Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2018 17 UNDER THE DOME 75 Years Ago: July 1, 1943 With World War II raging overseas, Notre Dame welcomes 1,851 active-duty Navy train- ees — the largest such group in the coun- try — to the campus in its V-12 program. By comparison, Notre Dame's civilian student enrollment is merely 700. In need of better cash flow as a private college, Notre Dame president Rev. Hugh O'Donnell C.S.C., offered its facilities to the armed forces as a training ground for students who also were majoring in the school's courses. The Army did not respond, but the Navy did. In September 1941, it established the Naval Re- serve Officers Training Corps, and approximately 150 Notre Dame students per year enrolled. In early 1942, Notre Dame turned over four of its resident halls on the South Quad — Badin, Howard, Lyons and Morrissey — to the Navy for its V-7 program, which also was known as the Midshipmen's School. By 1943, the Navy needed more men to serve and it again teamed with Notre Dame to form the V-12 program. "We were out of business during World War II," noted 1952-87 Notre Dame president Rev. Theodore Hesburgh C.S.C., in a 1992 interview with The South Bend Tribune. "Navy came in and kept us afloat until the war was over." The V-12 helped play a monumental role toward Notre Dame's 1943 run to the national title because most of the undergraduate football players could remain in school to partake in the program before serving in World War II. Its presence on the Notre Dame campus brought in other prospects from schools without V-12 programs. The 1943 Irish team included 14 Navy apprentice seamen, most notably sophomore quarterback John Lujack, who would win the 1947 Heisman Trophy. There were 12 transfers who were part of the Marine branch of the V-12. Among them was starting right halfback Julius Rykovich, who after the War would transfer and star at the University of Illinois before going on to an eight-year NFL career. Notre Dame also had 17 Marine privates, among them future College Football Hall of Fame inductees Ziggy Czarobski at right tackle, All-American right end John Yonakor, starting left guard Pat Filley and 1943 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Angelo Bertelli. 25 Years Ago: June 28, 1988 David Rivers becomes Notre Dame head coach Digger Phelps' ninth first-round NBA Draft pick when his name is called for the final selection (25th overall) of that first round, by the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to his junior year at Notre Dame, Rivers almost lost his life when a van accident nearly caused him to bleed to death. "I got a second chance," Rivers said humbly of his status. "God could have taken my life in the ac- cident. I'm just happy to get a chance to do what I can." He becomes the fifth guard in school history to be selected in the first round, joining Austin Carr (1971), Gary Brokaw (1974), Bill Hanzlik (1980) and John Paxson (1983). Since Rivers' selection, no other Notre Dame guard has been chosen in the first round. 10 Years Ago: July 18, 2008 Jack Swarbrick, a 1976 Notre Dame graduate who received his law degree from Stanford in 1980, is introduced as the new Fighting Irish director of athletics. A practicing attorney at the Baker & Daniels law firm in Indianapolis, where his work centered on profes- sional and intercollegiate athletics, Swarbrick was the point man who helped Indianapolis earn the bid to host the 2012 Super Bowl, become national headquarters for the NCAA, and host events such as the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and the Big Ten Conference Tournament. He became a finalist for several high-profile positions in college athletics, including president of the NCAA and commissioner of the Big 12. Swarbrick projected a "convergence of forces," in the coming years, including conference television networks and shifting alliances within leagues. "There's much about this industry you won't recognize in 10 years," he predicted. — Lou Somogyi Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: June/July NOTRE DAME Mickey Mouse *Please add sales tax if shipping to: IN (7%), MI (6%), and NC (7.5%) BLUE AND GOLD ILLUSTRATED PO BOX 2331 • DURHAM, NC 27702 800-421-7751 www.BlueGoldOnline.com (Item #6135) Mickey Mouse Banner $24.95 + $4 S&H Size: 28"x40" • 2.5" pole sleeve (Display pole not included) (Item #6136) Mickey Mouse Banner $14.95 + $2 S&H Size: 12.5"x18" • Single-sided (Display pole not included) NEW! In 1943, Notre Dame welcomed 1,851 active-duty Navy trainees to the campus for its V-12 program (a training program that was designed to supplement commissioned officers during World War II). PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH DIGITAL MEDIA