Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2025 59 ferried by auto to the Roosevelt Ho- tel, where they were mobbed by well- w i s h e rs i n t h e l o b by. A " ca r n iva l crowd" pushed as they tried to get near the players; Stuhldreher had a large group offering congratulations. In the banquet hall, the players devoured a turkey dinner amid some short wel- coming speeches. Monday morning, they arose for 8:30 Mass at Sacred Heart Church. After a breakfast at the Roosevelt, the team was taken on a boat ride through the New Orleans harbor aboard the Ma- rie, the yacht of B.S. D'Antoni, president of the Loyola Athletic Council. After that, it was a luncheon at Holy Cross hosted by President Brother Matthew. By mid-afternoon, the Irish were on the field at Loyola University's stadium, where some 500 fans gathered to watch the team go through its paces. Though it wasn't a full scrimmage, fans were able to see the first unit mostly on defense, practicing against the anticipated Stan- ford plays. After practice, it was back to the Roosevelt for a performance by a group of Loyola students, then a huge banquet put on by Notre Dame and Holy Cross alumni. After Mass and breakfast Tuesday morning, the team returned to Loyola for another brief workout, consisting of passing and kicking, a signal practice and dummy scrimmage. Before departing for Houston on the Sunset Limited just af- ter noon, Rockne thanked New Orleans for its gracious reception, but added that once in Houston, the social calen- dar would be cleared out and the players would get down to work in preparation for the big game. He also changed the team's itinerary, skipping the stopover at El Paso to arrive sooner in Tucson. There, Rockne felt the team could estab- lish a base of operation more conducive to working up to game readiness. Unusual weather continued to pre- cede the team's travels, as Houston was under a mantle of ice from a storm that dropped temperatures to 22 degrees, the city's lowest reading in years. Local trains and telegraph services were out, leaving Houston "cut off from the rest of the world," according to one report. The idea of acclimating the team to warm southern weather was not work- ing out. But the traveling party pressed on, rolling over Southern Pacific lines on the Sunset Limited and pulling into Houston late Tuesday night. They were greeted by the local Knights of Colum- bus and taken to the Bender Hotel. A noon banquet on Wednesday, Dec. 24, honored the team, after which a prac- tice at the Rice Institute field elicited more pessimism from Rockne. The team looked soft and slow, he told reporters, due to too many rich meals at banquets and not enough physical exertion. On Christmas Eve, Father O'Hara tried to lighten the mood by playing Santa Claus for the fellows, giving them each a token of the school's admiration of them. The team attended midnight Mass at Sacred Heart Church. For most of the players, it was the first Christmas away from home. To be continued … ✦ For more informa on, please visit: www.RockneSociety.org Throughout 2024, the Knute Rockne Memorial Society will remember and celebrate the centennial of the 1924 Notre Dame na onal champions, featuring Coach Rockne, The Four Horsemen and The Seven Mules. Watch for updates! Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com