Today Navy-Notre Dame open up CFB season from the Emerald Isle. ND always gets criticism for scheduling Navy, but there is sacred history most are unaware of. From Wiki Despite the one-sided result the last few decades, most Notre Dame and Navy fans consider the series a sacred tradition for historical reasons. Both schools have strong football traditions going back to the beginnings of the sport. Notre Dame, like many colleges, faced severe financial difficulties during World War II, which were exacerbated by the fact that it was then still an all-male institution. The US Navy made Notre Dame a training center for V-12 candidates and paid enough for usage of the facilities to keep the University afloat. Notre Dame has since extended an open invitation for Navy to play the Fighting Irish in football and considers the game annual repayment on a debt of honor.
So the US gobernment and taxpayers kept the private institution solvent. Isn’t that some stuff. Edits: I did some further reading and it’s unclear how to see if this was the University being patriotic or the University looking for a lifeline. With young men going off to war, it’s probably unfair to say the government saved ND as much as there was mutual needs of ND and the Navy.
Please. Notre Dame has never had any problems in the past dropping “traditional” games as soon as they started losing regularly to the teams that they used to beat easily. The Naval Academy is an easy win for Notre Dame. Sure, exceptions happen here and there, but generally speaking they can count that one in the win column. That’s why they cling to the “tradition” of it. Everything else is myth.
That's painful. You may visited by a homicidal leprechaun if you keep it up. Or excommunicated. Otherwise, I will have to disagree in all seriousness. Much tradition in South Bend, more than usual
Same here. The Bus had his way with us in the second half that night. I did briefly meet Mel Tillis on Bourbon Street that trip, though, so not all was bad.
Well, I said it there, it comes out here: 42-3. Never competitive. The best thing I can say is that it was “nice” of Notre Dame to give the Naval Academy a field goal in the 4th Quarter.
