Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1411895
52 SEPT. 25, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH ECHOES JIM LEFEBVRE W hen Notre Dame meets Wis- consin this Saturday at Soldier Field, the Fighting Irish will be attempting to extend its history of suc- cess in big games at the iconic Chicago stadium. From the first-ever major college game played at the venue to the present day, here is the history of Notre Dame's 10-0-2 record at Soldier Field. NOV. 22, 1924 NOTRE DAME 13, NORTHWESTERN 6 Notre Dame's Oct. 18 victory over Army that resulted in the Four Horsemen moniker for the Irish backfield was only the third game of the sea- son. Notre Dame went on to victories over major powers Princeton, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin and Nebraska to stand at 7-0, gaining a legion of follow- ers across the nation. The Northwestern game was scheduled to be played on campus in Evanston, but Knute Rockne convinced Northwestern officials to switch the site to the brand-new Grant Park Municipal Stadium, not yet named Soldier Field. Heavy rains caused the new field to become a muddy quagmire, slowing the action to a sloppy scrum. The Wildcats went up with two early field goals, and the Irish had one successful drive in the second quarter, Harry Stuhldreher finishing with a one-yard run for a 7-6 lead. Neither offense clicked after that. The outcome was in doubt until Elmer Layden picked off a fourth-quarter Wildcat pass and re- turned it 45 yards for the clinching touchdown. NOV. 26, 1927 NOTRE DAME 7, SOUTHERN CAL 6 The great intersectional series began with ND's 13-12 win at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1925, and now it was time for the return match. The demand for tickets was immense, the turnstile system broke down and an estimated 120,000 jammed the site, with about 99,000 having paid. Southern Cal scored a first-quarter touchdown, but Chile Walsh, the younger brother of 1924 cap- tain Adam Walsh, blocked the extra point in the game's pivotal play. The Irish grabbed the lead, 7-6, when 5-foot-8, 156-pound halfback Ray "Bucky" Dahman snared a TD pass from Charley Riley, and Dahman's drop kick for the extra point was good. From there, it was a fierce defensive tussle and the Irish held. OCT. 13, 1928 NOTRE DAME 7, NAVY 0 Another massive crowd approaching 120,000 gathered for the second game of Notre Dame's series with Navy. They witnessed a classic battle of evenly matched teams threatening each other with strong parries before falling short of scoring. With the score 0-0 early in the fourth quarter and Notre Dame at the Navy 13, a hobbling John Niemiec started an end run, stopped suddenly and hit John Colrick with a surprise pass for a score. Frank Cari- deo's extra point provided the final margin. OCT. 19, 1929 NOTRE DAME 19, WISCONSIN 0 As Notre Dame Stadium was being constructed to replace adjacent Cartier Field, it was decided to play all 1929 games away from campus. This was a rematch with Wisconsin, as the Badgers had pasted the Irish 22-6 in Madison the previous year. Before 90,000 spectators, Notre Dame's "stocky, speedy Wandering Italian" Joe Savoldi scored on dashes of 40 and 71 yards to lead the charge to victory. NOV. 9, 1929 NOTRE DAME 19, DRAKE 7 The Bulldogs were a quality opponent who would finish 5-3-1 with wins over Oklahoma State and Iowa State and a Missouri Valley champion- ship. And for three quarters, they made the most of their moment in the spotlight in front of 55,000, taking a 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Irish rallied on long drives capped by short touchdown runs by Jack Elder and Moon Mullins, to keep alive their hopes of an unbeaten campaign. NOV. 16, 1929 NOTRE DAME 13, SOUTHERN CAL 12 Assistant coach Tom Lieb guided the Irish during much of the season, as Rockne was laid low by Approximately 120,000 fans jammed into Soldier Field in Chicago to watch the Fighting Irish defeat Navy 7-0 on Oct. 13, 1928. FILE PHOTO Irish Have Enjoyed Epic Games And Huge Success At Soldier Field