Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FAN FORUM a more difficult place to play for our opponents. How about a Notre Dame logo in the end zone and/or on the 50-yard line? How about the Fighting Leprechaun or an inter-locking "ND" somewhere on the playing surface? I too was at the rain-soaked Stanford victory and was amazed how loud the crowd was during that overtime pe- riod, and the recently added piped-in music was good. But by the time USC and Oklahoma come into our place in 2013, I'd like the Trojans and Sooners to see some indica- tion on the field of who they're playing! Rick (Duck) Santry '76 Allendale, N.J. umn (Oct. 29, 2012) brought back some great memories about the 1952 and 1953 Oklahoma games. As a junior football manager in 1952, Your "Blessed Football Trinity" col- OKLAHOMA MEMORIES I was working the Oklahoma sideline with a supply of footballs after change of possession. The Oklahoma play- ers and coaches were very energized throughout the game, and clearly thought Billy Vessels would win the game for them. That all changed after Dan Shannon's tackle of Larry Grigg. The Irish opened the 1953 season in Norman, and the heat index on the field at game time had to be 115 de- grees. Coach Leahy brought out the team for the pregame warm-up in just Sophomore defensive end Stephon Tuitt celebrated with Irish fans that made the trek to Norman, Okla., after Notre Dame's 30-13 victory over the Sooners. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA pants and white T-shirts. There were several cases of heat exhaustion during the game, including Johnny Lattner, who left the game in the fourth quarter. The Irish went undefeated but were tied by Iowa in the infamous "Fainting Irish" game, which led to a change in the rules governing stoppage of play for injuries. The vote for national champions was held at the close of the regular season, and Maryland, which went undefeated and untied, edged out Notre Dame for the championship. Oklahoma then proceeded to defeat Maryland in the Orange Bowl, but that didn't change the vote — although an anonymous donor presented the Notre Dame team with his version of a cham- pionship ring. Dan Hammer Amelia Island, Fla. Want to stay up-to-date with all the Irish news? Like Us On Facebook: www.facebook.com/blueandgoldillustrated Follow Us On Twitter: www.twitter.com/BGInews