Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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60 OCT. 22, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH ECHOES JIM LEFEBVRE BY JIM LEFEBVRE I t may surprise some to learn that homecoming, an event celebrated by most every college in the country, existed at Notre Dame for just a handful of years in the 1920s. It soon became obvious that the concept of large num- bers of alums returning for a football weekend was happening for every Notre Dame home game, and the designation was no longer useful. It was in one of those few homecom- ing games, on Nov. 4, 1922 against In- diana, that Irish fans witnessed one of the greatest individual performances in Notre Dame history. Paul Castner was a grown man when he arrived at Notre Dame in 1919, a 22-year-old veteran of the Great War, in which he served in the U.S. Army's 36th Engineering Battalion. Castner's introduction to service had come at St. Thomas Military Academy in St. Paul, Minn., where he learned discipline, ex- celled in academics, and stood out as a leader in hockey and baseball. At Notre Dame, like all freshmen he was ineligible for varsity competition, but Castner got to work resuscitating the school's hockey club. He recruited players, secured equipment and lined up venues, practices and games. For four seasons, he was the team's player- coach and led the 1921-22 squad, named Midwest champions, scoring 37 of the team's 55 goals. Castner also excelled in baseball as a hard-throwing lefty. He became team captain as a senior and tossed a no-hit- ter against Purdue. He passed on a cou- ple of chances to turn pro, waiting un- til after graduation to join the Chicago White Sox, for whom he had a handful of major league appearances. In football, Castner made the varsity as a sophomore in 1920 as fullback, be- coming a key blocker for George Gipp in his final, spectacular season. With Gipp sitting out the season finale against the Michigan State Aggies, Castner had more chances to run, and he responded with a pair of touchdowns in a 25-0 vic- tory to cap a 9-0 season. As a junior in 1921, Castner shifted to right halfback as veteran Chet Wynne starred at fullback. Castner earned hon- ors on some all-star teams, finishing third on the team in scoring with 48 points on 6 touchdowns and 4 field goals. He was becoming a versatile, valuable football standout. Notre Dame's 48-0 romp over Rutgers was typical: Castner scored 2 touchdowns, punted well and drop- kicked field goals of 42 and 47 yards. As first-string fullback in 1922, the 6-foot, 190-pound Castner was soon joined in the backfield by three un- dersized but talented sophomores — quarterback Harry Stuhldreher and halfbacks Jim Crowley and Don Miller. The youngsters had passed veterans and with Castner as their undisputed leader, they were ready to shine. The Irish started strong, outscoring their first five opponents 149-10. Notre Dame's schedule was back- loaded with four away games, so the homecoming meeting with the Hoosiers would be the final turn on Cartier Field for Castner and his fellow seniors. It was a sterling occasion, with a record crowd of 22,000 jamming into Cartier Field and another 1,000 outside unable to secure tickets. Reported the South Bend News- Times: "In the history of Notre Dame's glory, there is no event which can be called greater than the university's third annual homecoming celebration … the greatest crowd of visitors which has ever come to Notre Dame … return to every section of the country today carrying with them an impression of a greater Notre Dame — in numbers, in spirit and in the warmth of her welcome to 'old grads' and friends." As he typically did, head coach Knute Rockne started his "shock troops" — an entire second unit that took the energy out of the opposition while the Irish stars awaited entry to the game. The regulars came in after a scoreless first quarter and Castner soon set the pace, Versatile Star Paul Castner, The 'Fifth Horseman,' Had A Game To Remember A Century Ago A record crowd of 22,000 fans jammed into Cartier Field for Notre Dame's homecoming game against Indiana in 1922. Another 1,000 fans remained outside, unable to secure tickets. PHOTO COURTESY KNUTE ROCKNE MEMORIAL SOCIETY "In the history of Notre Dame's glory, there is no event which can be called greater than the university's third annual homecoming celebration … in numbers, in spirit and in the warmth of her welcome to 'old grads' and friends." THE SOUTH BEND NEWS-TIMES (NOV. 5, 1922)