Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541184
IRISH ECHOES JIM LEFEBVRE 50 NOV. 15, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED W hen Elmer Layden resigned as Notre Dame head football coach in February 1941 to become the first full-time commissioner of the Na- tional Football League, there was no lack of qualified candidates to replace him among the many former Irish stars who had established themselves with sustained success in the college football coaching ranks. Former fellow Four Horseman Jim Crowley had led Fordham to a record of 48-12-7, a Cotton Bowl appearance and five straight top-20 finishes in eight seasons. Gus Dorais had amassed a mark of 101-42-7 in 16 seasons at the Univer- sity of Detroit. Frank Thomas had led Alabama to two Rose Bowls, three top-15 finishes and a record of 76-13-5 in 10 seasons in Tuscaloosa. And Harry Stuhldreher had achieved a mark of 65-25-9 in 11 seasons at Villanova and was now five years into rebuilding the Wisconsin program. Then there was Buck Shaw, one of Knute Rockne's favorites. Shaw came to Notre Dame primarily drawn by track and field, where he was coached by Rockne. Eventually, he turned to foot- ball, becoming one of Rockne's early stars. As a coach, he had one unremark- able year at North Carolina State, then four more at Nevada. Shaw spent six seasons as line coach at Santa Clara, then took over as the Broncos' head coach and promptly led them to two Sugar Bowl victories, and a mark of 34-5-4 through 1940. He was widely respected in the field and ex- pected to advance to a more visible job. Also on the West Coast, James Phelan had just led Washington to a No. 10 fin- ish. Coupled with earlier stops at Mis- souri and Purdue, he had amassed more than 100 victories. Joe Boland, the Irish line coach the past seven years under Layden, was considered the "in-house" candidate. And the popular Arthur "Dutch" Berg- man, who had led Catholic University to a decade of success, including an Or- ange Bowl victory in 1935, was consid- ered "the people's choice." Former Irish lineman Frank Leahy, meanwhile, had served mostly as an assistant, including six seasons un- der Crowley at Fordham. He had just two years of head coaching experience, leading Boston College to 9-2 and 11-0 seasons, the latter including a victory in the Sugar Bowl. Yet, amidst all the candidates, it was Leahy who became the choice to lead Notre Dame. I n t h e exce l l e n t n ew b i og ra p hy "American Coach: The Triumph and Tragedy of Notre Dame Legend Frank Leahy," renowned sportswriter Ivan Maisel explains how it happened. "Father J. Hugh O'Donnell, who had been university president for just a mat- ter of months, put the coaching search in the hands of Leahy's friend, Father John Cavanaugh, the university's vice president." Cavanaugh had written congratula- tory letters to Leahy before and after BC's 19-13 Sugar Bowl victory over Ten- nessee. He also made a trip to California to meet with Shaw, who had emerged as the other top candidate. But Buck "bowed out of consideration, his wife publicly proclaiming her preference to camp out in Northern California rather than become the First Lady of Northern Indiana. Leahy had become the guy." There was one complication — the contract Leahy had recently signed to stay at BC. Cavanaugh, writes Maisel, "knew the optics of Notre Dame poach- ing a newly signed coach from another Catholic college would embarrass the university. Not that he allowed the risk of embarrassment to stop him from ac- tually going through with it." It would take a specially written re- lease from Boston College to allow Leahy to take the job. And he did so with mixed feelings. "I deeply regret leaving Boston Col- lege," he told assembled reporters. "But I consider it my duty to return to Notre Dame. Every Notre Dame man would welcome the chance to go back as head coach, for it is the greatest honor that can come to any of us." So it was that a decade after graduat- ing from Notre Dame, Leahy returned to lead the Fighting Irish. As an assistant to Crowley at Ford- ham, Leahy had coached the line that earned the nickname "The Seven Blocks of Granite" and included future Col- lege and Pro Football Hall of Famer Alex Wojciechowicz and another fellow who made a name for himself in football — Vince Lombardi. Leahy, like Rockne before him, had Frank Leahy Had Little Head Coaching Experience, But Proved The Right Man For The Job Leahy is the subject of a new biography, "American Coach: The Triumph and Tragedy of Notre Dame Legend Frank Leahy," by sportswriter Ivan Maisel. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS