1937 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
| 1937 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Independent |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. T–9 |
| Record | 6–2–1 |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | Joe Zwers |
| Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | – | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | – | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul | – | 5 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wayne | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. T–9 Notre Dame | – | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit | – | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State Normal | – | 5 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western State Teachers | – | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan Tech | – | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | – | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | – | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Haskell | – | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1937 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1937 college football season. In their fourth season under head coach Elmer Layden, the Irish compiled a 6–2–1 record, outscored opponents by a low-scoring total of 77 to 49, and were ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll. They opened the season with a disappointing 1–1–1 record, after tying Illini and losing to Carnegie Tech; they thereafter won five of the final six games, including victories over No. 4 Minnesota, Army, and USC, and a loss to No. 3 Pittsburgh.[1]
End Chuck Sweeney, who returned a blocked punt for the game-winning touchdown against Northwestern, was a consensus first-team pick on the 1937 All-America college football team. Tackle Ed Beinor also received first-team All-America honors from the All-America Board and Newspaper Enterprise Association. Quarterback Andy Puplis and guard Joe Ruetz received third-team honors. End Joe Zwers was the team captain.
The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2 | Drake | W 21–0 | 41,000 | [2] | ||
| October 9 | at Illinois | T 0–0 | 42,253–45,000 | [3] | ||
| October 16 | at Carnegie Tech | Pittsburgh, PA | L 7–9 | 30,418–45,000 | [4] | |
| October 23 | Navy |
| W 9–7 | 45,000 | [5] | |
| October 30 | at No. 4 Minnesota | W 7–6 | 63,237–64,100 | [6] | ||
| November 6 | No. 3 Pittsburgh | No. 12 |
| L 6–21 | 54,309 | [7][8] |
| November 13 | vs. Army | No. 18 | W 7–0 | 76,359 | [9] | |
| November 20 | at Northwestern | No. 12 | W 7–0 | 42,573–45,000 | [10] | |
| November 27 | USC | No. 9 |
| W 13–6 | 28,920–40,000 | [11] |
Personnel
Players
- Ed Beinor, left tackle
- Joe Kuharich, right guard
- McCarty, center
- Jack McCarthy, left halfback
- Pat McCarthy
- Bunny McCormick, right halfback
- Chuck O'Reilly
- Reinor, left tackle
- Andy Puplis, quarterback
- Joe Ruetz, left guard
- Alec Shellogg, right tackle
- Ed Simonich, fullback
- Len Skoglund, left end
- Chuck Sweeney, right end
- Joe Thesing, fullback
- Mario Tonelli, fullback
- Joseph B. "Red" Zwers, right end and captain
Coaching staff
- Head coach: Elmer Layden
- Athletic director: Elmer Layden
- Line coach: Joe Boland
- Ends coach Joe Benda
References
- ↑ "1937 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
- ↑ Jack Ledden (October 3, 1937). "N.D. Defeats Drake, 21 to 0: 41,000 Watch Irish Win in Opening Game". The South Bend Tribune. pp. I-1, Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Wilfrid Smith (October 10, 1937). "Illinois Ties Notre Dame: Illini Hold Irish Scoreless; Miss Victory When Kicks Fail". Chicago Tribune. pp. 1–2 (part 2) – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Lester Biederman (October 17, 1937). "Tech Takes Thriller From Notre Dame, 9-7: Kopcsak's Field Goal Beats Irish". The Pittsburgh Press. pp. 1, 5 (sports).
- ↑ Jack Ledden (October 24, 1937). "Irish Rally to Nip Navy, 9-7: Last Quarter Safety Gives N.D. Victory; Fumbles Aid Both in Battle in Snow". THe South Bend Tribune. pp. 1 (main), 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Notre Dame Wins, 7 to 6, And Irish Take Over City: Record Crowd of 64,100 Sees Gophers Defeated". The Minneapolis Tribune. pp. 1, 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Jack Ledden (November 7, 1937). "Panthers Topple N.D., 21-6: Last Quarter Drive Downs Irish Eleven; 56,000 Jam Stadium to See Teams Battle". The South Bend Tribune. p. 1 (main), 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Harry Keck (November 7, 1937). "Panthers Turn On Power For Three Scores in Fourth Quarter". Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. p. Part 2-2. Retrieved August 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Jack Ledden (November 14, 1937). "N.D. Wins Over Army, 7-0: Cadets Make Five Stands at Goal Line; Touchdown Scored in First Six Minutes". The South Bend Tribune. pp. 1 (main), 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Notre Dame Whips N.U., 7-0: Sweeney Takes Blocked Punt for Touchdown; 2d Quarter Penalty Sets Up Score". Chicago Tribune. November 21, 1937. p. 1 (part 2).
- ↑ Jack Ledden (November 28, 1937). "Irish Conquer Trojans, 13-6: Tonelli Runs 70 Yards in Last Period; 40,000 Watch Late Score Win for Notre Dame". The South Bend Tribune. pp. 1 (main), 1 (sports) – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "1937 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2015.