User:Murphanian777/Interhall football: Formative Years (1903-1921)

This is the second era of interhall football at the University of Notre Dame. It begins in 1903 with the first known season schedule and the first true round-robin tournament and ends with the final season before the establishment of the interhall football championship. Alternate names include: Ancient History, the Prewar Years, and Classical Intiquity.

Other Eras

 * Original Page (1887-1952)


 * The Mythical Period (1890-1902)
 * Formative Years (1903-1921)
 * Rockne Romana (1922-1935)
 * The Leather Age Collapse (1936-1939)
 * The War (1940-1945)
 * The Napolitonic Years (1946-1961)
 * Mod Interhall (1962-1971)
 * Co-ed Era (1972-1990)
 * Era of Aaron (1991-

Other pages

 * List of Interhall football champions
 * List of Dillon Hall quarterbacks

Other teams

 * Preliminary football (1869-1891)
 * Varsity Reserves (1887-1980s)
 * Minim Department (1887-1929)
 * Junior Department (1888-1921)
 * Varsity Frosh (1913-1971)
 * Old-Timers game (1929-1967)
 * Blue-Gold game (1968-present)

Interhall season
The first known interhall schedule was published in the sixth edition of the 1903 Scholastic after a meeting of the managers of Brownson, Corby, Sorin, and St. Joseph halls. Each team was scheduled to play two games against their other interhall opponents. It was also agreed that Varsity members that weren't expected to earn a monogram could play on their respective hall teams, heightening the level of experience and competition between the squads.

Brownson Hall
This year's Brownson interhall team elected their captain, W. Heiney Opfergelt, in late September. After Ogfergelt resigned from the team, Mr. Conway was elected to replace him as captain. Henry McGlew also began to help coach the hall team, with the expectation that they would claim the 1903 interhall championship.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
At the beginning of the season, an article in the Scholastic reported that half a dozen Carroll hall teams were active for the 1903 season.

Carroll Ex-Minims
The Ex-Minims of Carroll hall, founded in 1896, played multiple contests during the 1903 season.

Carroll Trojans
The Trojans of Carroll hall returned in 1903 under coach Henry J. McGlew (two years before he became head coach of the Varsity team).

Corby Hall
At a meeting on September 25, the Corbyites elected J. Patterson to captain of the football team.

Sorin Hall
Sorin was the last residence hall to organize a football team for the 1903 season. Around October 3 they elected Harry Hogan to captain. By the end of October, the Sorinites had acquired a mascot in the form of a large black crow named Bert that they had bagged in the woods behind Cartier Field.

St. Joseph Hall
The St. Joseph hall team was reorganized on September 14, with Mr. J. W. Sheehan acting as a temporary captain and Mr. T. Toner as coach. On October 3 J. P. O'Shea was given the permanent captaincy at a meeting to elect the officers for the St. Joseph first team, also known as the Specials.

Ex-Juniors
The Ex-Juniors team, which had been in existence since at least 1901, was either a freshman collegiate team or a senior Notre Dame preparatory school squad.

Sophomore
A sophomore class team (possibly known as the English and Classic) was formed for the 1903 season at a meeting in October. The team was coached, captained, and managed by Tommy Hammer.

Interhall season
The 1904 interhall season began with only Corby, Sorin, and St. Joseph, Brownson having decided not to field a team for the season. Corby were declared interhall champion after defeating Sorin hall in the only regular season interhall contest. It's possible that other interhall games were played and simply not recorded, as was common during this era.

Brownson Hall
Although they had elected a manager and captain, a Brownson hall team was never organized.

Ex-Juniors
The Ex-Juniors, likely the same as the Ex-Carrollites of prior years, was the only known team to represent Brownson hall for the 1904 season.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
In their contest against Benton Harbor around the week before November 5, the Carrollites were tied with the high school/college school a touchdown and goal a piece, but Benton Harbor decided to forfeit the contest to catch the early train home. The team that played for Carroll hall was composed of the best players from Brother Vital and Captain Heyl's picked teams.

Ex-Minims
The Ex-Minims were coached by Henry J. McGlew, and were seen as one of the best "little teams" at Notre Dame since the infamous Carroll Preps of 1899.

Brother Vital's "Wonders"
This Carroll hall team was composed of smaller juniors in Carroll hall, sponsored and picked by Brother Vital of the University.

Corby Hall
The Corbyites were the first to organize for the 1904 season and were seen as the frontrunners for the interhall football champion. They elected L. E. Wagner to captain. An article in the Scholastic from 1906 claims that Corby hall was the 1904 interhall football champions, as the contest against Sorin was seen as a championship game. An article in the South Bend Tribune from 1905 also claims that the game was played for the "championship of Notre Dame", and that Mr. Emerson was the team's coach or manager.

Sorin Hall
The Sorinites were the last to organize for the 1904 season. They elected Dan O'Connor as their new captain.

Interhall season
In the 1905 interhall season, the Ex-Juniors may have been considered a second representative team of Brownson hall. There was never any discussion over an interhall champion during the interhall season, but in 1906 an article from the Scholastic claims that Brownson hall won the championship of 1905. This assertion is not clear as the writer does not specify which Brownson team they were referring to. The team by the identity of Brownson hall compiled (at least) a 0–1 record, while the Ex-Juniors compiled a 2–2 record. Among the recorded games, it seems that St. Joseph Hall also has a fair claim to the championship because of their victory over the Ex-Juniors. An important article from the South Bend Tribune permitting teams to play off-campus games mentions "freshmen teams" in Brownson Hall, implying that there are more than one and that they are most likely represented by the Ex-Juniors in interhall matches. The Ex-Juniors still wouldn't be considered under the traditional rules of interhall match play because they only represent the freshmen of Brownson and not the hall as a whole.

Brownson Hall
On November 11 the representative team of Brownson hall played against Columbia A. A. of nearby South Bend, supposedly for the second time this season. An article from the year after the 1905 season claimed that Brownson Hall was the 1905 interhall football champion. However, this claim is not backed by any sufficient evidence to point to Brownson as the undisputed No. 1 team on campus. The Ex-Juniors were captained by Mr. Roan, and managed by Mr. Williams.

Brother Vital's team
For this season it is unclear whether or not Brother Vital was sponsoring the first team of Carroll Hall or if he fielded a picked team of his choice. The team was captained by Mr. Hilton.

Corby Hall
The Corbyites were captained by Leroy Keach, who arrived shortly after the game with the Ex-Juniors. After a farmhouse near the University was razed, the new land was given to Corby Hall to serve as a permanent campus. This gave the Corby football and baseball teams ample room to practice. Corby was coached by fullback Downs of the varsity team before their game with Elkhart. On September 25 the Corbyites elected William G. Emerson as manager. As of October 7th, they were managed by Ambrose O'Connell, a correspondent to the South Bend Tribune. He would go on to pick the 1905 all-interhall team.

The South Bend Tribune
The first known All-Interhall football team was selected by correspondent of the South Bend Tribune at Notre Dame, Ambrose O'Connell, with help from the faculty board of athletic control. It remains the only known instance of a publication not run by the student body selecting an interhall team. The selections also allude that the Ex-Carroll/Ex-Junior team and the Brownson Hall team were different entities in 1905, rather than synonymous like other evidence suggests.

Interhall season
Brownson, Corby, and St. Joseph competed together during the 1906 interhall season. In their first game, St. Joseph defeated Corby 6–0, but used Varsity players in the contest. Because of this the game was declared off and a rematch was scheduled for November 3 at Cartier Field. The two halls tied 0–0, and so the championship was claimed by both teams.

Brownson Hall
The Brownsonites were captained by Mr. Burdick.

Corby Hall
Corby hall tied St. Joseph for the title of 1906 interhall football champions. They were captained by Mr. Kelly.

St. Joseph Hall
St. Joseph hall tied Corby for the title of 1906 interhall football champions. They were captained by Mr. Duffy.

Tigers
The Tigers were the second team of St. Joseph hall.

1907
The 1907 non-varsity football season saw a rejuvenation of many hall teams throughout the University.

Brownson Hall
Brownson hall was the 1907 interhall football champion according to an article in the Scholastic's Football Review.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
A Carroll hall football team was coached by professor Joseph T. Lantry in 1907. They were captained by Mr. McLain, who scheduled many games against local and prep football teams.

Corby seconds
The Corby hall second team was captained by Champ Blackman.

Sorin Hall
The Sorinites were captained by Rufus Waldorf.

The Dome
The first known All-Interhall football team was selected by University yearbook, The Dome. Brownson received the most selections with six, followed closely by Corby with four, and St. Joseph in third with a single player selected.

Alumni
In their annual contest against the Varsity, the aggregation of former Notre Dame all-stars tied the collegiate team 0–0.

Interhall season
A list of interhall sports rules were published in the 9th edition of the weekly Scholastic, and imposed some restrictions on the hall's away games against off-campus opponents. The nine rules had been adopted from the fall of 1905 to the summer of the 1908 season. Only two official interhall games were recorded during the 1908 interhall season, the lowest since the 1891/1892 season and tied for the least all-time in campus games. The championship was officially left undecided by the Athletic Board, although the 1909 edition of the University yearbook, The Dome, recognized that St. Joseph held the best claim to the title with their victory over Corby, which previously tied Brownson.

St. Joseph Hall
St. Joseph hall was coached by Mr. Ryan, and were 1908 interhall football champions due to their come-from-behind victory against Corby in one of only two interhall contests played during the 1908 season.

Interhall season
The 1909 interhall season was played on the basis of a round-robin tournament, with each of the five teams playing each other once to decide the championship. With a 8–0 victory over Brownson, Corby attained the championship banner for football. By the end of the scholastic year, the Corbyites won all four of the major interhall competitions (Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Track and Field), losing only in bowling to Walsh hall.

Ex-Carrollites/Ex-Juniors
The Ex-Carrollites of Brownson hall re-established their athletic club on September 23 and elected Mr. O. Hozy to captain of the football team.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
John Wasson coached the Carrollites for a short period of time in early October.

Corby Hall
Corby hall was the 1909 interhall football champion, defeating Brownson 8 to 0 in the championship game on Cartier Field. They were captained by Leo Fish and coached by Father Farley.

Sorin Hall
J. J. Brislin was elected to captain, and Mr. Collins served as coach.

St. Joseph Hall
The St. Joseph hall team was captained by C. McGrath and coached by Red Miller, big brother to a member of the legendary Four Horsemen, Don Miller.

Walsh Hall
Walsh hall, the newest addition to the interhall system since Corby hall organized their first team in 1902, organized a team while the new dormitory was still undergoing final construction. John O'Neill was elected to captain in late October, and Walsh played their very first game just days later, a 0–0 tie against the Ex-Juniors/Ex-Carrollites of Brownson hall.

Football Review
The annual Scholastic Football Review compiled a single team based on the selections of various hall coaches. The center position was the only position that did not include any selections. O'Brien, Howard, and Murphy of St. Joseph, Harry Hebner, Dolan, and John Mehlen of Corby, Herbert Keeffe and Rice of Sorin, and William Dunphy of Brownson were mentioned to have also received votes, although for which positions is unknown.

The Dome
The Dome picked a single team, plus a rare selection of the best referee and linesmen, who were chosen to be Lee Matthews and M. Lawrence Stoakes respectively.

Junior Civil Engineers
The Junior Civil Engineers created a football team for the 1909 season, with Mr. J. Engae serving as coach.

Junior Electrical Engineers
Following the precedent set by the Civils, the Junior Electrical Engineers organized a tentative team around early October.

Interhall season
An interesting article from the end of the interhall season brought up the fact that some men who were fitted for the Varsity team or the reserves were abandoning the team for more glory and their hall team. Because of this, the reserve team had suffered greatly, along with walk-ons for the Varsity team. The Scholastic highlighted how important the interhall games had become to the University, with a much greater attendance and general interest shown in the Corby-Sorin interhall championship game than the varsity's recent football game with Rose Polytechnic.

Brownson Hall
The Brownsonites were captained by Mr. Carroll.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
Carroll Hall organized their football team on September 22, with varsity captain Ralph Dimmick agreeing to coach the juniors.

Corby Hall
The Corbyites were the 1910 interhall football champions after defeating Sorin hall 12 to 6 on Cartier Field. The hall team was nicknamed the Braves. They were captained by Mr. Mortz.

Sorin Hall
George Washburn coached the Sorinites and managed to achieve runners-up recognition in the interhall season, losing to Corby 12 to 6 in the de-facto championship game. They were also captained by "Laz" Fish. The 1910 team was nicknamed the Bookies or Bookmen.

St. Joseph Hall
St. Joseph hall was captained by Mr. O'Brien.

Walsh Hall
The Walsh interhall team was seen as a frontrunner at the beginning of the 1910 season, and was coached by varsity end Joseph Collins. By November 7 they were coached by Don Hamilton, varsity quarterback in 1909.

Football Review
The annual Scholastic Football Review compiled two all-hall teams based on the selections of varsity captain Ralph Dimmick and the five hall coaches. The system was for the coaches was to pick the best players in every position that were not from their own interhall teams. Corby led the first team with six picks, followed in descending order by Sorin (2), Brownson (1), St. Joseph (1), and Walsh (1). Bill Hicks, Fred Gushurst, Keith Jones, Walter Yund, Roy Jones, and Arthur Larkin played in some capacity for the varsity football team during their collegiate careers, with Keith Jones even ascending to the position of team captain in 1914.

Gridiron Season
A magazine titled the Gridiron Season competed with the Scholastic on writing a detailed summary of the 1910 football season. They chose two all-interhall teams.

Interhall season
The 1911 interhall season was a productive one for the hall teams. There were five halls in interhall play, Brownson, Corby, Sorin, St. Joseph, and Walsh. Additionally, each hall (except Sorin, plus Carroll) organzied a "feather-weight" team composed of the younger hall students. These teams were the Brownson Owls, Carroll Foxes, Corby Wolves, and St. Joseph Ducks.

Brownson Hall
Mr. Lee coached the Brownsonites in their 1911 season.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
Carroll Hall was reported to have had two teams that played against one another each afternoon on the campus field.

Corby Hall
For the third consecutive year, the hall team of Corby managed to become 1911 interhall football champions. Martin J. Heyl was captain of the Corbyites. The hall team compiled a 2–0–1 interhall record, and outscored their opponents 9 to 5, all from field goals. Its certainly possible that Corby was the first and only hall team to win the interhall championship without having scored a single touchdown during the season.

Corby Wolves
The Corby Wolves were captained by G. J. McGladigan.

Sorin Hall
The Sorinites were captained by William Granfield. Due to cancellation of games because of a snow storm and the need for more study time, Sorin hall withdrew from interhall competition in early November, cancelling their last games with Corby and St. Joseph.

Walsh Hall
Harry M. Newning was given the captaincy of Walsh hall in September, while Don Hamilton served as coach.

Walsh Chicks
The Walsh chicks, a team composed entirely of students from the preparatory school, organized under Father McNamara for the 1911 season. The term "chicks" originated in the safety value section of the collegiate student newspaper.

Football Review
The annual Scholastic Football Review compiled two all-hall football teams based on the interhall coach selections under the supervision of assistant varsity coach, Donald Hamilton. Each coach was tasked with choosing two complete all-interhall teams, and as before could not pick their own men. They also had to pick a captain of each interhall team, which is represented in the table below by a (C). The coaches were also forbidden from choosing any member of the Sorin hall team due to their early withdrawal from the league. William Dunphy, Bill Hicks, Fred Gushurst, Harry Baujan, Tom Shaugnessy, and possibly Mr. Ryan, Williams and Harvat, played on the varsity football team in some capacity during their collegiate careers.

The Dome
The Dome published a single all-hall team in its annual summary of the interhall football season.

1912
The 1912 season saw the last major change in college football's scoring table, with the total for a touchdown increasing from five to six points.

Interhall season
A schedule for the 1912 season was released in early October. Five halls competed for the interhall championship of 1912, those being Brownson, Corby, Sorin, St. Joseph, and Walsh. One notable addition to the season was Knute Rockne's interhall coaching jobs, which with the Sorin and Corby halls were his first coaching roles for collegiate football teams. Corby, the reigning interhall champion of the past three seasons, was issued a loss by forfeit because of their refusal to play after a critical and controversial Brownson interception for a touchdown late in the game. A week later they lost 6 to 0 in a regulation game against St. Joseph hall, a team Corby had not tied or lost to since the interhall championship of 1908. St. Joseph also took the lead in the championship after this game and was eventually crowned interhall champions of 1912.

Brownson Hall
Brownson was captained by varsity halfback Joseph S. Pliska.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
The Carrollites were coached by Happy O'Donnell, and may have been captained by W. Bergfield.

Corby Hall
Basil Soisson was elected to captain in early October for the Corbyites. Knute Rockne also served as coach of the Corby team, which for the first time since 1908 did not win the interhall championship. In fact, they finished with only a single win on their record.

Corby Wolves
The Corby junior team, known as the Wolves, organized again after their debut season in 1911. Mr. Hassett was given the role of team captain. The hall team was commonly referred to as the Braves.

Sorin Hall
Knute Rockne, legendary coach of the Notre Dame varsity football team from 1918 to 1930, began his career with the job of "interhall coach" for the Sorin Hall team of 1912. Martin Heyl also served as captain. After Rockne left for Corby Hall, varsity end Daniel V. McGinnis stepped in as the new coach.

St. Joseph Hall
St. Joseph Hall was the 1912 interhall football champion. Buck Maloney served as coach and Nig Kane as captain. They compiled a 3–0–1 record against their interhall opponents, and outscored them by a total of 22 to 0. The hall team was commonly referred to as the Saints or the Huskies.

Walsh Hall
In 1912, Walsh was coached by varsity left end Charles Crowley, and captained by Harry Newning for the second consecutive season.

Walsh Preps
The Walsh junior team, known originally as the Chicks, organized again after their debut season in 1911. By the end of the season, the Preps were the only undefeated team in their class (losing only to an all-star residence hall team) and so claimed the light weight interhall championship of 1912.

Scholastic Football Review
The Scholastic published a two-team list of selections in their annual Football Review. Harry Baujan, John Voelkers, James Mathews, Albert King, and Emmett Keefe played on the varsity football team at some point in their collegiate careers.

The Dome
The Dome published a single all-hall team in its annual summary of the interhall football season. However, the Dome may have just copied the same list distributed by the Scholastic months prior, by which it would not count as an additional selector.

Interhall season
5 teams competed in the 1913 interhall football season, with representatives from Brownson, Corby, Sorin, St. Joseph, and Walsh halls. A few new rules defined the 1913 season, including allowing freshmen to compete on the hall teams and that the day students of Notre Dame would play for St. Joseph instead of Brownson as was done in previous years. A schedule for the 1913 season was released before games began on October 23, with two games a week for five weeks. In addition to the hall teams, several secondary teams were organized in each hall and played on a more sporadic schedule. Eligibility for these secondary teams required you to not have been a member of the varsity or interhall regular teams prior to joining.

Brownson Hall
Brownson was captained by Mr. Riedman.

Brownson Neversweats
The Neversweats were one of several secondary hall teams during the 1913 football season.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
A committee of four men was appointed in late September to pick two teams for Carroll Hall to play against each other in a five game series for the distinction of first team. The winning team also received monograms, and both received a banquet at the end of the season.

Corby Hall
In their twelfth season, Corby hall compiled a 0–1–2 record in the interhall league and a 1–1–2 record overall. They were coached by three well-known figures of their era, Knute Rockne, John Farley, and Al Feeney. Al Feeney, the modest member of the staff, played as a center for the 1913 varsity team. John "Pop" Farley was the captain of the varsity in 1900, and eventually became the namesake for Farley Hall. Knute Rockne would go on to become one of the best known college football coaches in history. Ironically, while he holds the highest winning percentage of any major college football coach, his record in interhall football was a paltry 2–5–4.

Corby Deacons
The Deacons were one of several secondary hall teams during the 1913 football season.

Sorin Hall
Raymond Rubio was elected captain of the 1913 team.

Sorin Lollipops
The Lollipops were one of several secondary hall teams during the 1913 football season.

Walsh Hall
Walsh Hall was the 1913 interhall football champion. They were coached by Deacon Jones, and elected Harry Baujan to captain them.

Walsh Chicks
The prep/secondary team of Walsh Hall re-organized again for the 1913 season under captain John O. Donahue.

Scholastic Football Review
The Scholastic published a two-team selection in their 1913 edition of the Football Review. Due to the new freshman rules, many notable football players that would go on to serve on the varsity in the 1910s joined the interhall squads for the 1913 season. Among the notable members, Charlie Bachman and Harry Baujan were both enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, and Stan Cofall became the varsity captain and an All-American during the 1916 season. George Holmes, James Odem, Leo O'Donnell, Hollis King, James Matthews, William Grady, Alfredo Morales, possibly Mr. Miller, and George Kowalski would also join the Fighting Irish in the next three seasons. In total, nine of the eleven picks for first-team All-Interhall and twelve overall were granted a spot on the varsity football team, three of which became All-Americans and two which were accepted into the CFHOF. The Review also chose an "All-Star Prep Selection" from the secondary and prep football teams of Brownson, Carroll, and Walsh. Since the Carrollites were included in the games it can be assumed that the entire league was composed of high school football players and that Brownson and Walsh halls must have temporarily housed some of the junior department members during the 1913-1914 scholastic year. A description of the pick read, "The following selection is made from the second preparatory teams. The first preparatory team is chosen entire for first place."

Christian Doctrine class
Two teams from the Christine doctrine class at Notre Dame played against each other in a game of football at Cartier Field on September 28. The two teams were coached by Fathers Hagerty and Joseph Burke.

Interhall season
A trophy was presented for the 1914 interhall champion that depicted a "regulation size metal football mounted in silver", and with a base of ebony. An interhall football schedule was approved on October 8. Although the season began on schedule, bad weather postponed many of the contests and almost every game in the last half of the season was cancelled permanently. After Sorin and Brownson tied on Thanksgiving Day, the trophy donated by Michael C. Calnon and George F. Hull was awarded to father Burke's chorus class instead, and both halls claimed the interhall championship. Concerns regarding the eligibility of players were paramount during the 1914 season, and led to the most disagreements as the season concluded. In a 4-1 decision between the five halls, the teams agreed that Sorin had used ineligible players during their season and so should forfeit each of their games. However, Sorin, the single dissenting vote, disagreed with this conclusion s the various halls would have everything to gain from the ruling. Whether the ruling was official is doubtful as the Dome still lists Sorin's 2–0–1 record.

Brownson Hall
Brownson Hall was captained by Mike McGrath. They compiled a 1–1–2 record, and 1–1–1 against interhall opponents. After tying Sorin 3 to 3 in the de-facto interhall championship game, Brownson became co-1914 interhall football champions.

Corby Hall
Corby Hall began practice on September 24. They compiled a 2–2 record overall, and 2–1 against interhall opponents.

Day Students (off–campus) team
An athletic association for the "day students" of Notre Dame was approved by the Athletic Board of Notre Dame in late October, but they were not allowed to participate in the interhall football season because many of the day students were already playing for Brownson Hall. The association was given desk space in the Carroll and Brownson Halls. An Off-Campus interhall team would not become established until the 1920 season.

Sorin Hall
Sorin Hall elected Shorty Hynes as team captain. They held their first practice on October 4. The team finished the season with a 2–0–1 record, all in interhall play. After tying Brownson in the de-facto championship on Cartier Field, the Sorinites were claimed co-1914 interhall football champions, although they had the best case of any halls in the league for the official championship.

St. Joseph Hall
Tobin was elected captain for the 1914 season. St. Joseph Hall finished the 1914 season with a 1–1 record, all in interhall play.

Walsh Hall
The Walsh Hall team was coached by Father Farley. Walsh finished with an 0–3 record against interhall opponents and 0–4 overall.

All-Interhall
It was decided that an All-Interhall team would not be selected for the 1914 season due to a lack of games played.

Interhall season
In their preseason article, the Scholastic announced interhall's 1915 football schedule, along with mentioning a silver cup that would be bestowed to the champion. The winner of the 1915 interhall season was given a silver loving cup donated by Frank Mayr, along with a watch chain to the most valuable interhall player. Brownson won the championship after their game with Corby, which was played in a large downpour that covered the field in "two feet of water and mud". Many of the games during the season were cancelled because of Sorin's resignation from the interhall league early in the 1915 season.

Brownson Hall
The Brownsonites were captained by Mr. Morales. With at least a 2–0–1 record, Brownson Hall was given the title of 1915 interhall football champions.

The Lilacs
The Lilac Manor was constructed for Notre Dame's English professor Maurice Francis Egan, who taught and lived at the University with his family from 1888 to 1896. Friends of Mr. Egan's had gifted the professor many Lilac bushes during his tenure, and these would serve as the namesake for his manor. After Egan left the manor, another professor named Charles Peterson lived in the home until 1913. After two years of housing other faculty members and post-graduate students, a small group of seventeen undergraduates were permitted to live in the Lilacs until a permanent school dormitory would open to house them. This group formed the Lilacs Athletic Association in early November and attempt to enter the interhall football season of 1915, although this was unfortunately unsuccessful.

Walsh Hall
Walsh was led by CFBHOF member Charlie Bachman and assistant Deacon Jones.

St. Joseph Hall
Albert Freund was elected football captain at an athletic meeting at the beginning of the season.

Scholastic
The Scholastic published a single team in their annual Football Review. They were selected by the hall coaches and three members of the varsity team, Stan Cofall, Leo Stephan, and Emmett Keefe. Joseph Gargan, Norm Barry, Carleton Beh, William Allison, and possibly Mr. Miller played on the varsity football team at some point in their collegiate careers.

Safety Valve
The Safety Valve, a section of the Notre Dame Scholastic, published an independent and arguably more comprehensive selection of the "all-hall" teams. They also chose a second team.

Interhall season
One major rule change before the 1916 season was barring any members of the freshman team from participating in interhall football. A schedule for the season was released on October 21 in the Scholastic. All games with St. Joseph Hall were cancelled because of their withdrawal from the league. Corby Hall was the 1916 interhall champion, defeating their opponents by record interhall margins of 64 to 0 across three contests. They received the "Mayr trophy", a silver cup donated by Mr. Mayr at the conclusion of the season.

Minor interhall season
For the first time, an interhall schedule was arranged and posted in the Scholastic for the minor, or light-weight hall teams of Brownson, Corby, and Walsh.

Brownson Bantams
The Brownson Chick team was coached by Norman Barry.

Junior Department (Carroll Hall)
The Carrollites of 1916 were captained by Mr. Soldani, who played as a right guard. The team compiled at least a 3–0 overall record, including a pair of wins against local South bend opponents and their defeat of the Ex-Carrollites in their annual rivalry. At the end of the season the Carroll team laid claim to the "Northern Indiana championship in the 135 lb class".

Corby Hall
The Corbyites were the 1916 interhall football champions. They were captained by "Cy" Kasper, compiled a 3–0 record and outscored their opponents by a score of 64 to 0, winning from undefeated Walsh Hall in the de-facto championship on November 26.

Corby Chicks
The Corby Chicks were coached by "Chief" Meyers. Although their exact record is under speculation, the team was declared champion of the minor hall teams of 1916 in the Scholastic's annual Football Review.

Sorin Hall
Richard Daley, captain of the varsity basketball team, was elected to captain of the Sorin football team for their 1916 season.

Walsh Hall
The first team of Walsh Hall was coached by Charlie Bachman.

Walsh Welterweights
The Walsh Chick team was coached by Father Hagerty, and captained by Mr. Moore.

All-Chick team
A team composed of the best players from each of the minor interhall chick teams was formed under captain "Chief" Meyers to play a game against the Culver Military Academy on Thanksgiving. The all-chick team was chosen by the referees and the four chick coaches, Reverend Cornelius Hagerty, Jerry Noonan, Norman Barry and Chief Meyers.

All-Interhall
The Scholastic published a two-team selection in their annual Football Review. However, instead of using hall coaches to pick the distinctions, the decisions were made by the interhall league referees. Thomas Spalding, Clyde Zoia, John Dixon, Hugh O'Neill, Frank Lockard, Joseph Brandy, and possibly Mr. Ryan, played on the varsity football team at some point in their collegiate careers.

1917
1917 was the first year in which World War One began to affect the college football landscape, with many collegiate football players from across the country being sent to military camps for training.

Interhall season
In their article on preseason "dope" for the interhall series, the Scholastic recognized Walsh Hall as having the most likely chance of winning the 1917 championship. An interhall schedule featuring only six games was released on October 27. By the end of the season Walsh had matched expectations by winning the championship with a 3–0 interhall record.

Brownson Hall
The Brownsonites were coached by Brother Casimir.

Ex-Minims
The Carroll Hall "Teenie Weenies", also known as the ex-minims, were captained by Mr. Watson. The Woodlawn Tigers, the team's opponent on November 18, may have been a campus team.

Corby Hall
The Corbyites were originally captained by Ted Sheehan,, but seem to have been led by Dave Philbin and David Hayes by the time they entered into the interhall season.

Sorin Hall
The Sorin team was led by Edward Madigan.

Walsh Hall
The first team of Walsh Hall may have been known as the Walsh Giants, is this is the name given to the name that defeated South Bend Athletic Club at the beginning of the season. They were coached by James "Muggs" Ryan. With a 3–0 interhall record, the Walshites became the 1917 interhall football champions.

The Scholastic Football Review
The Scholastic published a two-team selection in their annual Football Review. The notable officiators were also listed. The selections were made by a consensus from the interhall coaches and referees.

1918
1918 saw the greatest involvement by the United States in World War One, and dealt with the Spanish Flu. Many football game, particularly in the month of October, were cancelled due to concerns over the epidemic, including two for the varsity team. The rule on disbarring freshman from the varsity teams was temporarily rescinded because of the loss of players and talent, leading to a freshman team that served on the varsity as de-facto reserves.

Interhall season
Due to the current war and health crises, only one interhall football contest was played during the 1918 season. A champion was never explicitly mentioned because of the absence of a real interhall season, but by virtue of their 12–0 victory over the recently renamed Badin hall, the interhall team of Walsh hall had the best claim to the interhall championship. In 1919, a preseason article for the interhall season mentioned that an interhall championship had been left undecided because of the "interference of military duties".

Walsh Hall
Walsh Hall was the 1918 interhall football champions. They compiled a 1–0 record, defeating Badin Hall 12 to 0 in the only interhall football contest played during the war-torn 1918 season.

Preps
The preparatory football team was coached by Mr. O'Connor. The preparatory department may no longer have been housed in Carroll Hall.

Interhall season
A schedule of interhall contests for the 1919 season was released under the direction of Gus Dorais. He decided that the season would start on October 12, with two games each Sunday until the interhall title was determined.

Badin Hall
The Badin team was the first to engage in preliminary practices for the 1919 interhall season. They were coached by Joe Silk.

Brownson Hall
Brownson hall was originally coached by Jake Kline, assisted by Mr. Donahue , and captained by Robin Brady. For their game against Michigan City High School the Brownsonites were coached by Mr. Sanders. For the 1919 season, the Brownsonites went under the nickname of "preps". This is not to be confused with the team of preparatory (high school) students that was represented by Old Carroll hall. When the preps played against off-campus opponents, they were known as the N. D., or Notre Dame Preps. This leads to speculation that while Brownson may have housed this "prep" team, they may not have been a representative hall team, and instead served as something similar to the "Ex-Carrollites" that occupied Brownson in prior seasons.

Corby Hall
Corby hall was the 1919 interhall football champions, defeating Walsh hall 12–6 in the championship game at Cartier Field. They were coached by Joe O'Hara, and sponsored by Father Haggerty. The Corbyites were nicknamed the Flying Dutchmen. In their game against Penn College, Corby became the first hall team to play a football game in the state of Iowa. Including their off-campus contests, Corby compiled a 5–1–1 record.

Day Students
A team of University day students was formed for the purpose of participating in the 1919 interhall season.

Sorin Hall
Sorin hall was coached by Hunk Anderson, who became head coach of the varsity in 1931 after the death of Knute Rockne in a plane crash.

Walsh Hall
The Walshites of 1919 were coached by Willie Coughlin and Grover Malone.

Carroll Hall
The preps of Carroll hall were undefeated during the 1919 season, with a record of at least 2–0 and probably more, considering the confusion surrounding the prep teams in this season.

All-Interhall
The Scholastic published a two-team selection, although it was published a week after the Football Review. The selections were chosen by the interhall coaches during two meetings. a note was made that every player received at least four of five votes, and most were unanimous.

Interhall season
The number of participants in the interhall league rose to seven with the additions of the Notre Dame Day Students (Off-Campus), and Carroll hall, the former home of the University's junior department. An interhall schedule, along with preseason speculation, was released by the Scholastic on September 25, with the season set to begin on October 2.

Of the twenty-one game schedule during the season, only ten were regulation football games, with an additional four forfeits and seven cancellations. The Scholastic Football Review attributed the cancellations and forfeits on bad weather, an over-interest in watching varsity football games, and especially too many games against opponents off of the University campus.

In the 1920 Season Review, a writer on the interhall section of the review proclaimed, "Interhall football came up for the season of 1920 like Jack Dempsey at Toledo and went down like Charlie Chaplin under a barrage of custard pies."

Badin Hall
The Badinites were coached by Mr. Seyfrit.

Brownson Hall
Brownson hall was the 1920 interhall football champion. They were coached by Cy Sanders.

Carroll Hall
The Carrollites were captained by Dick DeCorps,, and coached by Mr. Conley.

Corby Hall
Corby hall was the runner-up in the interhall race. They were coached by Eddie Anderson, Roger Kiley, Flynn, and Lieb.

Off-Campus team
The 1920 Off-Campus team, also known as the day dogs, day students, or city residents, played their inaugural season five years after their introduction to other interhall athletics. They were coached by Father Cunningham and captained by Earl Francis Walsh.

Sorin Hall
Sorin hall was captained by Mr. Cleary, and coached by Mr. Coughlin and Brandy.

All-Interhall
In contrast to the disorganized and distraught interhall football league in 1920, the all-hall team included an unprecedented thirty-three selections across three distinct teams from all seven interhall organizations.

The Scholastic Football Review
The Scholastic published a three-team selection for the 1920 season in their annual Football Review.

Season Review
A new publication, known as the "Season Review", published a single team selection, although it was an exact copy of the first team chosen by the Scholastic.

Interhall season
The entirety of the 1921 season was outlined in an edition of the South Bend Tribune on November 16, 1921. It reported that with a 5–0 record, Brownson Hall had won the 1921 interhall football championship. Six other teams competed in the football season, those being Corby (3–1–2), Sorin (2–2), Carroll (1–1–3), Walsh (1–1–2), the Off-Campus team (1–3), and Badin (0–4–1). It was noted that the season was not technically complete, with two opponents still remaining on Brownson's schedule, but that they would have no effect on the outcome of the championship and were unlikely to be played off.

Brownson Hall
Brownson hall was the 1921 interhall football champion. They compiled a 6–0–1 record overall, were 6–0 in interhall play, and outscored their opponents by a total of 60 to 10. They were coached by varsity captain and future College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Eddie Anderson, and were captained by Jimmy Burns.

Corby Hall
The Corby hall team, runner-up to the 1921 interhall champion with a 3–1–2 record, were captained by Mr. Jimmy James.

Sorin Hall
The Sorinites were captained by Mr. Ashe.

Scholastic
The Scholastic published a unique single-team selection in their twelfth issue, with four players tied for the position of fullback.

Season Review
The Season Review, a separate publication from the Scholastic's own Football Review, published a similar all-Interhall team that only included Mr. Barry as the selection for fullback. Honorable mentions were likewise omitted.