Great Weekend At Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND----Jimmy Clausen is healthy and the California quarterback is the key to the University of Notre Dame's football program this fall. In the spring game Clausen was much improved over last season where he was handicapped by injuries.
It was good to be in South Bend and see old friends prior to the All-American Football Foundation's Mid-West Banquet of Champions at the Marriott Hotel, across the street from the College Football Hall of Fame. The Dinner was dedicated to two top football people who passed away, All-American Jerry Groom , President of the Leahy Lads and one of the best centers the Irish ever had, and Coach Terry Hoppener, the Indiana coach who died over a year ago.
Terry's successor, Bill Lynch, was there along with Athletic Director Rick Greenspan and a delegation of Hoosiers.
Groom intercepted a pass late in the Irish-SMU game to save the day for Leahy's Irish. SMU was led by Doak Walker and Kyle Rote. In one game the fierce hitting Groom had four teeth loosened. He came to the sidelines for the medics to take a look, as did Frank Leahy. " Oh, Gerald" the Coach said," they are doing amazing things with teeth today. Get back in there, Lad."
Groom was six-four and played over 220. He later played pro football with the old Chicago Cardinals. He and Jack Connor were the men behind establishing the Leahy Lads organization and scholarship program. Jack had worked for J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. His brother was the legendary tackle, George Connor, who was recruited out of high school by Moose Krause of Holy Cross.
Krause had returned to his alma mater at Leahy's invitation about the time Connor arrived at Holy Cross. After World War II Connor did not return to Holy Cross. He checked in at Notre Dame. In high school Connor and Zygmont P. Czarobski were the two best tackles in the Chicago program. Both played left tackle. Ziggy had played for the Irish before going off to war. He was a starter on the 1943 team which featured All-Americans Creighton Miller and Angelo Bertelli. When Bertelli was called into the service during the football season he was replaced by Johnny Lujack.
Coach Leahy approached Ziggy in pre-season and told him he knew what great high school rivals he and George Connor were and they both played left tackle but then pointed out that Ziggy was faster and quicker than Connor and was also better diagnosing plays and would help the team better at right tackle. Ziggy made the switch.
Taking a test one day Connor went through a question and answer quiz quickly. So did Ziggy a few seconds later. The professor grading the papers noticed something. He called Ziggy in for a conference and asked whether he had copied Connor"s paper. Ziggy said absolutely not. The Professor wanted to know why Connor on one question wrote, "I don't know. "Ziggy's test paper noted that " I don't know either."
Lujack was Creighton Miller's freshman. A senior was always assigned a freshman to help in the transition from high school to college. Before the holidays Lujack asked Miller, whose uncle was one of the Four Horsemen, Don Miller, to borrow his monogram blanket. Creighton did not think well of the idea but Lujack told him not worry he would take good care of the blanket. A couple of days later Lujack asked Creighton did he want to buy a lottery ticket."On what?" Miller wanted to know." " A monogram blanket." John Lujack replied. Miller shouted "What" . John said he should not worry and several days later Miller won back his monogram blanket and Lujack had raised money to go home for the holidays."
When Creighton Miller died, Lujack gave the Leahy Lads $100,000.00 for its Scholarship fund in Creighton's honor and memory.
I am proud t o be an Honorary member of the Leahy Lads.
Ole Miss and Notre Dame should play again on the gridiron . They are 1-1. Notre Dame wanted to play the Rebels on a neutral field in New Orleans but the SEC apparently would not approve it. With two of the most beautiful campuses in America they should play home and home.
Ole Miss beat Notre Dame in Jackson. The Irish evened the count in South Bend. Ole Miss took its great band to the game and they were so spectacular Notre Dame hired the Rebs' band director Luther Snavely.
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