The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame

The opening paragraph of a sports story written by Grantland Rice, one of the most famous sportswriters of all time, immortalized the 1924 Notre Dame backfield comprised of quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller, and fullback Elmer Layden.

Describing Notre Dame's 13-7 upset of the Army on October 18, 1924, Rice wrote these words:

“Outlined against a blue-gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below.”

Rice’s words alone might have been enough to catapult the four players to glory. Their immortality was assured when an enterprising student publicist named George Strickler led four horses to the practice field a few days later for a soon-to-be-iconic photograph. All four of the Notre Dame backs mounted horses for the first time in their lives and became forever known as the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.

Johnny Lujack's Famous Tackle

Johnny Lujack played all 60 minutes in the “Game of the Century” against Army before 74,000 fans in Yankee Stadium in 1946. The most famous play of his career came in the second quarter, when Lujack, from his defensive position, made a diving, open-field tackle at the Irish 36 to bring down Army’s “Mr. Inside” -- Felix “Doc” Blanchard, the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner. Lujack’s tackle prevented a touchdown, preserved an epic 0-0 tie, and essentially clinched the 1946 national title for the Fighting Irish.

While his most famous play was a tackle, Lujack was known to be pretty good on offense, too. Notre Dame won three national titles – in 1943, 1946, and 1947 -- with Lujack as a starting quarterback.

In 1943, Lujack was chosen by head coach Frank Leahy as the “next man in” after starting quarterback Angelo Bertelli, who had led the Irish to victory in the first six games of the season, was called to active duty in the United States Marines -- in mid-season! The Irish won three of the last four games with Lujack as the new Irish signal caller. Bertelli was awarded the Heisman Trophy that year, and Notre Dame was awarded the national championship. Notre Dame’s only loss that season would turn out to be the only loss of Lujack’s collegiate career.

Johnny Lujack’s career record as Notre Dame's starting quarterback is simply incredible: 21-1-1. His .935 winning percentage is – and quite possibly always will be -- the best in school history among Irish quarterbacks. What makes his achievement even more astonishing is that his time on the playing field was interrupted for two years of active duty during World War II. After helping his Notre Dame team complete the drive to the national title in 1943, Lujack served as an ensign in the United States Navy (in 1944 and 1945 he was aboard a sub-chaser hunting German submarines in the English Channel) before returning to Notre Dame to lead the Fighting Irish to two more national titles in 1946 and 1947.

Johnny Lujack’s name is engraved on the 1947 Heisman Trophy.