The 1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1924 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Knute Rockne, the Fighting Irish compiled a perfect 10–0 record, defeated Stanford in the 1925 Rose Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 285 to 54. The team was led by the legendary backfield known as the "Four Horsemen" consisting of quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, halfbacks Don Miller and Jim Crowley, and fullback Elmer Layden.
Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 in the Dickinson System's contemporary final ratings in the system's first year of existence. In 1926 the team was retroactively awarded the Rissman Trophy for this ranking.
In later decades, Notre Dame was rated as 1924 national champion by the Berryman QPRS system, Billingsley Report, Boand System, College Football Researchers Association, Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, National Championship Foundation, Poling System, and Jeff Sagarin.
Three of the Four Horsemen, Stuhldreher, Crowley, and Layden, were consensus first-team picks on the 1924 All-America college football team. Other notable players included tackle Joe Bach and center Adam Walsh. The Four Horsemen, Walsh, and coach Rockne were all later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The 1925 Rose Bowl was Notre Dame's last bowl appearance until the 1969 season. The Fighting Irish played their home games at Cartier Field.
Schedule
Personnel Depth chart The following chart provides a visual depiction of Notre Dame's lineup during the 1924 season with games started at the position reflected in parentheses. The chart mimics a Notre Dame Box on offense.
LE Chuck Collins () Clem CroweLarry KeefeClarence Reilly–
LT LG C RG RT Joe Bach ()John Weibel () Adam Walsh () Noble Kizer () Edgar Miller () Joe Boland () Vince Harrington () Joe Harmon Herb Eggert John McManmonJohn McMullan Charles GlueckertRuss Arndt Joe Dienhart – – RE Ed Hunsinger () Wilbur EatonJoe MaxwellJoe RigaliJohn Wallace
QB Harry Stuhldreher ()Frank ReeseEddie Scharer Red Edwards
RHB Don Miller () Tom HeardenWard ConnellGerry MillerJoe Prelli
LHB Jim Crowley () Max HouserBernie CoughlinJohn RoachOswald Geniesse FB Elmer Layden ()Bernie LivergoodDick Hanousek Bill CerneyHarry O'Boyle
Line 17Joe BachTackle Chisholm, Minnesota 27Chuck Collins End Oak Park, Illinois 12 Ed Hunsinger End Chillicothe, Ohio 11 Noble Kizer Guard Plymouth, Indiana 14Edgar MillerTackle Canton, Ohio 4 Adam Walsh Center Hollywood, California Hollywood 6'0"190 3John WeibelGuard Erie, Pennsylvania
Backfield
18Jim Crowleyhalfback Green Bay, WisconsinEast5' 11"1605Elmer Laydenfullback Davenport, Iowa Davenport5' 11"16216Don Millerhalfback Defiance, OhioDefiance 5' 11"16032Harry Stuhldreher quarterback Massillon, OhioWashington 5' 7"151
Subs
36Russ ArndtCenter Mishawaka, Indiana 62Joe Boland Tackle Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 23Bill CerneyFullback Chicago, Illinois 9Doc ConnellHalfback Beloit, Wisconsin 43Bernie CoughlinHalfback Waseca, Minnesota Clem CroweEnd Lafayette, Indiana 38Joe DienhartGuard Lafayette, Indiana 25Red EdwardsQuarterback Weston, West Virginia 67Herb EggertGuard Chicago, Illinois 21 Wilbur EatonEnd Omaha, Nebraska 49Oswald GeniesseHalfback Green Bay, Wisconsin 67Charles GlueckertGuard South Bend, Indiana 6 Vincent F. Harrington Guard Sioux City, Iowa 2Dick HanousekFullback Antigo, Wisconsin 20Joe HarmonCenter Indianapolis, Indiana 19 Tom HeardenHalfback Green Bay, Wisconsin 47 Max Houser Halfback Mount Vernon, Washington 1Larry KeefeEnd Cortland, New York 30Bernie LivergoodFullback Stonington, Illinois 8Joe MaxwellEnd Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 7John McManmonTackle Lowell, Massachusetts 51John McMullanTackle Chicago, Illinois 65Gerry MillerHalfback Defiance, Ohio 24Harry O'BoyleFullback Des Moines, Iowa 22 Joe PrelliHalfback Brentwood, California 31Frank ReeseQuarterback Robinson, Illinois 44 Clarence ReillyEnd South Bend, Indiana 57Joe RigaliEnd Oak Park, Illinois John RoachHalfback Appleton, Wisconsin 33Eddie ScharerQuarterback Toledo, Ohio 46John WallaceEnd Calumet City, Illinois
Coaching staff Head coach: Knute Rockne Assistant coaches: Tom Lieb, Hunk Anderson (line coach) Freshman coach: George Keogan Assistant freshman coach: George Vergara Student manager: Leo Sutliffe
References