Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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pick in the NFL Draft. After playing in 1951-52, he inter- rupted his pro career by serving as a pilot in the Korean War, although he did return to fulfill his three-year con- tract with the Chicago Bears in 1955. "Pro football was a lot different then," he said. "People worked in the offseason to supplement their salaries. I had a chance to continue playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I was having a family at that time, and it wasn't fair to go back and forth while my wife was raising the kids by her- self." In 1952, he married his high school sweetheart Anita Galvin, who passed away in 1998. They settled back near his Baltimore hometown to raise six children. At age 34 in 1964, he became the president of Harbor Savings and Loan in Towson, and it was a position he held until age 70 in 2000, when he decided to retire after getting merged into a larger bank. He also founded the Arundel Woods Construction Company in 1960, which he dissolved in 1996. The Notre Dame quarterback with the common name immortalized it with his work on and off it. ✦ 1949: No Passing Fancy Year After winning his fourth national title at Notre Dame during the 1949 season, head coach Frank Leahy specifically lauded the work of 19-year-old quarterback Bob Williams. "This was as great a year as any Notre Dame quarterback has ever had," Leahy said at the time. Indeed, for the next 60 years, Williams' pass efficiency standard of 161.37 would last. The formula to reach the number is multiply- ing the yards per attempt by 8.4, adding the pass completion percentage, adding the touch- down percentage that is multiplied by 3.3, and subtracting the interception percentage that is multiplied by two. Williams completed 83 of his 147 attempts (56.5 percent) for a school-record 1,347 yards — which held for 15 years before getting shat- tered by 1964 Heisman winner John Huarte — 16 touchdowns (no one else had more over 10 games until Brady Quinn in 2005) and seven interceptions. With a minimum of 50 completions in a sea- son, here are the top five single-season pass efficiency totals in Notre Dame history: QB (Year) Rating 1. Jimmy Clausen (2009) 161.42 During a 6-6 season, Clausen completed 289 of 425 passes (68.0 percent) for 3,722 yards with 28 touchdowns and four interceptions. 2. Bob Williams (1949) 161.37 3. Brady Quinn (2005) 158.4 As a junior for the 9-3 Irish, Quinn connected on 292 of 450 throws (64.9 percent) for 3,919 yards with 32 touchdowns and seven intercep- tions. 4. John Huarte (1964) 155.1 Heisman winner led a 9-1 year while complet- ing 114 of 205 passes (55.6 percent) for 2,062 yards with 16 scores and 11 interceptions. 5. Rick Mirer (1991) 150.5 Including the bowl win over Florida, which Notre Dame doesn't, Mirer was 146-of-253 pass- ing (57.7 percent) for 2,271 yards with 20 touch- downs and 11 interceptions. Note: DeShone Kizer had a 150.0 rating as a sophomore last year.