Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526412
50 SEPT. 14, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH ECHOES JIM LEFEBVRE A ny team with its sights set on a championship, whether you're talking about the current Fighting Irish or their predecessors of a century ago, needs certain ingredients. Talented players, of course. But more than that — excellent leadership, intrinsic mo- tivation, unbreakable teamwork and a genuine effort by each individual to be the best version of himself possible. The 1924 Irish put it all together un- der Hall of Fame coach Knute Rockne and steamrolled to a 10-0 record and the school's first consensus national championship. But that wasn't the end of the story. To a man, the players went on to ca- reers of significant accomplishment. In athletics, yes, but also in education, medicine, law, politics, military, busi- ness and communities across the na- tion. They carried with them the spirit of their leader, forever looking for ways to influence others through achieve- ment and service. With Rockne's reputation and na- tional influence, it was logical that many of his men went into coaching and athletic administration, at least as an initial profession. There, they brought the Rockne system to schools and col- leges from coast to coast. Quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, per- haps the keenest student of Rockne's ways, became a successful head coach at Villanova and Wisconsin, leading the 1942 Badgers to an 8-1-1 season, the No. 3 Associated Press ranking and the Helms Athletic Foundation's national championship. Elmer Layden guided Duquesne to its greatest period of success before re- turning to Notre Dame as head coach in 1934. His record over seven seasons leading the Irish was 47-13-3, with epic victories including the magical come- back to win at Ohio State in 1935. Jim Crowley was the head man at Michigan State and Fordham, compil- ing an overall mark of 88-30-11. He had the Fordham Rams finishing in the AP top 20 in the first six years the poll ex- isted, placing as high as No. 3. They won the 1942 Sugar Bowl before Crowley re- signed to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II. It's significant to note that at one point, there were two professional foot- ball leagues in America, and both were guided by Four Horsemen — Layden with the NFL and Crowley with the All- America Football Conference. Captain Adam Walsh became head coach at Santa Clara, and an assistant at both Harvard and Yale, before two lengthy stints as head coach at Bow- doin. He also guided the 1945 Cleveland Rams to an NFL championship. After retiring from coaching, Walsh served two terms in the Maine House of Rep- resentatives. He was appointed the U.S. Marshal for Maine under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Edgar "Rip" Miller had a nearly five- decade career at the U.S. Naval Academy, coaching football and serving as assis- tant athletics director. Noble Kizer led Purdue to two Big Ten championships in his seven seasons guiding the Boilermak- ers. Chuck Collins had a solid run leading the North Carolina Tar Heels. Joe Bach was a standout coach both in college and for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Clem Crowe, captain of the Irish in 1925, was also an All-America basket- ball player at Notre Dame who went on to a distinguished career coaching foot- ball and basketball at St. Vincent Col- lege and Xavier University from 1932- 43. He spent nearly a decade as a head coach in the Canadian Football League, leading the Ottawa Rough Riders to the 1951 Gray Cup. Halfback Tom "Red" Hearden cap- tained the 1926 Irish to a 9-1 record, then embarked on an overwhelmingly suc- cessful coaching career. He went 26-3-3 in four seasons at St. Catherine's High School in Racine, Wis., before he guided his alma mater Green Bay East to an as- tonishing 51-3-1 mark from 1936-42. A f te r se rv i ce i n t h e U. S. Nav y, Hearden coached St. Norbert College to a 40-14 record and two league champi- onships from 1946-52. He was a Green Bay Packers assistant in 1954-55 and again in 1957. Health problems kept him out of consideration for the Pack- ers' head coaching position — the team eventually turned to Vince Lombardi. John Weibel served as an assistant coach while he was earning his medical degree at Vanderbilt. He was nearing completion of his internship when he was stricken with appendicitis and died at age 26. Wilbur Eaton, after coaching at several colleges, entered the Univer- sity of Nebraska Medical School in 1933 and was practicing medicine in Iowa when he died of a heart attack at age 43. Joe Boland, a sophomore left tackle for the 1924 champs, went on to become the voice of Notre Dame football. He was the Notre Dame line coach under Layden in 1934-40, then began call- ing Irish games on the radio. Almost single-handedly, he built the Irish Foot- ball Network while serving as a popular South Bend sportscaster. In Football And Beyond, The 1924 Fighting Irish Left Their Mark CELEBRATING THE 1924 CHAMPIONS Joe Boland became the voice of Notre Dame foot- ball and founded the Irish Football Network. PHOTO FROM INDIANA BROADCAST PIONEERS