NOTRE DAME GREEN JERSEY

Back in the 1920s during the Knute Rockne days, the Notre Dame varsity generally wore blue while the freshman squad wore green. But, on several occasions the varsity team did wear green — simply for purposes of distinction when the Irish opponent also came out in blue. Games against Navy, for example, in the late 1920s featured green-clad Notre Dame teams, to avoid confusion with the Navy’s blue uniforms.

Rockne didn’t mind using the color change as a psychological ploy. When Notre Dame faced Navy in Baltimore in 1927, the Irish head coach started his second-string reserves. Navy retaliated by scoring a touchdown in the first five minutes of the game. But, just as the Midshipmen scored, reported George Trevor in the New York Sun, Rockne made his move:

‘‘Instantaneously the Notre Dame regulars yanked off their blue outer sweaters and like a horde of green Gila monsters darted onto the field. From that moment on Notre Dame held the initiative, imposed its collective will upon the Navy.’’

The Irish came from behind to win that one 19-6 — then did the same thing the following year in Chicago’s Soldier Field, this time beating Navy 7-0. The 1928 edition of the Scholastic Football Review included this description:

‘‘Mr. K. K. Rockne may, or may not, be a psychologist. But, he did array his Fighting Irish in bright green jerseys for their battle with the United States Naval Academy. Mr. Rockne evidently surmised that garbing a band of native and adopted Irish in their native color is somewhat akin to showing a bull the Russian flag.’’

The green jerseys remained prominent throughout the Frank Leahy years — particularly so in September of 1947 when Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack graced the cover of Life magazine clad in green. Several of Joe Kuharich’s squads wore green with UCLA-style shoulder stripes and shamrocks on the helmets. Even Hugh Devore’s 1963 team — after wearing navy blue all season — switched to green in the finale against Syracuse.