1969 Off Campus Football

In the Fall of 1966, parents from across the country dropped off their wide-eyed sons on the campus of Our Lady’s University. From that season’s very first win over a highly rated Bob Griese team from Purdue, it was obvious that the University and her students loved football. Perhaps it was the 1966 National Championship as freshman (following a 10-10 tie with Michigan State and a 51-0 blowout of 11^th ranked USC) that kept the competitive juices flowing for the Class of 1970 interhall players.

By 1969, we were Seniors. We were in our final year of college. We would be graduating in a few months --and leaving our sports careers behind us. Also, all of us (save one “transfer portal” player) were Off Campus students. Looking back on 1969, it seemed unbelievable that we could get a couple dozen 21-year-olds together from various South Bend neighborhoods to practice and play full pad, tackle football. But we did!

Our team had guys like the late Bud Clifford, an ROTC man (and future Coors Beer exec), at tight end. John Nesline was a rangy wide receiver, who was a number cruncher in Virginia after college (and who arranged our 50^th ND Reunion, after twice postponed by ND amid COVID-19 concerns). Jim Hansen, out of Northbrook, Illinois, was the 152-pound ND wrestler as well as a cornerback for ’69 OC football. His teammate in both sports was 177-pound QB Bill Hasbrook, an aspiring lawyer from Indianapolis, Indiana. Dan Johndrow, a speedy running back from Millbrae, California and Denny Kerrigan, a former ND freshman player, were on our squad.

Steve Strachota (a future Wisconsin dairy farmer) and Gene O’Brien from Ontario, Canada, toiled in the trenches. Rich Bollini, of New Philadelphia, Ohio, was a staunch linebacker of ‘69 OC. South Bend’s own Dan Valentino was a standout pass catcher as well.

The regular season was mostly a blur, but successful after a 5-0 start. An injury to a defensive lineman activated the “transfer portal”, as Hasbrook’s 24-year-old brother who worked in South Bend (after 3 years as defensive end for Tommy Mont’s DePauw Tigers teams), joined the team. He played in several games, until the Championship game in the ND Stadium, before which rosters were checked.

The Stadium game was against a combined team from Grace-St. Ed’s (which were both residence halls then). Off Campus players, if anything, were confident they would win the title over a 4-0-1 Grace-St. Ed’s squad. The field in the Stadium was natural grass in those days – and it had a crown sloping from the middle to the sidelines to help drainage. So, if your team wanted to run a sweep play, you could either be running uphill or downhill depending on your field position.

On the gray Sunday afternoon of November 23, 1969, the two championship game teams slugged their way to a 6-6 tie at the end of regulation play. Denny Kerrigan scored as time ran out to equal the GE touchdown pass to Michael Carmichael. In sudden death overtime, the Off Campus team was driving for a score that came up inches short on a 4^th and 1 attempt. Grace-St. Ed’s, on its next possession, threw a pass over the middle. Hansen and another OC defensive back collided while going for an interception and Grace-St. Ed’s receiver Junior Freeman scampered 60 yards for a 12-6 victory.

Although it was disappointing to lose the game, it was a thrill to play in ND Stadium before several hundred fans. On a side note, 3rd year varsity coach Ara Parseghian had sent his Offensive Coordinator, Tom Pagna, to watch the Interhall Championship game. Alas, none of the interhall players that day later joined the varsity team.

Bill Hasbrook

Class of 1970

Indianapolis, Indiana

317-525-7784

Memories of Interhall Football at Notre Dame

Morrissey Hall Football Years 1969 – 1972

My name is Ken Gillig. I lived in Morrissey Hall for all four years of my time at Notre Dame, from freshman year starting in fall 1969 through graduation in May of 1973. That’s a story in itself, but for another time. Suffice it to say I lived with a great bunch of guys who became close friends, lasting throughout those years and after graduation to this very day 50 years later: TJ, Bobo, JP, Gerry, Con, Vince, Tex, Dave, Fran, and more. We have regular Zoom meetings to stay in touch.

When my parents took me (and my stuff) to ND for the first few days before classes started I had the chance to see a little of the ND varsity practicing, and on several occasions we ate lunch or dinner near them in the North Dining Hall. I remember thinking to myself … “well, I am 6 foot 3 inches and 220 pounds, somewhat fit, but these varsity guys were huge”. Any aspirations for attempting to walk-on were easily given in to the goal of getting a great education, and keeping my body in one piece!

Within weeks of starting at ND as a new freshman in 1969 I responded to the call for those interested in playing interhall football. I don’t remember the ads calling for players, but I do remember being surprised finding out that the games against other dormitories would be played as full tackle football, and was more than amused when us players for Morrissey went over to the ND stadium to be fitted for full equipment using old uniforms and equipment from the varsity team. Some people found it “fun” trying on leather helmets, where I had enough injuries in high school football to prompt me to take the newest looking equipment I could find. With that the Morrissey players went off and began forming a team.

All four years we typically practiced three days a week around 3:30 - 5:00 PM on an open field over behind Carroll Hall and St. Mary’s Lake. Many Morrissey players had played high school football and brought with them ideas for drills for different players: offensive and defensive line, quarterbacks and ends, running backs. Sooner than later it made sense to design and write down plays so that we knew what was going to happen (hopefully) when a ball was snapped.

For me, as a linemen on offense and defense, it was fun practicing – a great release of energy from the tensions of studying or any other distractions you might have. On several occasions, lineman-to-lineman drills got pretty intense and competitive, but we always seemed to all walk away smiling at the end of practice as we got ready for weekly games. Being a bit tired from practice did not stop us from speeding over to the South Dining Hall for a ‘wonderful sit-down dinner’.

Game days on Saturdays were unlike high school – first, the pressure we created for ourselves to play well and push to win was self-created, not driven by much more than personal and hall pride. Second, often after a night of partying, knowing in a few hours you were going to play tough football, shaking off that party was the focus. Finally, I remember traveling around the campus on our game days, which often were ND varsity at home game days as well, getting burgers/dogs, having a few beers, and meeting others and catching up … staying loose. Then you were ready to go play.

Over the four years on Morrissey’s teams it became evident a little more organization and discipline before, during, and after practice and games paid off in more frequent wins with better scores for our team. One or our hall mates, Vince, was a great help in making all this happen. While he did not play, he was more of a coach and coordinator to keep us focused. We even got to a point where some limited scouting of other supposedly good dorm teams we were soon to play happened.

Our Morrissey team members got closer each year, and our team got better each year as our plays got more sophisticated and worked more reliably, and we had more fun along the way. We even ended up with a Morrissey fight song, sung to the “tune” of the University of Southern California fight song:

“Fight on, for Morrissey, the black and gold, to victory!” - repeated over and over

My junior and senior seasons in the fall of 1971 and 1972 afforded us the opportunity to play in the championship game for the ND Interhall Football. By then our biggest competitor was Dillon Hall if I remember correctly. Morrissey did win the 1972 championship game, played inside the ND stadium. It felt surreal being in the center of that field and looking up at the stands seeing about 300-400 “fans” watching us play. I tried to imagine how an ND varsity player feels when he is in big games. It was pretty cool for me, all things considered!

My memories of ND Interhall Football – great fun, great guys to team with, added memories of my time at ND, a great school!

Regards,

Kenneth J. Gillig

ND Class of 1973

B.S Mathematics