The Leather Age Collapse
1936 - 1946
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The Leather Age Collapse is the fourth era of the unofficial interhall chronology. The name of the era is an homage to the Bronze Age Collapse of late antiquity, when many seemingly prominent empires in Europe and the Middle East collapsed for reasons unknown. The "Leather Age" is also a loose reference to the use of leather football helmets in the 1930s and 40s. The end of World War II did not signify the end of leather, but the helmets began to be phased out in interhall football around the same time as the Leather Age concluded.
After the death of Dick Sullivan in an interhall game in 1935, athletic director Elmer Layden instituted many new rules for the 1936 season that were designed to improve the safety of the league. However, the players did not take to the rules well, and the season was almost certainly abandoned before any games were played. Over the next three years, no tackle football league existed at the intramural level at Notre Dame. In 1937, an interhall touch football league was introduced by interhall director John Scannell, only for the season to peter out after the first round of games. In 1938, a touch league was carried out successfully, with the Zahm blues defeating Freshman Hall 6-0 in the championship. In 1939, a unique interclass football league was formed with the four class teams. The Juniors defeated the Seniors in the semi-finals before taking down the Freshmen 13-0 for the only known class-based football title ever awarded at Notre Dame. Interhall in the tradition sense returned to campus in 1940 with renewed vigor.
The 1940 and 41 seasons are considered extremely successful in that there was a high degree of participation, coverage, and talent in the league. The following two seasons were affected by U.S. involvement in World War II and the V-12 program that came with it. No interhall football of any kind was played on campus during the last two years of the war. In 1946, the final season of the era, the interhall league returned to Notre Dame in a limited capacity, with John Scannell overseeing the last ten games of his career as interhall director.
The Navy Midshipmen V-12 program saved the University of Notre Dame from financial ruin during the principal years of World War II. However, a casualty of the initiative was the interhall football program.
Key Developments
One major, and one minor, hiatus occurs during this period.
Major: The Sullivan hiatus (1936-39).
The death of student Richard "Dick" Sullivan from injuries sustained in an interhall football game causes the rest of the 1935 season to be cancelled. After an investigation into the practices of the interhall league, Athletic Director Elmer Layden instituted new rules for the 1936 season to curb injuries. However, the new requirements were considered to stringent for the players, and the season was boycotted. Over the next two years, only an interhall touch football league existed at Notre Dame. In 1939, in the final year of the hiatus, a late start shifted the season plan from a new interhall league to a playoff between the four undergraduate classes.
Minor: The war hiatus (1944-45)
Beginning in 1941, the number of students at Notre Dame declined. This was because of a loss of civilian dormitories to the new V-12 midshipmen program on campus and the onset of World War II spurring many young men to enlist. By 1943 this number had grown too small to support an interhall football program.
The Naval R.O.T.C. team was an organization of civilian students who participated in the Reserve Officer's Training Corp. It is the only recognized club football team to participate in the interhall football league.
Th Main Building team consisted of the last class of students from Brownson and Carroll Halls, which would be converted to office space after World War II ended. I recognize it as the first "consolidated" team.
Teams established
Cavanaugh Hall - 1940 - hall established 1936
Zahm Hall - 1940 - hall established 1937
Breen-Phillips Hall - 1940 - hall established 1939
Naval R.O.T.C. - 1941
Teams disestablished
Corby Hall - 1936 - became priests' residence
Freshman Hall - 1940 - demolished
Brownson Hall - World War II - converted to office space
Carroll Hall - World War II - converted to office space
Naval R.O.T.C. - 1941 - off campus games in 1942
Consolidated teams
The Main Building team (Brownson-Carroll) - 1942 - lightweight league
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