Varsity coaches in Interhall

Harry G. Hadden was hired by the Irish in mid-October, while the recent Michigan grad was in the middle of a stint as right tackle for the Chicago Athletic Association. His arrival date was set at October 24, but Hadden instead opted to stay for a game against the Newton Athletic Club on the 27th. A subsequent entry in the ND Scholastic fumed, "all arrangements were made with Hadden, of the Chicago Athletic Club, to coach the Varsity, and he was expected last Thursday afternoon; but he went East with the club and broke his contract. Mr. Hadden is far from scrupulous in business dealings."

Nevertheless, Notre Dame's second part-time coach arrived in mid-November, in time to face a team that his former athletic association had already played, twice. In a move that mirrored many future interhall football coaches, Hadden inserted himself into the varsity line-up during the first half against Indianapolis Light Artillery. The Irish would lose 18-0 (one of only three losses ever suffered against non-collegiate teams) but Hadden had made a name for himself. However, two days before his first varsity game, Hadden was able to coach the Ex-Carrollites of Brownson Hall to a convincing 46-0 win over LaPorte High School.

Varsity coaching record: 1–1 (.500); Interhall coaching record: 1–0 (1.000).

James McWeeney is probably among the ten least known coaches in ND history, right between Victor M. Place and Red Salmon. You probably have never even heard of him. But in 1899, he was given control of an Irish squad that posted its first ever six-win season; that's more than Joe Kuharich could ever say! However, he was also a small part of an arguably more incredible feat. The 1899 Carroll Anti-Specials hold the distinction of compiling the winningest single season record of any interhall football program, men or women, ancient to the modern era. The Anti-Specials posted (at least) a 11-0 record and outscored their opponents by a total of 191 to 5. For their penultimate match against Niles High School, the Carrollites were gifted the services of McSweeney, who led them to a 5-0 victory.

Varsity coaching record: 6–3–1 (.650); Interhall coaching record: 1–0 (1.000)

Henry McGlew is another example of a relatively unknown entry on the varsity coaching record. But while McSweeney thrived during his single-season stint, McGlew struggled. The Irish slogged to a 5-4 record, their first 4-loss season in school history. They were also upset 5-0 by the Wabash Little Giants, one of only three home game losses ever on Cartier Field (1899 - 1928). However, there was one bright spot to this rollercoaster of a season. The week after the Wabash game, the Irish took their fury out on Rush Medical College and won the most lopsided game in program history, 142-0.

While playing left tackle for Notre Dame in 1903, McGlew presided over several intramural teams of varying age and talent. The Carroll Trojans represented the second or third team of old Carroll Hall, which was a dormitory for high school students before Notre Dame became a more traditional university in the 1920s. The Scholastic reported, "The Trojans, under the direction of Coach McGlew, are practising as hard and assiduously for the coming season as the members of the Varsity squad, and in this respect they are setting an example which it would be well for the various Hall teams to follow." The Ex-Minims were another team from Carroll, although the team was distinguished as being made up entirely of students who used to attend the Minims department, a primary school program housed in St. Edward's Hall.

By October 4, McGlew was in charge of Brownson Hall, the first primary hall team to be led by a future varsity coach. The Scholastic wrote optimistically, "Conway has been elected Captain of the Brownson Hall team to succeed Opfergelt who resigned. The team is being coached by McGlew, and under his able direction expects to land the Inter-Hall Championship."

Whether or not Brownson won the championship is unfortunately lost to history. 1903 marked the first year that a round-robin schedule had been implemented, and Brownson was scheduled to play St. Joseph and Sorin Halls in November. However, no known results were ever published for either contest. A late-season complaint alluded that Brownson may have defeated St. Joseph and was set to play Sorin for the interhall championship. The complaint also mentioned that a date had not been agreed upon yet, which may indicate that the game was never played. Regardless, McGlew was on hand for the off-campus games that the Brownsonsites participated in November, compiling at least a 3-3 record with their first and second teams.

Varsity coaching record: 5–4 (.556); Interhall coaching record: 5–5? (.500)

The name "Knute Rockne" needs no explanation to persuade you of its significance. The original "The Rock" has won three national championships, coached ten consensus and two unanimous all-Americans, sired a coaching tree of over a hundred members, and still maintains the highest winning percentage (.881) of any major college football coach over ninety years after his tragic plane crash in Bazaar, Kansas.

There is a popular story that coach Rockne was the founder of the interhall football leagues, and it was he who began the tradition of hall rivalry and the gifting of old varsity equipment to the interhall players. Unfortunately, this position is simple a myth that has been perpetrated since the 1940s. In reality, interhall had existed at Notre Dame for two decades before Rockne ever stepped on campus, and it had been an institution since the 1909 season. Additionally, Jesse Harper was the first coach to allow interhall players to use old equipment, not Rockne.

The focus of Knute Rockne's involvement in interhall football is clearer during his playing days than when he was head coach. In 1912, the varsity End coached up Sorin Hall in the pre-season before being put in charge of Corby Hall, which had won six championships in the last nine seasons, including a three-peat from 1909 to 1911. broke that streak as the Corbyites ground to a 1-2-1 halt. In the following season, Rockne was again tasked with coaching the Corbyites to victory. Again

It's ironic that arguably the most renowned football coach of all time, a man who lost just twelve games in his entire thirteen-year career with the Fighting Irish, won only a single game against three losses and as many ties as a two-year interhall coach. I guess he was saving his speeches and recruiting tactics for the varsity.

Varsity coaching record: 105–12–5 (.881), Interhall coaching record: 1–3–3 (.357)

Heartley "Hunk" Anderson was essentially a long-term interim coach, taking over the Irish program in the aftermath of Knute Rockne's death. The former legends shadow loomed large over his successor, and Hunk was unable to escape that pressure during his three-year tenure. After back-to-back mediocre (for Rockne standards) seasons, the lifeline was finally cut after a terrible 3-5-1 showing in 1933, the varsity's first losing season in 45 years. In fact, 1933 is the only year between 1888 and 1956 that saw the Irish perform so poorly.

In 1919, an untarnished Hunk was playing guard on the Rock's first of five undefeated varsity squads. He was also coaching the football team of Sorin Hall, which fought league champion Corby to a scoreless tie and otherwise performed well despite an early-season loss to a solid Badin squad.

Varsity coaching record: 16–9–2 (.629); Interhall coaching record: 2–1–1 (.625)

Frank Leahy was a man of many wins. As a player during the final two years of his mentor, Knute Rockne, the first-string tackle won 19 consecutive games and two national championships. A decade later and Leahy was winning at Boston College. He won twenty games with the Eagles against two losses and guided the Eagles to their winningest season ever with a Sugar Bowl victory over Tennessee to boot. He traded all of those wins for a job he had always dreamed of: head football coach of his alma mater. As coach, Leahy won four (arguably five) national championships, fostered four Heisman trophy winners, and maintained a 39-game unbeaten streak from 1946 to 1949. By the time of his retirement in 1953, Frank Leahy had the second-highest winning percentage of any major college football coach. Only Rockne could top such an accomplishment.

During the magical run of the Irish in 1929 and 1930, Leahy was given two opportunities to exercise how good of a coach he would become as the leader of Badin Hall. Unfortunately, the fates never allowed him to prove this. In 1929, the Badinites forfeited each of their four games due to a lack of players. A year later, and the same process would repeat itself. Badin forfeited one game to Lyons before dropping out of the interhall season altogether. The only win Leahy could never achieve, it seems, was the ever-elusive interhall game.

Varsity coaching record: 107–13–9 (.864); Interhall coaching record: 0–5 (.000)

Charlie Weis was the last of the Notre Dame football coaches who could also call the University their alma mater. Weis graduated in 1978 and began a 25-year career in assistant coaching jobs from Morristown High School of New Jersey to offensive-coordinator of the New England Patriots. In his first two years with the Irish, Weis seemed to be a natural fit. He won nine games in his first year, and compiled Notre Dame's first ten-win season since 2002 a year later. Unfortunately, the well ran dry in 2007 as the Irish put together a disastrous 3-9 season. Two mediocre years later and Kelly was leaving Cincinnati in the dust to take over coaching.

If you look at Weis' Wikipedia page, you will assume that his first head coaching job of any kind came with Notre Dame in 2004. You would technically be right, though the date is very wrong. Weis did start his coaching career for a Notre Dame team, just not the varsity team. In 1977, the 4-time Superbowl champion was granted the head coaching position at Flanner Hall. The High Risers performed well too, given Weis a win percentage far higher than he would receive later in his college and professional careers.

Varsity coaching record: 41–49 (.456); Interhall coaching record: 4–1–1 (.750)

Marcus Freeman is the newest head coach of the Fighting Irish, taking over for Brian Kelly in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. I wish coach Freeman the best of luck in the most important job of his life, and I hope within three years he can join the pantheon of greats who etched their names into Notre Dame history with a national championship.

The following is admittingly just a rumor. It was added to Freeman's Wikipedia page in November before being taken down for lack of sourcing, so its reliability is questionable at best. The entry claimed that Marcus was the assistant defensive coordinator of Pangborn Hall during the 2020 season. Whether or not this is true, his quick association with some of the unique tenets of Notre Dame lore bodes well for his backing by the student body.

Frank Hering is an important character in the development of Notre Dame football from a local activity to one of national prominence. Hering transferred from the University of Chicago in 1896 to become player-coach of the Gold and Blue. In 1898 he was awarded the new position of university athletic director, and scheduled games against four Western Conference (Big Ten) opponents. He was eventually given the moniker "Father of Notre Dame Football" and was the principal speaker at the dedication of Notre Dame Stadum in 1930.

Hering's connection to interhall sports is extremely narrow. In 1896, the star quarterback was on hand to preside over a game between the S.M. Specials of Sorin Hall and the Lawyers of Notre Dame Law School. The S.M. specials may have represented the primary team of Sorin Hall in 1896, although this is only a theory.

Varsity coaching record: 12–6–1 (.658)

James Farragher is almost considered unrecognized under the eye of Notre Dame football historians. However, he will remain the sixth coach of the Fighting Irish until deemed otherwise by the record books.

Farragher refereed in only one known contest, the de-facto interhall championship between Brownson and Sorin Halls at the turn of the century. He was assisted by James McWeeney, another early ND coach.

Varsity coaching record: 14–2–2 (.843)

Louis "Red" Salmon is officially recognized as coaching the 1904 Blue and Gold squad. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that he was also the de-facto coach of the 1902 and 1903 seasons, a title officially given to his teammate James Farragher. The reality is that during the early 1900s the University relied on their captains to run the varsity squad, as opposed to a paid coach.

There are no records of Salmon ever coaching an intramural or interhall team. He did, however, serve as umpire for the Corby-Sorin de-facto championships in 1902 and 1904, and refereed the 1903 iteration of that game.

Official varsity coaching record: 5–3 (.625); 1902-1903 included varsity coaching record: 19–5–1 (.780)

Frank Leahy already has a direct connection to interhall football through his botched 1929 and 1930 campaigns with Badin. Luckily for him, his indirect connections have brought much due glory to his names on Notre Dame's ground floor for football. Frank Leahy Jr., the first of eight Leahy children, was a student at Notre Dame from 1954 to 1957. He played interhall football for at least two of those seasons: for Farley as QB/K in 1954, and for Dillon as QB in 1956. In the latter case, Leahy Jr. not only won football games, but he won six straight en route to the Big Red's fifth interhall championship and second undefeated and untied season.

Varsity coaching record: 107–13–9 (.864); Interhall coaching record: 0–5 (.000)

Ara Parseghian has many connections to the interhall football program, though he has never played or coached a day of it in his life.

His first connection is through his son, Mike Parseghian. As a freshman in 1973, Mike played tailback for Keenan, and took the "Black and Gold" all the way to the Stadium with a 4-0-1 record. A heartbreaking 8-6 loss to Dillon tampered the success of the prodigal Parseghian, but not for long. In 1975, Mike came back to Keenan as an interhall coach. Over the next two seasons, Keenan compiled a 14-1-1 record, recorded the first back-to-back seven-win seasons in interhall history, and won two championships.

Parseghian is also connected through a story ascribed by longtime chemical engineering professor Dr. James Carberry. The "Doc" is a unique personality in the interhall timeline. He was a World War II veteran, ex-interhall QB, Yale college graduate, and possessed perhaps the longest career of any interhall football coach. From 1962 to 1976, Carberry coached Lyons, Dillon, St. Joseph, and Sorin Halls, and even had time to train the South Quad in the 1976 all-star game. He also won three championships, with Lyons-Morrissey in 1962 and 1966, and for Dillon in 1970. Carberry also had a talent for maintaining friendships with some of the greatest greats of his era. His roommate and best friend in college was none other than Leon Hart, and Johnny Lujack knew him well enough to make comments on his abilities as quarterback. He also knew Ara well, which is why in 1975, Carberry jokingly offered the recent-retired Parseghian a position as a backfield coach of Sorin Hall. We will never know what happened after Doc made this quip, but it certainly proved how well the two legends knew one other. At Carberry's funeral in 2000, Parseghian was among the pallbearers that laid interhall's greatest coach to rest.

Varsity coaching record: 95–17–4 (.836)