Oct. 3, 1999

by Cappy Gagnon

Saturday’s game between Oklahoma and Notre Dame was the ninth meeting between these two football giants, each ranked among the top 10 in all-time college football wins and winning percentage. The first game in this series, on Nov. 8, 1952, featured Notre Dame’s Frank Leahy (.864) and Oklahoma’s Bud Wilkinson (.826), both in the top 10 in winning percentage for coaches.

On that November day, the Sooners came into Notre Dame Stadium led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Billy Vessels. The visitors featured a punishing ground game. Their 41 points per game led the nation. Oklahoma was also in the midst of a 14-year streak of being ranked in the top 15, with 10 of those teams being in the top five. The Sooners won the 1950 national championship – a year after Notre Dame won it in ’49.

Notre Dame, ranked 10th in the country, defeated the fourth-ranked Sooners 27-21 in the inaugural game of the series. A year later, in Frank Leahy’s final season, No. 1-ranked Notre Dame opened the season in Norman, defeating No. 6-ranked Oklahoma, 28-21.

The ’53 Irish team was one of the greatest in Notre Dame annals, as it defeated five teams ranked in the top 20 – Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Navy and USC. Right halfback Johnny Lattner won the Heisman and backfield mates Ralph Guglielmi at quarterback, fullback Neil Worden and halfback Joe Heap, plus tackles Frank Varrichione and Art Hunter, all were taken in the first round in the next two National Football League drafts.

Both centers, Jim Schrader and Dick Syzmanski, were taken in the second round and enjoyed long and successful NFL careers. Leahy would have completed his final season, like his mentor, Knute Rockne, with an undefeated national championship team, were it not for a 14-14 tie with 20th-ranked Iowa. The tie game dropped the Irish to second, behind Maryland.

In those days, the final Associated Press and United Press International football champions were selected in polls which concluded before the bowl games. Maryland (10-0) was voted No. 1, barely ahead of the Irish. The Terrapins later played the Sooners in the Orange Bowl, losing 7-0. Under today’s polling, after the Orange Bowl, the 9-0-1 Irish would likely have been voted national champions over the 10-1 Terps.

After losing to the Irish, and tying Pittsburgh the following week, the Sooners began the most remarkable streak in college football history as they won an NCAA-record 47 straight games, which still stands today. They won their final nine games of 1953, all 10 games of 1954, all 11 games of 1955 and all 10 games of 1956. Notre Dame was among the victims in the streak – losing at home, 40-0, on Oct. 27, 1956. Oklahoma won national titles in 1955 and 1956, after finishing third in 1954.

Coach Terry Brennan led the Irish to opening wins over Purdue, Indiana, 10th-ranked Army and Pittsburgh to begin the 1957 season, before losses to ranked Navy and Michigan State teams put a halt to the comeback.

For the Nov. 16 match-up, the 7-0 Sooners, surprisingly ranked only second, were three touchdown favorites.

Wilkinson’s crew had a lot of motivation to beat the Irish. In addition to trying to win a third straight national championship, the Sooners were smarting over the Heisman Trophy selection for 1956. Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung won the award, despite the 2-8 season suffered by his team.

In his press releases, Notre Dame sports information director Charlie Callahan featured stories about Notre Dames’s Golden Boy, while Oklahoma decided to give equal publicity to its two stars – halfback Tommy McDonald and linebacker Gerry Tubbs.

This tactical decision might have cost Oklahoma a Heisman for McDonald. When the final votes were counted, the Sooner stars finished third and fourth, behind Hornung and Tennessee’s Johnny Majors, but their combined vote total (1,697) far surpassed Hornung’s (1,066).

If all of the above weren’t enough drama, as Oklahoma celebrated its 50th year of statehood, the game was also televised nationally by NBC, AND, in color!

Notre Dame had a lot of injuries heading into the game, including an appendix operation which caused assistant coach Hank Stram to miss the game.

Spearheaded by a tenacious defense, which held the Sooners under 100 yards rushing and under 50 yards passing, the Irish kept the Sooners away from the end zone.

Notre Dame was stopped inches short of a touchdown in the second quarter before making the game’s only score, after a 20-play, 80 yard drive, in the game’s closing minutes. The Irish began the drive with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game and Dick Lynch made the score on a run around right end, with 3:50 left. The Sooners were bunched in the middle, perhaps expecting that big Nick Pietrosante would bang in for the winner. Pietrosante gained 35 yards in seven carries during the scoring drive, three times carrying for a first down. Quarterback Bob Williams had a great day, calling every play except a second-quarter fake field goal, and making an interception to seal the 7-0 victory and end the Oklahoma streak.