1953 Notre Dame
9–0–1, coached by Frank Leahy, finished No. 2 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Best winBeat No. 4 Georgia Tech 27–14Oct 24
Over the best-ranked team it beat, at home.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26 | at 6Oklahoma | W 28–21 | 38% |
| Oct 3 | at Purdue | W 37–7 | 63% |
| Oct 17 | vs 15Pittsburgh | W 23–14 | 80% |
| Oct 24 | vs 4Georgia Tech | W 27–14 | 54% |
| Oct 31 | vs 20Navy | W 38–7 | 69% |
| Nov 7 | at Pennsylvania | W 28–20 | 75% |
| Nov 14 | at North Carolina | W 34–14 | 80% |
| Nov 21 | vs 20Iowa | T 14–14 | 81% |
| Nov 28 | at 20USC | W 48–14 | 57% |
| Dec 5 | vs SMU | W 40–14 | 84% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat SMU 40–14; No. 2 in the final AP poll.
In program history: The 10th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 131 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 1
- Wk 2: 1
- Wk 3: 1
- Wk 4: 1
- Wk 5: 1
- Wk 6: 1
- Wk 7: 1
- Wk 8: 1
- Wk 9: 1
- Wk 10: 2
- Final: 2
Players on this team
Johnny LattnerRunning back
Ralph GuglielmiQuarterback
Art HunterOffensive tackle
Joe HeapRunning back
Frank VarrichioneOffensive tackle
Dick SzymanskiCenter- Don SchaeferBack
- Sam PalumboCenter
- Tom McHughBack
Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 1953.
Heisman TrophyJohnny Lattner, RB; also the Maxwell
- Record
- 9–0–1
- Conference
- —
- AP final
- No. 2 peak No. 1
- Points
- 317–139
- Coach
- Frank Leahy
- Elo
- 1798 +159 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- 25.7 No. 1 of 110 major-college teams
- Recruiting class
- —
- Captain
- Don Penza
Drafted in 1954
The 1954 draft| Rd 1 | Art Hunter OT | Green Bay Packers |
| Rd 1 | Johnny Lattner RB | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Rd 1 | Neil Worden FB | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Rd 2 | Jim Schrader C | Washington Redskins |
| Rd 4 | Fran Paterra B | Chicago Bears |
| Rd 4 | Minnie Mavraides OG | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Rd 6 | Tom McHugh B | Chicago Cardinals |