1918 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
| 1918 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Independent |
| Record | 3–1–2 |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | Single-wing |
| Base defense | 7–2–2 |
| Captain | Leonard Bahan |
| Home stadium | Cartier Field |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit Junior College | – | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | – | 1 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | – | 2 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Heidelberg | – | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lincoln (MO) | – | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Xavier | – | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | – | 3 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | – | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western State Normal | – | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Louis | – | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan Agricultural | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | – | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Mary's (OH) | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | – | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State Normal | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State Teachers | – | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wabash | – | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fairmount | – | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Haskell | – | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lake Forest | – | 0 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1918 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1918 college football season. In their first year under head coach Knute Rockne, the Irish compiled a 3–1–2 record and outscored opponents by a total of 133 to 39. In games against major opponents, the team defeated Purdue, lost to Michigan State, and tied with Great Lakes Navy and Nebraska.[1] The season was shortened from nine games to six due to the Spanish flu pandemic, with no games being played in October.[2]
Key players on the 1918 team included acting captain and right halfback Leonard Bahan, left halfback George Gipp, left guard Hunk Anderson, left end Bernard Kirk, and fullback Curly Lambeau.
The team played its home games at Cartier Field in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 28 | at Case |
| W 26–6 | [3][4] | |
| November 2 | at Wabash |
| W 66–7 | [5][6] | |
| November 9 | Great Lakes Navy | T 7–7 | [7][8] | ||
| November 16 | at Michigan Agricultural | L 7–13 | [9][10] | ||
| November 23 | at Purdue | W 26–6 | 7,000 | [11] | |
| November 28 | at Nebraska | T 0–0 | [12][13] |
Personnel
Players
The following 14 players received monograms for their participation on the 1918 Notre Dame football team:
- Eddie Anderson, right end
- Hunk Anderson, left guard
- Leonard Bahan, acting captain and right halfback
- Norman Barry, halfback
- Crowley, right tackle
- George Gipp, left halfback
- Bernard Kirk, left end
- Curly Lambeau, fullback
- Ojay Larson, center
- Abie Lockard, quarterback
- Bill Mohn, quarterback
- Owens, right guard
- Clipper Smith, guard
- Rolly Stine, left tackle
Coaching staff
- Head coach - Knute Rockne
References
- 1 2 "1918 Notre Dame Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ Fosmoe, Margaret (October 1, 2018). "A century ago this fall, Spanish flu struck South Bend area hard". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 27, 2018.("On Oct. 11, Dr. Emil G. Freyermuth, the South Bend city health officer, issued an order forbidding all public gatherings until further notice. All schools, theaters, clubs, churches and other religious institutions were closed. Public funerals, meetings, dances and other events were canceled. The University of Notre Dame football team — led by coach Knute Rockne and including star player George Gipp — canceled several football games that month.")
- ↑ Xen Scott (September 29, 1918). "Case Shws Strength But Notre Dame Finally Wins, 26-6: Hoosier Eleven Too Strong When Last Year's Men Start". Cleveland Plain Dealer. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "ʍ: Cleveland Players Hold Opponents to Standstill in Opening Periods". The South Bend News-Times. September 29, 1918. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Irish Swamp Wabash With Scores". The Indianapolis Sunday Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. November 3, 1918. p. 3, part 4. Retrieved January 3, 2026 – via Newspapers.com
. - ↑ "Notre Dame Wallops Wabash 66-7: Little Giants Are Downed by Rockne's Squad". South Bend News-Times. November 3, 1918. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Driscoll and Gipp, Stars of Big Game Here". [South Bend News-Times]. [South Bend, Indiana]. November 10, 1918. p. 14. Retrieved November 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Sailors Battle to a Tie, 7 to 7, at Notre Dame: Great Lakes Crew Engages in Hard Fight and Is Unable to Win". The Chicago Tribune. November 10, 1918. p. 4 (part 2) – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "M.A.C. Victor in Last Home Battle: Aggies Defeat Notre Dame in Hard Fight Saturday, 13 to 7". The Lansing State Journal. November 18, 1918. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Notre Dame Defeated". The South Bend Tribune. November 18, 1918. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Gipp Proves Too Much for Scanlon's Purdue Team: Irish Have Easy Time Beating Boiler Makers". The Indianapolis Star. November 24, 1918. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Hold Notre Dame to Tie: Scoreless Turkey Day Clash on Nebraska Field". Nebraska State Journal. November 29, 1918. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "N.D. and Cornhuskers Play Scoreless Tie: Nebraska Only Played to Hold Vistors From Scoring". The South Bend Tribune. November 29, 1918. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "The Men of the Team" (PDF). The Notre Dame Scholastic. December 1918. pp. 152–155.
- ↑ John Dugan (December 7, 1918). "Notre Dame Announces Monogram Football Squad: Gold and Blue Weathers Hard Fought Program; Much Credit Due Rockne for Generalship During War Season". The South Bend News-Times. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.