Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 FEBRUARY 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI T he distinction between what comprises a consensus All- American and a unanimous one is slight, yet still profound. Just ask 2017 Irish offensive linemen Quen- ton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey. A "consensus" All-American is one who makes first team on at least half of the NCAA-recognized outlets. A "unanimous" selection makes them all. The five such recognized outlets by the NCAA in college football are: • American Football Coaches As- sociation (AFCA) • Associated Press (AP) • Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) • Sporting News • Walter Camp Football Founda- tion (the oldest All-America team, dating back to its first season in 1889) Nelson received the nod from all five this year, while McGlinchey just missed the cut because Sporting News had him on the second team instead of the first like the other four outlets. McGlinchey joins other Notre Dame standouts who just missed, including two-time consensus All- American linebacker Bob Crable (1980-81), the school's all-time lead- ing tackler who this past December was formally enshrined into the Col- lege Football Hall of Fame. Or how about George Connor and Bill Fischer — who both won the Out- land Trophy in the 1940s and likewise are in the Hall. Neither of them was a unanimous All-American either. The same with Heisman Trophy winners Angelo Bertelli (1943), Paul Hornung (1956) and John Huarte (1964). They won the highest indi- vidual honor possible in the sport — yet did not make the unanimous list. Notre Dame is still the leader with most unanimous (30 different play- ers) and consensus (85) All-Ameri- cans, with Nelson adding to the for- mer and McGlinchey joining him in the latter. Especially notable is a full offense and defense can be assem- bled by Notre Dame's unanimous picks, with some backups as well. Here is the way to sort it by unit, keeping in mind that prior to 1964 players lined up on both offense and defense: Quarterback: 1946-47 John Lujack (Connellsville, Pa.) and 1954 Ralph Guglielmi (Columbus, Ohio) The oldest living Heisman winner and the lone player in college football history to start at QB for three national champs, Lujack would be our starter, and could also be a nickel back on defense. The late Guglielmi had a 26-3-1 career record as a starting QB on three teams that finished in the Associated Press top four, was a top-five pick in the NFL Draft and also intercepted 10 passes his last two seasons. Running Back: 1931 Marchy Schwartz (Bay St. Louis, Miss), 1949 Emil Sitko (Fort Wayne, Ind.), and 1966 Nick Eddy (Lafayette, Calif.) Schwartz had a better season in 1930 (927 yards) than 1931 (692), but that junior year carried over to the next vote. The fullback would be Sitko, the lone Irish player to finish as the team's top rusher four straight sea- sons (1946-49). The Irish were unbeaten in each of those campaigns with three consensus national titles, and Sitko was listed as the starting fullback the last two. Eddy finished with only 553 rushing yards, 15 catches and two kick returns for scores for the 1966 national champs, which goes to show that glittering stats weren't always everything. Wide Receivers: 1987 Tim Brown (Dallas), 1990 Raghib Ismail (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) and 2009 Golden Tate (Hendersonville, Tenn.) Tate and Brown are the only two members among the 30 who weren't part of an Irish team that finished in the top 10 or won at least 10 games, and Nelson in the Citrus Bowl attempted to avoid becoming the third in the former. Tate's 2009 Irish were only 6-6, while he won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver. Brown won the Heisman on a unit that finished 8-4. Ismail, who as a junior in 1990 won the Walter Camp Award and was the Heisman runner-up, also could be the return man. Tight End: 1949 Leon Hart (Turtle Creek, Pa.) and 1977 Ken MacAfee (Brockton, Mass.) This is quite a double tight end alignment to have when you can include a Heisman winner (Hart) and a Walter Camp Award recipient (MacAfee), who also was third in the Heisman balloting. Both were on national title teams. Offensive Line: 1932 Joe Kurth (Madison, Wis.), 1938 Ed Beinor (Harvey, Ill.), 1965 Dick Arrington (Erie, Pa.), 1980 John Scully (Huntington, N.Y.), 1993 Aaron Taylor (Concord, Calif.) and 2017 Quenton Nelson (Holmdel, N.J.) Scully, a virtuoso pianist who penned the "Here Comes The Irish" theme, is the center, with Nelson and Arrington — also a wrestling All-American who lined up on defense as well — the guards. At NOTRE DAME'S ALL-UNANIMOUS TEAM Quenton Nelson became the 29th Fighting Irish player to achieve the feat Senior left guard Quenton Nelson (56) and fifth- year senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey (68) both earned consensus All-America notice, and Nelson also was honored as a unanimous choice by the five main outlets recognized by the NCAA. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL