College Football: The Mount Rushmore for the 30 best programs of all time
By Brad Weiss
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, Paul Hornung
The most decorated program in the history of college football, picking only four people to go on Notre Dame’s Mount Rushmore was not an easy task. In their history, the Fighting Irish have won nearly 900 games, an incredible 11 national titles, and have seen seven of their players win the Heisman Trophy.
Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne was a dominant head coach during his time at the helm of the Notre Dame football program, utilizing the forward pass to put together an incredible record. He had five undefeated seasons, led the team to three national titles, including going back-to-back in 1929 and 1930, while putting together a 102-12-5 record. Tragically, he perished in a plane crash at only 43-years old.
Frank Leahy
Frank Leahy won two national titles as a player, but that was nothing compared to what he did as head coach of the Fighting Irish. Leahy won six national championships as a coach, using his “lads” to put together an 87-11-9 record during his time at the school. The 1941 Coach of the Year, Leahy used the T-Formation perfectly and was another in a long list of legendary coaches for the Notre Dame program.
Ara Parseghian
When Ara Parseghian took over as head coach of the Fighting Irish, the program had fallen on hard times, posting five straight losing seasons. Parseghian changed all that, bringing Notre Dame back to the top of the college football landscape while winning two national titles. In total, he posted a 95-17-4 record over his 11 seasons at the helm.
Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung is widely considered one of the better do-everything football players in the history of the college game, as he was a standout on both sides of the ball for the Fighting Irish. The 1956 Heisman Trophy winner, Hornung was twice named an All-American for Notre Dame. When he won his Heisman in 1956, he did it as a member of a 2-8 squad, becoming the first winner from a losing team in the history of the award.