Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME JIM MUTSCHELLER: 1930-2015 Former Notre Dame captain and NFL Pro Bowl player Jim Mutscheller died April 10 in Towson, Md., from kidney failure. He was 85. The Beaver Falls, Pa., native, featured in the June/July 2012 edition of Blue & Gold Illustrated, enrolled at Notre Dame in 1948 and backed up College Football Hall of Fame ends Leon Hart and Jim Martin for the 1949 national champs. Mutscheller played mainly on defense that year and intercepted a pass in the 27‑20 victory versus SMU in the finale. With Hart and Martin both graduated, Mutscheller set school records in 1950 for receptions in a season (35), re‑ ceiving yards (426) and touchdown catches (seven). The first two stood for 12 years, while the TD total was broken by Jack Snow, who grabbed nine in 1964. Mutscheller was the lone team captain as a senior in 1951 and joined the Marines his first two years after graduating. When he tried out in 1954 for the Baltimore Colts, he was told he had "Army legs" — good for marching but not for running — and barely made the final cut on a team vote for the 33‑man roster. During his NFL career with the Colts from 1954‑61, the tight end became a top target for Johnny Unitas, and also was twice voted the franchise's top blocker. He and Mike Ditka were among the first great receiving tight ends in league history, with Mutscheller making the 1957 Pro Bowl and finishing his career with 220 receptions that averaged 16.7 yards per catch and included 40 touchdowns. His most memorable play was a crunching block against the New York Gi‑ ants in sudden death in the title game at a chilly Yankee Stadium on Dec. 28, 1958, that led to Alan Ameche's touchdown run in the 23‑17 Baltimore win. A national television audience of 45 million people watched the game, which sports historians have called a turning point in the history of the NFL. A year later, Mutscheller caught five passes in the NFL title game as the Colts again beat the Giants to repeat as champions. He also continued to work with the National Life Insurance of Company of Vermont until his death. "My first [NFL] contract in 1954 was for $5,000, and you couldn't live on that," he said on why he took the insurance position. "The organization told us, 'Stay in the town where you're playing in and work there because the name recognition will be important.'" Survivors include his wife of nearly 60 years, Joan, four sons and four grandchildren. MUTSCHELLER