Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2021 15 75 Years Ago: Dec. 2, 1946 In the final Associated Press poll, Notre Dame dethroned two-time defending national champion Army with a combination of two occurrences on Nov. 30. First, No. 1 and 9-0-1 Army barely hung on to defeat 1-7 Navy by a 21-18 score, needing a late goal- line stand and the clock running out before the final play by the Midshipmen could be run. Second, No. 2 and 8-0-1 Notre Dame handily defeated No. 16 USC 26-6. Thus, even though the Irish and Black Knights played to a scoreless tie three weeks earlier in Yankee Stadium, Notre Dame leap- frogged Army in a somewhat controversial decision. Interestingly, the Irish routed USC with assistant Ed "Moose" Krause replacing Frank Leahy as the acting head coach. Leahy was confined to his home with an attack of flu and laryngitis, aggravated by a recurrence of the spinal arthritis that sent him to the Mayo Clinic in 1942. To the surprise of many, Krause inserted sophomore fourth-team running back Coy "Scooter" McGee from Longview, Texas, into the lineup after a brilliant week of practice. McGee ran back the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back because of a penalty. However, he later gave the Irish a 6-0 lead on a dazzling 77-yard touchdown run and finished with 146 rushing yards on six carries. He added another score on an eight-yard run — but remained fourth team the next two years on the ultra-talented Irish squads that never lost. When Krause visited Leahy after the victory, he received a cold reception. "He said, 'I gave you the lineup at the start of the week, Moose. Who the hell is this Coy McGee you put in?'" Krause remembered in a 1990 interview with Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I said, 'Coach, you weren't with us all week, but if you would have seen what we saw, I know you would have done the same thing.' "Then he smiled and said it was a good idea." 45 Years Ago: Dec. 27, 1976 Notre Dame played its first "minor" bowl game, a 20-9 victory versus 7-4 Penn State in the Gator Bowl. Because bowl games began to be included in the final AP voting after the 1968 season, Notre Dame rescinded its non-bowl policy in 1969, a first since 1924, but with the stipulation that it wanted to play in only the three "major" games that it is eligible for: Cotton, Orange or Sugar. In both 1971 and 1975, a player vote turned down invitations to secondary bowls, but this season the decision is made to play in the postseason to use as a springboard for 1977. Twenty of the 22 starters on offense and defense were in line to return in 1977, and pundits were already projecting a national title for the Irish. Junior running back and game MVP Al Hunter rushed for 102 yards and two one-yard touchdowns on 26 car- ries. Senior quarterback Rick Slager completed 10 of 19 passes for 141 yards, with junior tight end Ken MacAfee grabbing five receptions for 78 yards. The victory improved Notre Dame to 9-3 and lifted it three places to No. 12 in the final AP poll. 20 Years Ago: Dec. 2-31, 2001 One of the most tumultuous months in Notre Dame history began Sunday morning, Dec. 2, after a 24-18 victory at Purdue ended the Fighting Irish's season at 5-6. Fifth-year head coach Bob Davie, who signed a five-year contract extension 12 months earlier, was fired by athletics director Kevin White, who said the Irish football program has lost credibility and admitted the extension was a "misread." A week later, on Dec. 9, 55-year-old Georgia Tech head coach George O'Leary was hired as Davie's successor after Notre Dame conversations with "The People's Choice," Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, reportedly broke down. Four days later, on Dec. 13, O'Leary submitted his resignation after it was discovered there were inaccuracies in the biography of his résumé, including his academic background. By New Year's Eve, reports leaked out that Stanford head coach Tyrone Willingham would be intro- duced as the new coach the next day. Anniversaries In Notre Dame Football History: December UNDER THE DOME Junior running back and game MVP Al Hunter rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Fighting Irish past Penn State in the 1976 Gator Bowl. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS DID YOU KNOW... Your home address will be automatically changed to the mailing address on file with the US Postal Service? ALL addresses are cross-referenced with the USPS National Change of Address database. It can take up to 7 days for the USPS to update your address in their database? To prevent missed issues, please notify the US Postal Service ASAP. Your postal forwarding order expires in 60 days or less? 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