1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

Schedule

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Rankings

Award winners

• Johnny Lujack – Heisman Trophy

Notre Dame leads all universities in players inducted.

The 1947 national championship dispute

While Notre Dame was voted national champion in the final official AP poll, Michigan went on to beat USC, 49–0, in the 1948 Rose Bowl, a greater margin that by which Notre Dame had beaten USC. Notre Dame and Michigan had traded the top spot in the polls through much of the season. Michigan took the #1 spot in the AP poll on November 16, 1947, and Notre Dame moved into the #1 spot on November 23, 1947, by a margin of 1,410 points to 1,289 points. This last regular season poll determined the recipient of the AP's national championship trophy.

Debate arose among some prominent sports writers, among them football writer Pete Rozelle" and Grantland Rice, the dean of the nation's sports writers. Rice lauded the Wolverines, saying, "It is the best all-around college football team I've seen this year..." Red Smith of the New York Herald Tribune said, "No other team that I have seen this season did things with so little effort. Crisler has so many that do so much."

Notre Dame supporters argued that the post-season AP poll was final and should not be revisited. They contended that Michigan had run up the score on USC, noted that Notre Dame had not had an opportunity to play in a bowl game, and asserted that Michigan and other Big Nine schools were unwilling to schedule Notre Dame in the regular season.

Detroit Free Press Sports Editor Lyall Smith argued the debate should be answered by comparing the two team's performance against common opponents. Smith noted: "They played three common foes. Notre Dame beat Pitt, 40–6, a margin of 34 points: Michigan beat Pitt 59–0. Notre Dame defeated Northwestern, 26 to 19, a margin of seven points: Michigan beat the 'Cats 49 to 21, for a 28-point advantage. Notre Dame dropped USC, 36 to 7, in what Coach Frank Leahy termed his team's 'greatest game of the year,' while Michigan slaughtered the same Trojans, 49 to 0. Against those three common opponents the Irish scored 104 points to 32. Michigan's margin was 167 to 21."

In response to the debate over which team truly deserved to be recognized as the nation's best, an unofficial post-bowl ballot was held, with the only two options being Michigan and Notre Dame. The AP reported on the rationale for the special poll this way: "The Associated Press is polling sports editors of its member papers throughout the country to help settle the argument as to which is the better football team -- Michigan or Notre Dame. The AP's final poll of the top ten teams, released Dec. 8 at the conclusion of the regulation season, resulted in Notre Dame winning first place with 1,410 points. Michigan was second with 1,289. . . . Returns so far received indicate that voting in this latest poll is likely to be the heaviest ever recorded." Another AP report indicated the special poll was "conducted by popular demand" to answer "the burning sports question of the day" and to do so "at the ballot box."

Michigan was voted No. 1 in the post-bowl poll by a vote of 226 to 119. The AP reported: "The nation's sports writers gave the final answer Tuesday to the raging controversy on the relative strength of the Notre Dame and Michigan football teams, and it was the Wolverines over the Irish by almost two to one—including those who saw both powerhouses perform... In the over-all total, 226 writers in 48 states and the District of Columbia picked Michigan, 119 balloted for Notre Dame, and 12 called it a draw. Opinion of the 54 writers who saw both in action last fall coincided at almost the same ratio, with 33 giving the nod to Michigan, 17 to Notre Dame, and four voting for a tie." The 357 votes cast in the post-bowl poll represented "the largest ever to take part in such an AP voting."

Commenting on the post-Rose Bowl poll, Michigan coach Fritz Crisler said "the men who voted couldn't have made a mistake if they had picked either team." He described Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy as a "superb coach." Notre Dame President, Father John Cavanagh said, "We at Notre Dame feel grateful for the magnanimous statement of Coach Crisler. I listened to Michigan against Southern California and have only praise for the skill and accomplishment of your fine team."

Despite the magnanimous statements of Coach Crisler and Father Cavanagh, the reversed decision in the post-Rose Bowl poll only stoked the debate over which team was best. Said one columnist: "Hottest argument of the moment is the one over which had the better football team, Michigan or Notre Dame. To settle it the Associated Press polled better than 350 sports writers in 48 states . . . with a two to one nod for the Wolverines."

Forty years later, the debate was still ongoing. In 1988, Michigan All-American Dan Dworsky noted: "Notre Dame still claims that national championship and so do we." The AP lists Notre Dame as the official AP title winner.

References

References

1. "2007 Notre Dame Media Guide: History and Records (pages 131-175)". und.cstv.com.
2. "Past Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I FBS) National Champions (formerly called Division I-A)". ncaa.org.
3. "NCAA History". ncaa.org.
4. (1999-06-03). "SI's Top 20 Dynasties of the 20th Century". Sports Illustrated.
5. "College Football's 12 Greatest Dynasties". Sports Illustrated.
6. Chester L. Smith. (October 5, 1947). "Notre Dame Shows Great Power Overwhelming Panthers, 40 to 6". The Pittsburgh Press.
7. Jim Costin. (October 12, 1947). "N.D. Tops Purdue: Lujack's Arm Propels Irish To 22-7 Edge". The South Bend Tribune.
8. Jim Costin. (October 19, 1947). "Notre Dame Whips Nebraska Eleven, 31-0". The South Bend Tribune.
9. Jim Costin. (October 26, 1947). "Irish Win: N.D. Performs Brilliantly To Whip Iowa, 21-0". The South Bend Tribune.
10. Edward Burns. (November 2, 1947). "Notre Dame Sinks Navy: Lujack Passes Notre Dame To 27 To 0 Victory Against Navy". Chicago Tribune.
11. Jim Costin. (November 9, 1947). "59,171 See Irish Whip Army". The South Bend Tribune.
12. Wilfrid Smith. (November 16, 1947). "Notre Dame, 26, Northwestern, 19: Irish Score 3 Touchdowns with Passes". Chicago Tribune.
13. (November 23, 1947). "Notre Dame easily beats back Wave". The Miami News.
14. (December 7, 1947). "Notre Dame routs Southern California, 38-7". Pittsburgh Press.
15. (December 7, 1947). "Notre Dame avalanche snows under Trojans, 38 to 7, on long runs". Spokesman-Review.
16. Braven Dyer. (December 7, 1947). "'Greatest Notre Dame Team' Ruins SC". Los Angeles Times.
17. "Heisman Voting". und.cstv.com.
18. "Hall of Fame: Select group by school". Football Foundation.
19. Chandler, John. (1948-01-07). "Writers Rate Irish Second to Wolverines". The Kingsport (Tenn.) News.
20. Chandler, John. (1948-01-07). "Scribes of Nation PIck Michigan: A.P.'s Poll Favors Wolverines; Final Vote Stands at 226-119". The Salt Lake Tribune.
21. Rozelle, Pete. (1948-01-02). "Scribes Warble Praises of Mighty Big Nine Kings". Long Beach Press-Telegram.
22. Smith, Lyall. (1948-01-04). "Michigan or Notre Dame? Hot Argument Still Raging Throughout U.S.". Florence (S.C.) Morning News.
23. (1948-01-03). "AP to Conduct Special Poll". Ironwood Daily Globe.
24. (1948-01-07). "Michigan Winner Nearly 2-1 Over Irish in AP Poll". Albuquerque Journal.
25. Grimsley, Will. (1948-01-06). "Michigan the Uncrowned National Grid Champion: Wolves Win 2-1 In Special Poll; 119 Ballots Cast for Irish, 226 for Mich.". Ironwood Daily Globe.
26. John Chandler. (January 7, 1948). "Scribes of Nation PIck Michigan: A.P.'s Poll Favors Wolverines; Final Vote Stands at 226-119". The Salt Lake Tribune.
27. (January 7, 1948). "With Men Who Know Football Best: It's Michigan 2 to 1 Over Notre Dame". The Amarillo Daily News.
28. Liska, Jerry. (1948-01-07). "Leahy Praises Wolverines After Voting". The Kingsport (Tenn.) News.
29. Warden, Al. (1948-01-11). "Patrolling the Sport Highway with Al Warden". The Ogden Standard-Examiner.
30. Florence, Mal. (1988-12-27). "''The Magicians: Split Personality in 1947 Helped Michigan Drive Everyone Crazy''". [[Los Angeles Times]].
31. "College football championship history {{!}} NCAA.com".