Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526111
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 7, 2024 51 The brothers set off on an early-sum- mer cross-country journey, driving a Ford Model T from their home in Hol- lywood some 2,400 miles to the Notre Dame campus. Across the deserts of California and Arizona, up through the Rockies, past Denver and out onto the plains, to the great crossroads of Chicago, the Walsh brothers traversed one series of rutted dirt and gravel roads after another. By their estimation, they had encoun- tered barely 100 miles of paved highway on the entire route. The car, after numer- ous dings, flat tires and other maladies, now resided in an off-campus garage. Adam was set for a senior year in which he would again play through inju- ries and lead the Irish line with tenacity and toughness. The Four Horsemen re- ceived well-earned accolades, but Walsh and his Seven Mules teammates provided the down-and-dirty blocking and tack- ling that propelled the Irish to victory after victory against the nation's best. It culminated in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1925, just a short ride from his Hollywood home. The Irish beat, who else, Leland Stanford University, 27-10, to claim their first consensus national championship. Walsh, whose toughness and leadership were heralded far and wide, joined Horse- men Harry Stuhldreher and Elmer Layden as a head coach immediately after Notre Dame, taking the reins at the University of Santa Clara (today's Santa Clara Uni- versity) in the fall of 1925. Against sched- ules that included Stanford, Cal and USC, Walsh led the Broncos to winning records three of his four seasons at the school. He had the distinction of serving as line coach at both Yale and Harvard, and in a brief pro career, led the 1945 Cleveland Rams to the NFL championship. But it was at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where Walsh left his most lasting impact. He was head coach of the Polar Bears from 1935-42 and again from 1947-58. He won or tied 11 times for the Maine Intercollegiate Ath- letic Association title and influenced generations of student-athletes. After retiring from coaching, Walsh served two terms as a Democrat in the Maine House of Representatives. He was appointed the U.S. Marshal for Maine under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. He died on Jan. 13, 1985, at age 83 after a life full of notable contributions. ✦ For more informa on, please visit: www.RockneSociety.org Tuesday, Oct. 8 - 6:30 p.m. Brown County Library, Green Bay, Wis. "Jim Crowley: From Green Bay East to a Notre Dame Four Horseman" A presenta on of the 36th Annual Local History Series Friday, Oct. 11 - 1:30 - 3 p.m. Hammes Book Store, Notre Dame, Ind. Book Signing — Special Centennial Commemora ve Edi on Loyal Sons: The Story of The Four Horsemen and Notre Dame Football's 1924 Champions Please Join Us For These Special Events Friday, Oct. 11 - 7 p.m. Embassy Suites, South Bend, Ind. "100 Years of Irish quarterbacks, star ng with Harry Stuhldreher" Featuring appearances by notable Notre Dame quarterbacks Friday, Oct. 18 - 2 p.m. College Football Hall of Fame, Atlanta, Ga. "A Century Ago Today: Outlined against a blue-gray October sky..." The famous 1924 Notre Dame-Army game is commemorated Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com After college, Walsh went on to a career in coaching and also served in the Maine House of Representatives. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS