Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State only 46 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
Today, with 46 days remaining until kickoff, we look back at the 1946 game between No. 1 Army and No. 2 Notre Dame. It ended in a 0-0 tie.
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Postwar Notre Dame was a powerhouse jumpstarted by the return of head coach Frank Leahy. The Irish met another top team on Nov. 9, 1946 in front of nearly 75,000 people in what would become an instant classic.
Both teams entered the contest at Yankee Stadium undefeated. Notre Dame was averaging 35.4 points per game, while Army was posting 29.7. The then-Cadets had annihilated the Irish 59-0 and 48-0 in the team’s previous two meetings.
“This was sort of a quintessential postwar American team,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said, per a 2010 ESPN article. “In the previous two years, the combined score of Notre Dame-Army was Army 107-0, because all our guys were in the service.
“The following year it was postwar America, the boys had come back home. In a sense, the game really represented that transition. America had returned to normal, Notre Dame had its football team back and its coach back.”
The elite Notre Dame roster, which included 53 ex-servicemen, was seeking revenge, especially after outscoring opponents 177-18 in the first five games of the season.
The buildup to the game was huge, and the fact that Leahy and Army head coach Colonel Earl “Red” Blaik did not like each other added fuel to the fire.
“Leahy was always suspicious, but he was twice as suspicious that week,” said Jim Mello, fullback for the Irish from 1941-43 and 1946 in the book “Talking Irish.” “He kept all of our practices closed. He wouldn’t let in reporters. He wouldn’t let in our parents. He had student managers standing on top of the fences to make sure there were no spies outside the fences. If a plane flew overhead, Leahy would only call conservative running plays.”
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Per backup quarterback Frank Tripucka, there were rumors that tickets for the game were selling for $1000. Remember, it was 1946. That is a massive sum of money.
The game itself was rather boring, at least if you’re a fan of offense. As was stated above, it ended in a 0-0 tie. Notre Dame turned the ball over six times, while Army had four turnovers. Army defensive back (and quarterback) Arnold Tucker had three interceptions alone.
Both teams had opportunities to kick field goals. Neither attempted one.
“Leahy didn’t believe in kicking field goals,” Mello said. “If you couldn’t ram it in, he thought taking three points would be an insult.”
So the teams walked away without a win, but neither Notre Dame nor Army ever suffered a loss that season. The Irish finished 8-0-1, while the Cadets ended the year with a 9-0-1 record. Notre Dame was voted national champion despite having one fewer victory, likely because they hammered every other team they faced that year; the Irish allowed just 24 points over nine games.
