Notre Dame football: 5 best seasons in Fighting Irish history

Notre Dame football wins the national championship in 1946.

1946 began Leahy’s second stint at Notre Dame. It was a dream job for Leahy as he played for Knute Rockne’s Irish from 1928-1930. He coached for at Notre Dame for two years from 1941-1943 leading them to a National Championship.

After 1943, Leahy went to serve his country during World War II. Upon his return, Leahy led the Irish to arguably the greatest run in program history. From 1946-1949 the Irish went unbeaten with a record of 36-0-2.

The 1946 season was the first of two consecutive National Championships and three in four years. That team featured Johnny Lujack who would win the Heisman Trophy in 1947. The calling card of that 1946 football team would become the foundation of Notre Dame’s DNA.

That 1946 squad had a great running game and a dominant defense.  The Irish surrendered a mere two points per game which featured five shutouts. The Irish running game featured 12 running backs with at least 20 carries. They were led by Emil Sitko who was one of three running backs with at least 300 yards rushing.

This was the first of Notre Dame’s dominant teams in the post-Rockne era. How ironic they were led by a former Rockne player.