1938 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 1938 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1938 college football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Elmer Layden, the Fighting Irish compiled a record of 8–1.

1938 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
National champion (Dickinson)
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 5
Record8–1
Head coach
CaptainJim McGoldrick
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
Seasons
 1937
1939 
1938 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Notre Dame  810
Central Michigan  710
Michigan State Normal  611
Xavier  720
Akron  630
Michigan State  630
Detroit Tech  630
Detroit  640
Western State Teachers  430
Cincinnati  450
Haskell  260
Wayne  260
DePaul  270
Michigan Tech  150
Marquette  170
Rankings from AP poll

Notre Dame was awarded the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy for the season, emblematic of their selection as national champions by the Dickinson System.[1] The Irish topped the AP poll until their loss to USC in their last game of the season. Notre Dame does not claim a national championship for this season.[2]

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 1KansasW 52–025,615
October 8at Georgia TechW 14–626,533[3]
October 15Illinois
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
W 14–629,142
October 22No. 13 Carnegie TechNo. 5
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
W 7–025,934
October 29vs. ArmyNo. 7W 19–776,338
November 5vs. NavyNo. 4W 15–058,271
November 12No. 12 MinnesotaNo. 2
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame, IN
W 19–055,245
November 19at No. 16 NorthwesternNo. 1W 9–746,348
December 3at No. 8 USCNo. 1L 0–1397,146
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • Source: [4]

References

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  1. Written at Chicago. "Irish Are Rated at Top by Dickinson". Fort Worth Star. Fort Worth. Associated Press. December 6, 1938. Retrieved August 17, 2022. Notre Dame will receive the Knute Rockne trophy
  2. Bertsch, Michael; Masters, Chris; Torbin, Leigh (2014). Notre Dame Football 2014 Media Guide. University of Notre Dame. pp. 2, 157. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  3. "Irish turn back Georgia Tech in 14–6 battle". Chicago Tribune. October 9, 1938. Retrieved September 30, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "1938 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule and Results | College Football at Sports-Reference.com". sports-reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2015.