
| score = 12–9
| attend = 8,000
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 15
| w/l = w
| opponent = Michigan Agricultural
| site_stadium = Cartier Field
| site_cityst = Notre Dame, IN
| gamename = rivalry
| score = 13–0
| attend = 5,000
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 22
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = Purdue
| site_stadium = Stuart Field
| site_cityst = West Lafayette, IN
| gamename = rivalry
| score = 33–13
| attend = 7,000
}}
|{{CFB schedule entry
| date = November 27
| w/l = w
| away = y
| opponent = Morningside
| site_stadium = Bass Field
| site_cityst = Sioux City, IA
| score = 14–6
| attend = 10,000
}}
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{1919 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football navbox}}
{{Notre Dame Fighting Irish football navbox}}
{{College Football National Champion pre-AP Poll navbox}}
Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football seasons
Category:College football national champions