Notre Dame football: Top 5 quarterbacks in school history
As a member of the “Four Horsemen of Notre Dame,” Harry Stuhldreher is the oldest Notre Dame quarterback to make this list. A starter from 1922 through the 1924 season, and only standing 5 feet and 7 inches, Stuhldreher had a shockingly historic career with Notre Dame.
Being of an era where quarterbacks almost never threw the ball, it is difficult to judge Stuhldreher against Notre Dame quarterbacks, like Brady Quinn. However, his career completion percentage of 64% was good then and is still good today.
His best season, which was the 1924 season, only came with four touchdown passes, while completing an outstanding 76% of his passes. Still, that was good enough to make it as an All-American.
If you needed any more proof that Stuhldreher came from a unique era for the quarterback position, he was once described as a “solid blocker.” It was his job to run, and organize, the “Notre Dame Box,” which is the offense that Knute Rockne ran. It consisted of four in the backfield, two ends, and unbalanced formations. Often, Stuhldreher would line up over the guard, to create an imbalance for the defense to contend with. This made it Stuhldreher’s job to distribute the football in triple options, throw, and block.
In the 1924 season, Stuhldreher led a Knute Rockne coached team to an undefeated record, and a trip to the Rose Bowl. There, the Irish beat Stanford by a score of 27-10. It was the first National Championship season of the eleven in Notre Dame’s history.
You won’t find Stuhldreher at the top of any record books. Records aren’t why he’s on this list, though. The simple fact is that Stuhldreher is a legend. Almost a myth, like Perseus, he’s a hero to the Notre Dame faithful. He, and the Four Horsemen, put Notre Dame firmly on the college football map.
Tony Rice might be faster. Joe Montana may be more accurate. Jimmy Clausen might have a bigger arm. None of them touch the immortal greatness that comes with being the quarterback of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.
Harry Stuhldreher is one of the nine Notre Dame quarterbacks in the College Football Hall of Fame, as he was elected in 1958.