Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH ECHOES JIM LEFEBVRE 50 NOV. 30, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED F or as long as Notre Dame has played football, there have been young men from Chicago performing in key roles for the Fighting Irish. From halfback Harry Jewett on the first team in 1887, through Knute Rockne himself, Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lattner, and walk-on Peter Schivarelli to All-Americans Chris Zorich and Tom Zbikowski, the Windy City has provided a steady stream of standouts. On the 1924 national championship team, it was "Seven Mule" Chuck Collins, a product of St. Ignatius High School, founded in 1869 as Chicago's first Jesuit school. The original St. Ignatius building, crafted in Second Empire style, is one of only five existing Chicago structures to predate the Great Fire of 1871. Collins was not the biggest name on the 1921 St. Ignatius team — that would be fullback Bill Cerney, who was com- mitted early to taking his talents to Notre Dame. Collins' future wasn't as clear. His father, James, was a successful businessman who believed college was a waste of time and money; you graduated high school and went to work. Finally, the elder Collins was convinced to let Chuck head to South Bend. Cerney, for his part, would also go on to play a vital role for the Irish, as fullback on the Shock Troops, who started every game of the season. He scored 3 touchdowns to finish sixth on the '24 team in scoring with 18 points. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Horseman." Before arriving at Notre Dame, Chuck Collins had already proved his mettle as a tough, resourceful, courageous fel- low. That reputation was cemented on a late February Sunday afternoon in 1918, when the 14-year-old Collins set off on an adventure with younger brother Ed, then 12, and two of their pals. The foursome took the streetcar line until it ended, then walked several blocks to reach the Forest Preserve that runs along the Des Plaines River. Their mission was to explore the woods, the swamps and the river itself, which ran swiftly underneath the winter ice. At one spot, though, the ice gave way and Ed Collins found himself in the freezing water, fighting for his life. "I called for help and then went down," Ed recalled years later. "The next time I came up, I saw my brother hurry across and leap into the ice-cold water after me. When I was going down for the second time, I felt his grasp around my stomach and the next moment I was on top of the ice by my brother's side." Aided by their two friends, the broth- ers made it safely to the nearby shoreline. And in a game for St. Ignatius, Chuck Collins had his right hand ripped open when a set of cleats landed on it. His index finger became infected and had to be amputated. At a time when Morde- cai "Three Finger" Brown was the star pitcher of his Chicago Cubs, Collins overcame a similar dis- ability to be a star athlete in football and basketball. As a Notre Dame soph- omore in 1922, Collins backed up team captain Glen Carberry at left end, before taking over as the regular in 1923. He was poised for a big season in 1924 and didn't disap- point. In the epic game with Army on Oct. 18, 1924, at the Polo Grounds in New York City, Notre Dame was protecting a 6-0 lead late in the first half when Army was driv- ing. But Collins broke through the Cadets' line and batted down a pass to thwart the drive. The Scholastic's Football Review praised Collins with these words: "Col- lins never once has failed in his duty on the left flank and deserves to be remem- bered with the great ends in football history. "He performs his work silently. He has mastered the fundamentals of his position and directs his every move- ment for the benefit of the team. He has faced good competition for the flank berth, but always he has been found de- pendable, ever aggressive and a man with a true fighting heart. He is as good on the offense as he is on the defense, receiving passes and forming interfer- ence for the ball carriers. With excep- Chicago's Contribution To 1924 Champs: Courageous Chuck Collins CELEBRATING THE 1924 CHAMPIONS Collins was called "ever aggressive and a man with a true fighting heart" as he patrolled left end for the 1924 national champions. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS