User:Murphanian777/Interhall football: The War (1940-1945)

This is the fifth era of interhall football at the University of Notre Dame. It began with the rebirth of tackle football to the interhall leagues, and consluded with the final season before World War II halted competition.

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 football
Interhall tackle football was brought back to Notre Dame for the first time since the end of the 1935 season. Under the oversight of Elmer Layden, Father Doc Handy took principle control over the league and initially divided it into a lightweight (less than 150 pounds) and heavyweight (over 150 pounds) division before scrapping it to a shortage in available players. As an incentive to play, all participants were promised a grand banquet, and the chance to receive a medal if they were selected for the "all-tournament" team at the end of the season. Every game was to be played on one of the three Cartier fields, with the championship taking place at Notre Dame Stadium. A training table was also introduced for the interhallers. More than one source mentioned that St. Edward's was the defending interhall champion, which may have been in reference to the hall's undefeated record in 1935. The divisions among the two leagues were created based on the hall's location on campus, and not the class year of the residents. At the end of the season the Reverend J. Hugh O'Donnell Gold Trophy, inscribed with "University of Notre Dame Inter-Hall Football Championship 1940. St. Edward's and Dillon Co-Champions" was bestowed upon St. Edward's after winning a coin toss six weeks after the championship game against Dillon ended in a scoreless tie. Twenty members of each team were also gifted gold football charms that read "Inter-Hall 1940." Mr. O'Donnell, who was then University president, promised to purchase another trophy for the 1941 season.

Alumni Hall
In their sixth season, Alumni hall competed in group two of the interhall league, and compiled a 1–4 interhall record. They were coached by Jim MacGovern.

Badin Hall
In their thirty-sixth season, Badin hall competed in group one of the interhall league, and compiled a 3–0–3 interhall record. They were coached by Joe Harrington.

Breen-Phillips Hall
In their inaugural season, Breen-Phillips hall competed in group one of the interhall league, and compiled a 1–4–1 interhall record. They were coached by John Jaworski.

Brownson Hall
In their forty-third season, Brownson hall competed in group one of the interhall league, and compiled a 2–3–1 interhall record. They were coached by "Red" Rice.

Carroll Hall
In their seventeenth season, Carroll hall competed in group one of the interhall league, and compiled a 0–5 interhall record. They were coached by Dan Cullinane.

Cavanaugh Hall
In their inaugural season, Cavanaugh hall competed in group one of the interhall league, and compiled a 3–3 interhall record. They were coached by Sebastian Nowicki.

Dillon Hall
In their sixth season, Dillon hall competed in group two of the interhall league, and compiled a 4–1–1 interhall record. After tying St. Edward's in Notre Dame Stadium, Dillon became 1940 interhall football co-champions. However, in a coin toss six weeks later the University president's golden trophy was won by St. Edward's, who had lost on a similar toss in 1935. They were coached by J. C. Brennan and Wally Bohrer.

Howard Hall
In their twelfth season, Howard hall competed in group two of the interhall league, and compiled a 0–5–1 interhall record. They were coached by Bill Timmel.

Lyons Hall
In their eleventh season, Lyons hall competed in group two of the interhall league, and compiled a 4–2 interhall record. They were coached by Lester Fahey.

Morrissey Hall
In their tenth season, Morrissey hall competed in group two of the interhall league, and compiled a 3–2–1 interhall record. They were coached by Norman Trembly.

Off-Campus team
The Off-Campus team backed out of the league after a single cancelled game with Sorin hall.

Sorin Hall
In their thirty-first season, Sorin hall competed in group two of the interhall league, and compiled a 4–2 interhall record. They were coached by Joe Semenczuk.

St. Edward's Hall
In their seventh season, St. Edward's hall competed in group one of the interhall league, and compiled a 5–0–1 interhall record. They were the champions of league one and tied Dillon to become 1940 interhall football co-champions. A coin flip six weeks later decided who would keep the championship trophy and receive the individual gold charms, and St. Edward's won the toss. They were coached by Joe Rogalia, and captained by Bill Hartman.

Walsh Hall
In their twenty-seventh season, Walsh hall competed in group two of the interhall league, and compiled a 2–2–1 interhall record. They were coached by Joe Papa.

Zahm Hall
In their inaugural season, Zahm hall competed in group one of the interhall league, and compiled a 2–3 interhall record. They were coached by Bill Fallon.

The Scholastic
The Scholastic published an unordered two-team selection, the first time the all-campus football team had been picked since the 1934 season. The best coaches from the interhall league were also selected.

Interhall football
To ensure the success of the 1941 season, father Hugh O'Donnell and interhall administer E. R. Handy made preparations for the league well before the season began. However, the United States' involvement in World War II began to have an effect on Notre Dame athletics. An R. O. T. C. team was created at the beginning of the season to participate in the various interhall sports, although they did not end up fielding a football team. Due to the sheer volume of participating halls, the league was initially divided into three sections for the first time in the twenty year history of interhall divisions. League was to consist of the freshman halls, league II was composed of Badin, Morrissey, Lyons, St. Edwards, and Howard, and League III contained Dillon, Walsh, Sorin, Alumni, and the Off-Campus team. Players were required to present a written physical from the University's physician before they were allowed to participate, and the squads were confined to approximately twenty-five men.

Frank Leahy gave his approval of the program in the following words: "We feel, as do many people, that interhall football may once again serve as the starting place for boys who have ambitions of playing on the varsity squad. Every Sunday some member of our varsity will officiate in each game. These players will have instructions to keep their eyes open for promising varsity material. Needless to say, we will respect any recommendations that the players give us in regard to star members of inter-hall teams."

It was reported that many players who were 'B' squad material had forgone their varsity stance in favor of interhall athletics, although Dick Ames was the only known interhall player to have had any background on the varsity squad.

Before the season officially began, Walsh hall was picked as the most likely champion based on the fact that a majority of the players from the two championship teams in 1940 moved into Walsh. Dillon was picked as the other contender to reach the interhall championship.

To ensure that the football season would run smoothly, Mr. Handy implemented many regulations to the interhall league. The first and most detrimental in hindsight was that a minimum of 18 players be present on each interhall squad, thus hindering the ability for some squads to reliably participate on a weekly basis. The second, and arguably most abstract, was a solution to the issue of tie games. Instead of allowing the game to end as a tie, as had been commonly done in the past (with the exception being the interhall championship game), the tiebreaker was to go to whichever team garnered the most first downs. The explanation for such an unusual ruling was that in the 1940 championship, Dillon clearly dominated St. Edward's in terms of yards gained and first downs, but was simply unable to reach the endzone. The game ended in a scoreless tie, and St. Edward's won the O'Donnell trophy on a coin toss, much to the chagrin of Dillon hall. Other rules included the re-affirmation that students could only participate on the interhall teams that were based in their own residence, and a stricter stance on what constituted a forfeit.

On November 2, Dillon shutout Carroll hall by the score of 45 to 0. This shattered the previous record for most points scored in an interhall football contest, the last record being set by Walsh in a 39–0 win over Freshman hall in 1931.

1941 championship
The 1941 interhall championship was played between Walsh and Zahm halls on November 23, at 2:00 p.m., in Notre Dame Stadium. Both teams donned varsity uniforms for the game, a tradition established by the 1940 championship between Dillon and St. Edward's. Walsh Hall entered the championship with a 5–0 record, having defeated their opponents by a combined score of 98 to 0. Zahm arrived with a 3–0 record, although they defeated their opponents by a less-impressive total of 27 to 6. A light snow covered the field on the day before the game was set to begin, and by Sunday afternoon the muddy field had completely iced over, handicapping both squads.

Although Walsh was heavily favored, the "Zahmbies" held their opponents to a scoreless tie. However, based on the new tiebreak rules, specifically implemented to avoid any future confusion in the interhall championship game, Walsh hall won the contest based on their five first downs to Zahm's one. The Walshites won the Reverend Hugh O'Donnell Interhall Football trophy that had sat in St. Edward's hall for the last year, and received individual medals for each of their players.

Alumni Hall
Alumni did not field a team during the 1941 season. They were supposed to have been coached by Turk Rively.

Badin Hall
In their thirty-seventh season, Badin hall competed in league II of the interhall league, and compiled a 3–1 interhall record. They were coached by Frank Platt.

Breen-Phillips Hall
In their second season, Breen-Phillips hall competed in league II of the interhall league, and compiled a 1–2 interhall record. They were coached by "Snorky" Buono.

Brownson Hall
In their forty-fourth season, Brownson hall competed in league I of the interhall league, and compiled a 0–3 interhall record. They were coached by Paul Corgan.

Carroll Hall
In their eighteenth season, Carroll hall competed in league I of the interhall league, and compiled a 1–2 interhall record. They were coached by Mike Mahon.

Cavanaugh Hall
In their second season, Cavanaugh hall competed in league II of the interhall league, and compiled a 1–2 interhall record. They were coached by John McNulty.

Dillon Hall
In their seventh season, Dillon hall competed in league I of the interhall league, and compiled a 3–1 interhall record. They were coached by Bill Stewart.

Howard Hall
In their thirteenth season, Howard hall competed in league II of the interhall league, and compiled a 1–3 interhall record. They were coached by Nick Pepelnjak and Jim O'Brien.

Lyons Hall
In their twelfth season, Lyons hall competed in league II of the interhall league, and compiled a 0–3 interhall record. They were coached by Ken Gempel.

Morrissey Hall
In their eleventh season, Morrissey hall competed in league I of the interhall league, and compiled a 2–1 interhall record. They were coached by Elmer Peterson.

Sorin Hall
Sorin did not field a team during the 1941 season. They were supposed to have been coached by Joe Papa and "Scoop" Scanlan.

St. Edward's Hall
In their eighth season, St. Edward's hall competed in league I of the interhall league, and compiled a 0–3 interhall record. They were coached by Jerry Orosz.

Walsh Hall
In their twenty-eighth season, Walsh hall competed in league II of the interhall league, compiled a 6–0 interhall record, and became the 1941 interhall football champions. They were coached by Joe Ragolia and Bill Reagen, and captained by Steve Graliker.

Zahm Hall
In their second season, Zahm hall competed in league I of the interhall league, and compiled a 3–1 interhall record. They were coached by John Jaworski and later "Scoop" Scanlan, and captained by Cuddigan and Fitzpatrick. Zahm Hall gained notability for upsetting Dillon Hall in the de-facto league I championship game, who many picked to win the year's interhall championship. The "Zahmbies" were invited to the 1941 interhall football championship, where they tied the heavily-favored Walsh, but unfortunately were outscored in first downs 1 to 5.

Splinters'
The Splinters', a this-and-that section of the Notre Dame Scholastic, published a single-team selection. Dick Ames was the only member to have played on the University's varsity team, doing so as a freshman in 1938.

1942
The 1942 interhall football season was overseen by Vince Commisa. At the beginning of the season, intramural director John Scannell announced that the league would be split along the average weight barrier of 150 pounds. Any teams above the mark would be admitted to the "heavyweight" league, while all those below it would play in the "lightweight" league.

Heavyweight league
The heavyweight interhall football league was for players that exceeded 150 pounds and was supervised by Vince Commisa.

1942 heavyweight championship
The 1942 heavyweight interhall football championship was played between Dillon and Walsh halls in Notre Dame Stadium on November 22. Dillon hall was undefeated. Quarterback Red Murphy ran in the lone score on a 1-yard attempt. The match was the first interhall championship to end in a regulation win for any team since 1934.

Alumni Hall
In their seventh season, Alumni hall compiled (at least) a 2–3 interhall record. They were coached by Tony Burns.

Breen-Phillips Hall
In their third season, Breen-Phillips hall compiled (at least) a 2–3 interhall record. They were coached by Jim Torpey.

Cavanaugh Hall
In their third season, Cavanaugh hall compiled (at least) a 1–3–1 interhall record. They were coached by Bud Ahern.

Dillon Hall
In their eighth season, Dillon hall compiled (at least) a 5–0–1 interhall record, and were 1942 interhall football champions. They were coached by Bill Cuddigan, who also played halfback on the team. The Dillonites played under the Double wingback formation for the majority of the season.

Sorin Hall
In their thirty-second season, Sorin hall compiled (at least) a 3–1–1 interhall record. They were coached by Bob Dudley and Father Brennan.

St. Edward's Hall
In their ninth season, St. Edward's hall compiled (at least) a 0–5 interhall record. They were coached by Harry Florence.

Walsh Hall
In their twenty-ninth season, Walsh hall compiled (at least) a 5–1–1 interhall record. They were coached by Bill "Red" Murphy, and captained by Bill Dunne. The Walshites were major proponents of the T formation, which had recently been made the primary formation of the varsity squad.

Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC)
The Naval R.O.T.C., a military division of the University during World War II, participated in the 1942 interhall season. They placed a team in the heavyweight division under Chief Specialist Jablowski and a lightweight squad led by Paul Corgan. The heavyweight team compiled (at least) a 1–3–2 record.

Lightweight league
The lightweight interhall football league was established for players that weighed less than 150 pounds, a novel concept that would come to be known as sprint football. The lightweight league was overseen by Bill Stewart of Alumni hall. Due to the high volume of games and diversity of the leagues, the Scholastic does not provide adequate records for the lightweights, besides the record of Zahm hall, who finished their season as the undefeated champion of the league. The "Zahmbies" also defeated Breen-Phillips hall 57 to 0, breaking the previous scoring record by 12 points.

Breen-Phillips
Breen-Phillips hall compiled a 0–2 interhall record in the lightweight league.

Cavanaugh
Cavanaugh hall compiled a 2–2? interhall record in the lightweight league.

Dillon
Dillon hall compiled a 0–4–1? interhall record in the lightweight league.

Main Building
A team representing the University's main building, which was an amalgamation of Carroll and Brownson halls, entered under lightweight coach Stan Murray. The two halls combined due to an lack of available players The Main Building team compiled a 2–2–2? interhall record in the lightweight league.

Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC)
The Naval R.O.T.C., a military division of the University during World War II, participated in the 1942 interhall season. They placed a team in the heavyweight division under Chief Specialist Jablowski and a lightweight squad led by Paul Corgan. The N.R.O.T.C. compiled a 2–1–1? interhall record in the lightweight league.

Zahm Hall
Zahm hall compiled a 5–0 interhall record and was the 1942 interhall lightweight football champions.

The Dome
An official two-team all-interhall selection of the heavyweight league was made by interhall director Vince Commisa, and it was published in the Dome.

Splinters
A slightly modified version of Vince Commisa's selections were also published in the Pressbox Splinters, a section of the Scholastic, Issue 7. The all-Interhall players were tentatively scheduled to play against the reserve squad of Purdue. However, by the time the selections were made, the Purdue B had already returned their uniforms and equipment.

Freshman team
The frosh of 1942 were coached by Bob Snyder.

Reserves
Frank Leahy did not make enough cuts to the varsity team to warrant the need for a reserve team.

1943
The 1943 interhall football season was overseen by John Scannell, who was director of all intramural sports at the University. The season was overshadowed by the US involvement in World War II, which brought the V-12 program to Notre Dame to train men for positions as officers of the Navy. 250 players came out for the first interest meeting on September 20 at Brownson field. However, after just two weeks and as many games, the Physical Educational Department and the interhall coaches decided to fold the season due to a rigorous training time for the men in the V-12 program, which in 1943 constituted the vast majority of total students.

Alumni Hall
In their eighth season, the members of the V-12 program in Alumni hall, nicknamed the Alumni Sailors, compiled a 0–1 interhall record. They were coached by Chief Specialist Barba and assistant chief specialist Blemken. The interhall league folded after they lost to Zahm 43–0 in one of the most lopsided games in interhall history.

Cavanaugh Hall
The members of the V-12 program in Cavanaugh hall, nicknamed the Cavanaugh Marines, played no official football games during the 1943 interhall football season, although they did defeat a civilian team represented by Sorin Hall 33–0. They were coached by Chief Specialist Spann and assisted by Platoon Sergeant Tarro.

Dillon Hall
In their ninth season, the members of the V-12 program in Dillon hall, nicknamed the Dillon V-12ers, compiled a 0–1 interhall record. They were coached by Chief Specialist Gallagher and assistant chief specialist Hutmick.

Naval R.O.T.C.
In their second season, the Naval Reserve Officer's Training Corps compiled a – record against outside opponents. They were coached by Chief Specialist Harold C. Glover, and assisted by Specialists Robertson and Jivelickian. The collegiate military team was the first to organize for the 1943 season. Their status as an interhall team is disputed as they never played a game in the league, although they eligibly joined as the sixth team in the round-robin tournament. Their participation in the 1942 season also vindicates their inclusion as an interhall team. The Naval R.O.T.C. was the first residence hall-level team to compete against opponents off of Notre Dame campus since 1932.

Sorin Hall
In their thirty-third season, the University's remaining "civilian" student population, represented (possibly by name alone) by Sorin hall, compiled a 1–0 record, as well as an unofficial loss to the Cavanaugh Marines. They were coached by Chief Specialist Ijamo and assistant chief specialist Horan. During World War two, the number of students at Notre Dame who were not a part of the V-12 program or another war effort dwindled to less than three hundred.

Walsh Hall
The members of the V-12 program in Walsh hall, nicknamed the Walsh R.O.T.C., was scheduled to participate as one of the six teams in the 1943 interhall football season. However, the league folded before Walsh was able to schedule any games. They were supposed to have been coached by Chief Specialist Harold C. Glover and assistant chief specialist Jivelickian.

Zahm Hall
In their fourth season, the members of the V-12 program in Zahm hall, nicknamed the Zahm Marines, compiled a 1–0 interhall record. They were coached by Chief Specialist Robertson and Marine Sergeant King. It was reported after the game against Alumni that every player had played on a collegiate football team.

All-Interhall
There were no all-interhall selections during the 1943 season due to a lack of games.

1944 and 1945
While other interhall sports such as tennis, volleyball, cross-country, basketball, and baseball were contested during the final two years of World War II, football was temporarily disbanded. Touch football may have been informally employed by various halls, although no leagues were created that merited more than a brief mention in the Scholastic.