No Justice in UNC's loss to Irish in 1949
Published: Mon, Oct. 06, 2008 12:30AM
Modified Mon, Oct. 06, 2008 02:03AM
E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeSo pronounced is Notre Dame's footprint on college football that some opponents mark program milestones by chances to play the Irish.
North Carolina is one of those. For many Tar Heels fans, Saturday's game in Chapel Hill will be their first opportunity to see the Irish on state soil. Not since 1975, when Joe Montana led a 21-14 Irish comeback win, has the program played inside North Carolina borders. The Irish have made one trip to Duke and have never played a game at N.C. State, East Carolina or Wake Forest. Of 17 previous games against the Tar Heels, Notre Dame has lost only once.
The most significant meeting in the series occurred at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 12, 1949. It was an afternoon that ranks as one of the most disappointing in Carolina history. Notre Dame, coached by Frank Leahy, was ranked No. 1 and en route to the school's eighth national title.
More Columns by Caulton Tudor
Still, Carolina fans came away from that first-ever meeting wondering what might have been. Hobbled by injuries, Tar Heels' star Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice watched the second half from the bench as Notre Dame overcame a 6-0 deficit and won 42-6.
With a healthy Justice, who knows? Barely 175 pounds, he was among the most versatile players in college football history. A single-wing tailback, he passed, ran, caught passes, kicked and returned kicks. During his four years, Carolina went 32-9-2.
Get it all with convenient home delivery of The News & Observer.
Notre Dame will make a rare trip to North Carolina this weekend to play UNC. This is the first of three pieces on the Fighting Irish.
The News & Observer is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since The News & Observer does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The News and Observer.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking on the exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.
