Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/75050
Former Irish captain recalls a whole different era of football BY LOU SOMOGYI is read, it usually begins with Dave Casper (see page 8). W Jim Mutscheller, 1949-51 End WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? hen the long roll call of All-American or first-round Notre Dame tight ends officially demarcated as its own separate position at Notre Dame until 1967. Until then, they were just categorized as "left ends" or "right ends." Yet 1951 Notre Dame captain, second- team United Press All-American and fu- ture Pro Bowl performer Jim Mutscheller is recognized as one of football's original pass-catching threats at tight end, along with Mike Ditka of the Chicago Bears. The tight end became defined by whether the formation would be aligned "strong right" or "strong left," with one of the ends aligned next to the tackle. At Notre Dame, Mutscheller finished his That's because tight end wasn't really Mutscheller finished his career as Notre Dame's all-time receptions leader with 57. PHOTO COURTESY MUTSCHELLER FAMILY first two NFL titles in 1958 and 1959. His 220 career receptions over eight seasons averaged a robust 16.7 yards. A three-sport star at Beaver Falls (Pa.) High, Mutscheller was headed to nearby Duquesne University — where former Irish Four Horseman Elmer Layden ex- celled as a head coach from 1927-33 before taking the Notre Dame job — until the news came that the athletic department was dropping football. career as the school's all-time receptions leader with 57, eclipsing 1949 Heisman Trophy winner and former teammate Leon Hart's 49. Then, after a two-year stint with the United States Marines, Mutscheller saw his football fame ascend while earning NFL Pro Bowl honors for the Baltimore Colts in 1957 and helping the Colts capture their That also was an era in which Notre Dame was at its zenith following back-to- back national titles in 1946-47, only to have football scholarships cut back from approx- imately 32 to 18. Mutscheller was one of the fortunate ones to get awarded a grant- in-aid by Notre Dame after Duquesne's football cancellation, and he immediately accepted. JUNE/JULY 2012 109