BY LOU SOMOGYI
T
he most hallowed athletic achieve‑
ment in Notre Dame lore is the four
consecutive unbeaten seasons by its
football team from 1946‑49 — mainly
because there were three consensus
national titles among them.
Including the season‑opening win in
1950, head coach Frank Leahy's Fight‑
ing Irish played 39 straight games
without knowing defeat. They did
have ties against Army in 1946 (0‑0)
and USC (14‑14) in 1948, so it wasn't
a "winning" streak but an unbeaten
one (37‑0‑2).
The actual longest winning streak
during that time was 21 from Nov. 16,
UNDER THE DOME
STANDARD STREAKS
The 2014 women's basketball team
set a benchmark with 37 straight wins
Notre Dame's 1949 national champs represented the fourth straight season without a defeat. Sitting on
the bench from left to right: co-captain/end Jim Martin, running back Larry Coutre, co-captain/end Leon
Hart and running back Emil Sitko. Sitting on the ground is quarterback Bob Williams.
PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS
