Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State only 67 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.
With 67 days remaining until kickoff, today we look at No. 67 and the two-way contributions of four-time monogram winner John Panelli, a standout fullback and linebacker who wore the jersey number at Notre Dame from 1945-48.
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Golden times
The year was 1945 and it was the era of college football when war veterans were returning home to attend school on their G.I. Bill and play some football.
Some were returning All-Americans who put their football careers on hold for two years to enlist and fight in the war. Others were current All-Americans already on campus. Then there were lesser-known players such as Panelli, a Notre Dame sophomore fullback and linebacker who had to distinguish himself from a long list of established standout Irish players.
It was the Golden Age of Irish football under head coach Frank Leahy and Panelli leapfrogged the Notre Dame All-Americans to become one of the most valuable players in program history.
Panelli earned four varsity monograms and was the lead fullback on the 1946 and 1947 teams that both went undefeated and claimed a national championship.
Riding the work of Panelli at fullback and Emill Sitko at tailback, Notre Dame enjoyed three consecutive undefeated seasons from 1946-48.
Panelli and Sitko are still regarded among the top-10 Irish running back tandems in program history, according to Sports Illustrated.
Panelli parlayed his success at Notre Dame into a first-round NFL Draft selection of the Detroit Lions in 1949 and a five-year NFL career.
The road to Notre Dame
Hailing from Morristown, N.J., Panelli was raised in a modest home by Italian immigrant parents.
The U.S. was still pulling out of the depression years so John and his brother Ben worked many odd jobs to pitch in, including setting up bowling pins at the local Knights of Columbus for four cents a game.
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On a good night, the boys could rack six games and walk out with almost 50 cents apiece after tips.
At the same time, Panelli was becoming an all-state fullback at Morristown High School where he gathered 23 scholarship offers as a high school senior, mainly from nearby East Coast schools.
Set to attend West Point Academy through family connections, Panelli received a chance invitation to the 1943 Heisman Trophy ceremony. It was there he met that year’s winner, Notre Dame quarterback Angelo Bertelli.
Impressed by both the Irish player and his school, Panelli set up a visit to South Bend and decided to attend Notre Dame instead of West Point.
And 77 years later, the Irish football program is that much better for welcoming in this do-it-all No. 67, turned Notre Dame legend.
Panelli died in 2012 at the age of 85.
