Note: This new column is an addition we hope to run weekly on Tuesdays in the coming months on some pertinent topics.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of what the NCAA recognized as Notre Dame’s first national title in football, although that 1919 feat led by second-year head coach Knute Rockne and star halfback George Gipp, was also shared by unanimous choice Harvard, Illinois and Texas A&M.
Five years later, Rockne and Co. were awarded their first consensus national title following a Rose Bowl victory versus Stanford. In the 70 football seasons from 1919-88, Notre Dame was acknowledged by the NCAA to have achieved 13 national titles (11 consensus), or one every 5.4 years. That’s not including numerous other unbeaten seasons and/or No. 2 finishes in 1941, 1948, 1953, 1970, or even 1989 and 1993.
So 31 years after the most recent title, the question is often broached: Will Notre Dame football ever again win a national championship?
