American college football season
The 1951 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1951 college football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Frank Leahy, the Fighting Irish compiled a record of 7–2–1.
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 29 | Indiana | No. 14 | | W 48–6 | 55,790 | |
| at Detroit | No. 5 | | W 40–6 | 52,331 | [1] |
October 13 | SMU | No. 5 | - Notre Dame Stadium
- Notre Dame, IN
| L 20–27 | 58,240 | |
October 20 | at Pittsburgh | | | W 33–0 | 60,127 | |
October 27 | Purdue | No. 15 | - Notre Dame Stadium
- Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)
| W 30–9 | 57,890 | |
November 3 | vs. Navy | No. 13 | | W 19–0 | 44,237 | |
November 10 | at No. 5 Michigan State | No. 11 | | L 0–35 | 51,296 | [2] |
November 17 | at North Carolina | | | W 12–7 | 44,000–45,500 | [3] |
November 24 | Iowa | | - Notre Dame Stadium
- Notre Dame, IN
| T 20–20 | 40,685 | |
December 1 | at No. 20 USC | | | W 19–12 | 55,783 | |
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
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Team players drafted into the NFL
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.
Player |
Position |
Round |
Pick |
Franchise
|
Bob Toneff |
Tackle |
2 |
22 |
San Francisco 49ers
|
John Petitbon |
Halfback |
7 |
74 |
New York Yanks
|
Chet Ostrowski |
Defensive End |
10 |
115 |
Washington Redskins
|
Jim Mutscheller |
Defensive End |
12 |
134 |
New York Yanks
|
Dave Flood |
Defensive Back |
13 |
150 |
Pittsburgh Steelers
|
Paul Burns |
Guard |
16 |
191 |
New York Giants
|
Billy Barrett |
Halfback |
28 |
327 |
Green Bay Packers
|
[4]
References
- ^ Dick Peters (October 6, 1951). "52,371 See Irish Sweep Past U-D, 40-6". Detroit Free Press. pp. 14, 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ George S. Alderton (November 11, 1951). "Rout of Notre Dame Bolsters M.S.C. Bid for National Title: Near-Record Crowd Sees Stunned Irish Humbled by State". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1, IV-1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Notre Dame edges Tar Heels". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 18, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Reference at www.pro-football-reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
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Venues | |
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Bowls and rivalries | |
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Culture and lore | |
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People | |
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |