The years that followed Frank Leahy’s departure from Notre Dame were some of the most dismal in the distinguished football program’s history. Many sports analysts described the period as one of de-emphasis. And boy did incoming head coach Terry Brennan have it tough.
Brennan was only 25 years young when he was named the Fighting Irish’s head coach. He played under Leahy and was also a coach for the Mount Carmel High School football team. He enjoyed a measure of success in his first two years, with Notre Dame winning 17 games in both ’54 and ’55. However, for the next three seasons, he would get 15 wins against 15 losses.
The 1956 season was a bad year for the Fighting Irish, with the team winning only two games. It was one of the worst in fact, in Notre Dame history.
The only thing fans looked forward to was Paul Hornung, who won the Heisman Trophy. Hornung would then leave Notre Dame and continue to have a stellar career with the Green Bay Packers. Hornung has the infamous distinction of being the only Heisman Trophy winner to win the award while playing for a team with a losing record.
The next two seasons would be better, as Brennan coached the Irish to 7-3 and 6-4 seasons, which weren’t nearly enough for him to keep his job. He was fired mid-December.
Brennan had always mentioned the de-emphasis of Notre Dame as the main reason for the downturn in Fighting Irish football during his era.
Hello, I’m Tom Colton, a student at the University of Notre Dame. I’m of Irish descent; it almost comes naturally that I’m a fan of our Fighting Irish varsity teams. For more on my hobbies and interests, check out this page.
Tom Colton 