Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MAY 2023 43 Lynch was an engaging personality who soon became well known and re- spected around town. He was involved in an unending array of civic groups and causes, helping to organize the Irish Fellowship Club and taking a lead role among local Notre Dame alums, for instance. It was natural that fellows like Earl "Curly" Lambeau and Jim Crowley would become regulars at Lynch's. Much like Gipp, Crowley was as com- fortable with a pool cue as a football in his hand. And no doubt, both heard stories of how Notre Dame was the place to go if you had athletic skills and ambitions. Urged by Lynch and other Notre Dame alums, Lambeau decided to give it a try in 1918, Rockne's first as head coach. It was a chaotic fall, with a schedule affected by the Great War and the Spanish Influenza. And though Lambeau, ill with tonsillitis, stayed in Green Bay and didn't return to South Bend, Rockne's influence was always present with Lambeau in his endeavors. While serving as co-founder and playing coach of the fledgling Green Bay Packers in 1919, Lambeau also found time to coach his alma mater, East High. There, his star pupil was Crowley, whom Lynch and Lambeau convinced to enter Notre Dame, starting "Sleepy Jim" on his path to becoming an All-American and national champion as part of the famous Four Horsemen backfield. Following Crowley by two years as East High's next great back was Tom "Red" Hearden. Again, Notre Dame seemed the only logical destination. He was a sophomore on the national champs in 1924, then co-captain of the 9-1 Irish in 1926. Others from the Green Bay East pipeline included reserve backs Oswald Geniesse and Norb Christman. Crowley and Hearden joined Lambeau as prominent coaches. Crowley guided Michigan Agricultural to a 22-8-3 mark from 1928-31, then took Fordham to its greatest period of success, with six top- 20 finishes and a record of 56-13-7 from 1933-41. One of his standout players was young Vincent T. Lombardi, one of Fordham's "Seven Blocks of Granite" on its offensive line. Hearden posted some phenomenal records coaching East High and St. Norbert College. He was a Packers as- sistant in 1954-55 and would have been a strong candidate for head coach when Lombardi was hired, had he not suffered a stroke in 1957 that ended his coaching career. Lambeau, Crowley and Hearden — along with sportswriting legend Red Smith — are memorialized with monu- ments at the entrance to Old City Sta- dium in Green Bay, which pays homage to its history as home of the Packers from 1925-56. And the popular Bobby Lynch? He entered politics, representing Green Bay in the Wisconsin State Assembly for 10 terms and building an enviable record of accomplishments. For Irish fans, though, his greatest achievement will always be as a Notre Dame promoter and recruiter. ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com For more informa on, please visit: www.RockneSociety.org The Knute Rockne Memorial Society is dedicated to preserving and promo ng the life story of Coach Knute Rockne and all he stood for. Through its annual Rockne Awards, the Rockne Society recognizes and inspires great achievement in athle cs…and in life.