Notre Dame Football vs. The Service Academies: A Brief History Lesson

Army

First meeting: November 1, 1913. 35-13 ND
Last meeting: November 12, 2016. 44-6 ND
Series record: Notre Dame leads, 39-8-4

For years, this was THE rivalry in college football. From the turn of the century to the 1950s, Army was a college football superpower, including three national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946.

One of the most important moments in the history of the sport happened during this series, on the very first meeting in 1913. This was the game where Notre Dame used a brand new “forward pass” to beat the Black Knights. Army finished that season 8-1, while the Irish finished at 9-0.

When Notre Dame was struggling, not just as a program, but a university during World War II, the Irish were dominated in back to back seasons, losing 59-0 in 1944, then 48-0 in 1945. The 1944 loss was particularly painful, as the Irish had just won a National Championship the season before. Until that point, Army’s last victory against the Irish came in 1931, and their last points came in 1938.

From 1939-1946, at least one team was shut out.

Of course, the biggest game of the series came on November 9, 1946 at Yankee Stadium in a game that was referred to as the “Game of the Century.” Both teams entered undefeated at 6-0. Army was ranked No.1, while Notre Dame was No. 2. The two teams fought to a 0-0 tie. Both teams finished without a loss, but it was Notre Dame who was awarded the National Championship.

As a program, Army has been down for quite a while, although they’ve certainly been on an upswing in the past few seasons. This is absolutely a series most people would love to see return.