FOOTBALL

USC-Notre Dame Pictures Of The Day

I first came across this photo in 2017 and it is impossible to forget.

In 1927, USC played Notre Dame before 120,000 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The night before the game, an event was held to hype the game and it featured baseball legends Babe Ruth (in a Notre Dame jersey) and Lou Gehrig (in a USC jersey).

The event also promoted the Stanford-Yale game, which is why Stanford coach Glenn “Pop” Warner (far left) is in the picture along with Irish coach Knute Rockne (center next to Ruth) and USC coach Howard Jones (second from the right). Yale coach Tad Jones (far right, younger brother of Howard) and baseball agent Christy Walsh (center, left of Gehrig), who organized the event.

According to an article in the Dec. 4, 1927 Los Angeles Times, it was an annual All-American dinner thrown by Walsh, who was known as the first baseball agent and agent to Ruth.

Ruth and Gehrig performed a skit at the start of the dinner with Ruth impersonating a Notre Dame player while Gehrig was a USC player.

Below is a photo of Ruth and Gehrig at the game. They were part of the 120,000 in attendance.

14 thoughts on “USC-Notre Dame Pictures Of The Day”

  2. I love how no other rivalry or game comes close to the glamour that comes with the USC – ND game. This picture illustrates that.

    Fight On!
    Beat the Irish!

    #I’veBeenLookingForAPicForYearsForWhenMuhammadAliSpokeToUSCBeforeThe1999NotreDameGame;WouldLoveForSomeoneToDigOneUp

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    1. I went to UCLA with my bruin girlfriend to see Muhammad Ali speak (he was banned from boxing at the time for his refusal to serve in Viet Nam).
      Right in the middle of his anti-war address, one bruin co-ed stood up and wanted to know if she could ask a question— and Ali very sweetly said “of course.” She then proceeded to berate him for lacking the courage to fight for his country. Naturally she got booed by everybody—but Ali reprimanded all of us, saying “you say you are my fans —remember what the champ tells you —always respect women!”

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      1. Lou Gehrig graduated from Columbia Univ.; then as now, a most prestigious Ivy League University.

        Just imagine MG what Gehrig had to suffer dressing up in crummy, faux, SUCCX FB costume.

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      2. A high profile athlete or other public figure refusing to serve like Ali did wouldn’t turn out the same today. Not to mention his Islamic beliefs.

        I love Ali but to to connect this patriotic theme with the USC – ND game, President Ronald Reagan did the coin flip for the 1990 USC ND game. Keith Jackson interviewed him in the booth during the game, too.

        #TheUSCAndNotreDameGameStandsTallOverAllOtherGames,EvenWhenItComesToCelebrities

        #IThinkIt’sGoingToBeAFunWeekPostingAllTheseGreatUSCNotreDameStories

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  3. 120,000 people in the stadium? The traffic must have been a nightmare. All the horse poop would have filled the coal scuttles for the Titanic.
    And the wagons were circled for miles. Back they what we routinely make a day of, the honest John farmer made a week of the trip.
    And the team took a train out from sunny California. They kept in shape by shoveling coal into the steam engine boiler. I made all of this up just say Michael Guatino made me look for Spanky and our gang in the picture.

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  4. Pingback: USC-Notre Dame Pictures Of The Day – Life…Camera…ACTION!!!

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