Very interesting! I played for four years for Grace Hall, from 1970 through 1973. Steve Tierney, also class of ’74, one of my suite mates sophomore and junior years, also played, but I can’t remember how many years. He moved off campus senior year. Steve and I both walked on varsity football in the Spring of 1972, made the team, or they didn’t tell us to go away, and both of us played in the Blue/Gold Game for a couple of minutes. One of my lungs collapsed that summer and I couldn’t return that Fall (my doctor wrote a letter to Coach Parseghian, probably saved my life!), but still played Interhall that Fall anyway. Didn’t realize that I could have died if I got hit the wrong way.

Senior year I was a member of the men’s varsity golf team. Walked on there, too, and qualified third in the Notre Dame Open (the qualifying tournament), but still played Interhall. Got in trouble with the golf coach O’Sullivan when he saw that article in The Observer where I intercepted a pass against Stanford.

Memories of Inter-Hall Football Sixty Years On

I was a decent high-school football player from a small Class D school but I had no notion of continuing that pursuit at any college much less at Notre Dame but I loved playing football (all 140 pounds of me) and when informed by some upper classmen about Inter-Hall I signed up right away. 

Breen-Phillips had a good team especially on the defensive side. I had been a defensive end/ linebacker in high school but I got to play cornerback at B-P which was very cool. We had a good rivalry with Stanford Hall and I don’t remember many details but I do remember being burned long twice in a play-off game against them in 1972. The game was played on an Astro-turf practice field on a rainy day and my grass cleats were no match for either the field or for the Stanford receivers in their Astro-turf cleats.

After moving off campus in 1973, I played one season for the off-campus team. While at B-P we had regular practices but the off-campus team had no such plans. Our field was right outside Senior Bar and after running a few laps (maybe) we repair there to seek refreshment. The games were not necessarily competitive, but I didn’t mind. I got to play safety and return punts. My “highlight” reel was returning a punt about 60 yards when, with the goal line in sight, I was blindsided near the sideline and landed about 15 yards out of bounds. Then holding was called on the play nullifying my return but I didn’t mind. I still remember the feeling of running down the sideline with the goal line in sight and I still wish I had been just a little faster. Thanks to IH football for the memories.

Charlie Donnelly, class of 1975

When I entered Notre Dame and moved into Grace Hall in the fall of 1973 I missed sports.  Being a three-sport athlete in high school and having no athletics in college was a big change in my routine.  One day I was hangin out in Grace Hall  and my buddy Jungle Cowley says  "Hey , they are practicing football  in the field outside the window between the library and Grace; you want to go check it out"?  I reluctantly said yes, as I thought I was done with sports.  So we went down and joined the team.  

I remember checking out our football gear in Notre Dame stadium and the stuff was sold old, you were lucky to find shoulder pads that were not in shambles.  They actually had some of those leather helmets in there... and none of the equipment  fit anybody.  And the helmets we got, not the leather ones, but the regular ones had to be from the 1950s and had plastic face masks.   No one bothered with a mouth guard.  

We had some really good players including  players including my brother ,Slime Keller, who was an honorable mention Parade magazine All- American wide receiver, numerous all-staters and who knows how many all-leaguers from high school.  McCreary was our quarterback and McGreavy a running back.  There were probably a bunch of other Macs on the team just like at ND.   We actually practiced together a few times with rudimentary plays that generally involved handing the fullback - me , the ball to run it up the gut, because we didn't have time to practice anything fancy like a pass play.   There were other  brothers on the team, but we were very competitive and got to play on astroturf under lights which was a new experience for me.  We made the playoffs and , if we won , would be close to playing in the championship game.  Our last game was outside Stepan Center and I ran the ball from the two-yard line  to try and score the winning touchdown on fourth down. The face guard of my helmet actually completely broke off....  I am lucky to have a face left.  Unfortunately, we did not score and win the game to get to play in the final against Dillon Hall.  Probably a good thing as everybody said that nobody really wanted to get on the field with those guys.