In early spring, the snow begins to melt and the rains can be heavy, often creating soggy spots on campus. One known area in front of Badin Hall became known as “Badin Bog.” Comprising of the area between Badin and Walsh Halls, Badin Bog was the site of many pick-up and interhall football and baseball games and later Bookstore Basketball games.
Students playing baseball in front of Badin Hall (formerly known as St. Joseph’s Hall, before the addition of the wings), c1910s
In the 1920s, the area was purposely flooded and used as a hockey rink.
Hockey Players Brennan, Holland, and Burns on an outdoor ice rink with Badin Hall and Lemonnier Library (now called Bond Hall) in the background, 1926Dome yearbook 1941 – Profile of Badin Hall: “Badin on the bog. / It reaches back to the days of old Notre Dame / A self sufficient world. / Undermined by – / Brother Bookstores swindles and / Barber Bills / Here the Laundry shows its results / In brown-wrapped packages … / Humble home of Soph Grid Greats — / Proud of its oozy quagmire lawn / Badin …. / Fresh white porch on dingy grey / Mellowed interior dark by day / Touch-football games in full sway.”
The construction of the Hammes Bookstore on South Quad in 1955 (later replaced by the Coleman Morse Center in 2001) helped alleviate the flooding problems. However, the Bullfrog mascot of Badin Hall continues to hearken back to the famous soupy surroundings.
John Farley arrived to Notre Dame in the fall of 1897. He came to study for the priesthood, but also had a penchant for athletics. He won nine varsity monogram letters in football, baseball, and track, and was heralded as one of the great Notre Dame athletes for years to come. For over thirty years after his graduation, Farley became a beloved fixture among Notre Dame students as he served as a rector for three dorms.
Letter from John F. Farley to University President Rev. Andrew Morrissey, CSC, requesting information about attending Notre Dame as a student studying for the priesthood, 1897/0202.
In August of 1899, Farley wrote to University President Rev. Andrew Morrissey, CSC, with a dilemma — return to Notre Dame and continue his studies toward becoming a priest or attend Seton Hall, which was closer to home so he could better care for his mother and family [UPEL 75/11]. Morrissey’s response does not exist in the University Archives, but Farley decided to return and ended up spending most of the rest of his life at Notre Dame.
John Farley, Captain of the 1900 Varsity Football Team
Ordained into the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1907, Farley spent around thirty years as a rector of three dorms at Notre Dame: Corby Hall, Walsh Hall, and Sorin Hall, where he reigned as “king.” With his keen athleticism, Farley regularly coached interhall teams to championships. He was gruff, but genial, and in counseling the students, he quickly earned the paternal nickname “Pop.”
Corby Hall Interhall Coaches – Al Feeney, “Pop” Farley, and Knute Rockne, c1913
Rev. John “Pop” Farley, CSC, distributing mail on the exterior steps of Walsh Hall, c1915
In 1937, Pop Farley suffered a stroke, which resulted in the amputation of one of his legs. He spent the rest of his life in the Holy Cross community infirmary and died in 1939. At Farley’s funeral, Rev. Eugene Burke, CSC, said “For over thirty years, wherever Notre Dame students gathered, Father Farley was in the midst of them, always as a cheerful leader or companion. For all those years this kindly prefect, whose work was with and for the students, loved that work as dearly as a scholar ever loved his books, and through it won the respect and admiration of thousands of students.” [PNDP-02-Zz-01; South Bend Tribune, 01/17/1939]
In 1946, Notre Dame honored Pop Farley by naming a new dormitory after him. Farley Hall became a women’s dorm in the second year of co-education (1973). In 1976, the University created the Rev. John “Pop” Farley, CSC, Award, which “is given annually to honor distinguished service [of a faculty member] to student life at the University of Notre Dame.”
[photoshelter-img i_id=”I0000osVERwYpdNU” buy=”1″ caption=”Farley Hall exterior, c1950s.” width=”576″ height=”481″]
Notre Dame’s relationship with the military also extends to the athletic fields. Many Notre Dame traditions and myths were born out of football games with Army. In 1912, newly appointed Athletic Director Jesse Harper contacted West Point about arranging a football game for the 1913 season, which began a long and fierce rivalry.
Contract between Notre Dame Athletic Director Jesse Harper and West Point football team manager H.F. Loomis for the Notre Dame vs. Army football game, 1913
While Notre Dame was certainly the underdog, her team was far from untalented and struggling. Notre Dame had already begun to make a name for herself on the football field with players like Louis “Red” Salmon (1903 third-team All American) and the 1909 Western Champions. From 1906-1913, Notre Dame lost only three games, tied five, and won fifty-one. The 1913 season would give Notre Dame an opportunity to showcase her talent outside of the Midwest, with formidable opponents such as Army, Penn State, and Texas.
Football team members and boosters in Kingston, New York, en route to West Point, 1913/1101. Includes Ray Eichenlaub, Charles (Gus) Dorais, George (Hullie) Hull, Art (Bunny) Larkin, Keith (Deac/Deak) Jones, Joe, Gush (Fred Gushurst?), Em (Emmett Keefe?), Charles (Sam) Finegan, Paul (Curly) Nowers, Allen (Mal) Elward, Knute Rockne, and Mike Calnon
Notre Dame took Army off-guard with plays using the newly-developed forward pass. While this technique had been used in other games by other schools, Quarterback Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne often receive credit for its invention because of this high-profile opponent.
Football Game Scene – ND vs. Army, 1913/1101. Caption: “The completion of one of the startling ‘[Gus] Dorais to Rockne’ passes which beat the Army in 1913 and modified the entire game of football. Here’s Knute making a touchdown.”
After the 1924 Army game, sports writer Grantland Rice forever changed the name of Don Miller, Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden to “The Four Horsemen.”
Dome yearbook 1925, page 291: Reprint of Grantland Rice’s famous article after the 1924 ND vs. Army football game
Student George Strickler, who worked as a press assistant for the Athletic Department, actually had put the bug about the nickname of the Four Horsemen into Grant’s ear in the press box. After the game, Strickler arranged to have these four players photograph taken on top of actual horses, thus producing one of the most widely recognized photographs in sports history.
The Four Horsemen posed on horses — Don Miller, Elmer Layden, Jim Crowley, and Harry Stuhldreher, 1924
Much lore surrounds the 1928 Army game when Coach Knute Rockne took a losing team into the locker room at halftime and gave a rousing speech, summoning the memory of George Gipp, which turned the tide for Notre Dame. No one really knows what was said in that locker room or between Gipp and Rockne in 1920, but Rockne later published his “Win One for the Gipper” speech in Collier’s magazine. Over the years it became ingrained in American culture, strengthened by its presence in the media, particularly Ronald Reagan’s portrayal of George Gipp in the 1940 movie Knute Rockne All American.
Collage of Notre Dame Players and the Army Mule after the 1928 Army Football Game
After 1947, Notre Dame and Army met less often on the football field, only a handful of times per decade. Saturday November 20, 2010, the two teams will meet again in Yankee Stadium, which was the venue for this rivalry every year from 1925-1946, with the exception of playing at Soldier Field in 1930.
Notre Dame and Michigan have a long and storied history, but the 2010 game will only be the 38th time the two universities have faced each other on the football field over the past 123 years. Their relationship in football began in 1887 when former Notre Dame student George De Haven scheduled to bring his University of Michigan teammates on a tour of football clubs in the Midwest. Notre Dame rounded up its best players from the Senior Department to form the first varsity football team. Notre Dame’s first three varsity games were against Michigan (one in the fall of 1887, two in April 1888). Below is the published account from Scholastic of the first game played on November 23, 1887.
The rivalry heated up in 1909 when Notre Dame went into Ann Arbor with a then 0-8 series record. The Notre Dame victory came as a shock to Michigan fans and would later be the focal point in the debate over which team was the true Champion of the West. Notre Dame went undefeated except for a tie to Marquette and Michigan only lost to Notre Dame. Sports writers around the country debated for months with no clear resolution. The yearbooks from both schools claimed bragging rights to the championship that year.
Mike (possibly owned by ND Coach Frank Longman) after the 1909 game
The scheduled 1910 game was canceled at the last minute when Michigan officials declared several Notre Dame players ineligible to play. Animosity grew between the two universities and between Notre Dame and the Western Conference. Notre Dame and Michigan wouldn’t meet on the gridiron again until 1942. That series lasted only two years and the rivalry was picked up again in 1978. In 1980, nearly a hundred years after their first meeting, Notre Dame finally got a win at home over Michigan with Harry Oliver’s last second, game-winning field goal. Michigan and Notre Dame respectively rank first and second for the highest winning percentages in college football, further fueling the rivalry and making for a great Saturday match-up.
Sources: Scholastic 1887-1888 and 1909-1910 Natural Enemies by John Kryk
2010 Football Media Guide compiled by the Athletic Department (History & Records – Part 3) William Schmitt Scrapbook (GATH 24-25)
Click here for more information about conducting sports research at the University Archives.
The rivalry heated up in 1909 when Notre Dame went into Ann Arbor with a then 0-8 series record. The Notre Dame victory came as a shock to Michigan fans and would later be the focal point in the debate over which team was the true Champion of the West. Notre Dame went undefeated except for a tie to Marquette and Michigan only lost to Notre Dame. Sports writers around the country debated for months with no clear resolution. The yearbooks from both schools claimed bragging rights to the championship that year.