Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? There was another unique aspect to the NFL when Mutscheller played: A second job was a necessity. "My first contract in 1954 was for $5,000, and you couldn't live on that," Mutscheller said. "The organization told us, 'Stay in the town where you're play- ing in and work there because the name recognition will be important.' " Mutscheller took a job with the Na- AN INSURANCE POLICY tional Life Insurance Company of Ver- mont — "solid as the granite hills of Vermont," he said of the company motto — and is in his 56th year with the orga- nization, still going to the office every day. Dame nor the NFL has been blessed with better quarter- backs than the two he had during championship runs. Although he played mainly defense as a sophomore in To this day, Jim Mutscheller believes that neither Notre Standards At QB The Gold 1949, Mutscheller was in awe of Bob Williams' production and leadership during the 10-0 national title run that year which got the QB inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988. "Bobby Williams in 1949 had the greatest season I've ever He found that playing football had its perks because clients "didn't always want to talk insurance, but they sure wanted to talk football. "Sometimes it was difficult, though, because you can't get them off the foot- ball." Mutscheller has also been married 56 years to the former Joan "Pert" Ederer, and their union produced four sons — James, Michael, John and Stephen — and four grandchildren so far. Mutscheller and Williams used to make yearly treks back to their alma matter, but distance and age have slowed them some in recent years, al- though the powerful memories remain. "It was a lot of really good guys, and hopefully I benefited from it as far as ed- ucation, religion and all the parts you're supposed to enjoy," Mutscheller said. ✦ seen a college quarterback have," Mutscheller said. "He was in control of the game and made the whole thing work. That was the most impressive thing in my time at Notre Dame that I ever saw." Williams' 161.37 quarterback rating in 1949 stood as the single-season record at Notre Dame for 60 years, until 22-year-old Jimmy Clausen nudged past him with a 161.42 rating in 2009 while throwing 28 touchdown passes and only four interceptions. "When he did that, he was only 19," Mutscheller said of Williams, who also resides in the Baltimore area, allowing them to keep a close friendship. Then from 1954-61, Mutscheller played with what he still describes as "the quarterback of all quarterbacks," Johnny Unitas. It wasn't about numbers either with Unitas, although he still holds the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (47) that he set from 1956-60. "Just a tremendously tough-minded guy who could fully concentrate and not get rattled," Mutscheller said. According to Mutscheller, what set apart Unitas was his ability to call his own game in an era before rules changes allowed for more advantages on offense the past 30 years. "So many things have happened with quarterbacks since John played, with coaching and everything else," Mutscheller said. "There are so many coaches running around these days, they have more coaches than players. "You obviously have to be able to play, but there are so many things that the quarterbacks that play today have that weren't around then. There's a big difference between when John played and in today's coaching and training." JUNE/JULY 2012 112 — Lou Somogyi