Thanks for the memories and for Kelly!
Former Notre Dame Quarterback Frank Tripucka Dies At Age 85 - UND.COM - University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site
Sept. 12, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Frank Tripucka, starting quarterback on the 1948 University of Notre Dame football squad that finished 9-0-1, died this morning of congenital heart failure at his home in Woodland Park, N.J. He was 85.
Originally from Bloomfield, N.J., Tripucka (truh-PEW-kuh) worked his first three seasons with the Irish behind 1947 Heisman Trophy winner John Lujack--then took over as the starter in his senior campaign in `48.
A three-time letter-winner at Notre Dame, the 6-2, 172-pound Tripucka completed 53 of 91 throws as a senior for 660 yards and 11 touchdowns. He played in the College All-Star Game following that season. His 11 TD throws that year set a Notre Dame single-season record.
As a junior in '47 he connected on 25 of 44 throws for 422 yards (three TDs, one interception) on the Irish national championship squad. In 1946 as a sophomore he hit one of his five throws for 19 yards and as a freshman in 1945 completed his only pass for 19 yards (and carried twice for eight yards).
His career totals featured 80-of-141 passing for 1,122 yards and 14 TDs.
Tripucka's final three Notre Dame teams featured a combined 26-0-2 mark and consensus national titles in 1946 and 1947. His senior season in 1948 saw the Irish move into the number-one slot in the Associated Press poll two games into the season, as Notre Dame posted a 12-7 win over eighth-rated Northwestern and finished the season tying USC 14-14. The Irish finished second in the final AP poll that year behind unbeaten Michigan.
Former Notre Dame Quarterback Frank Tripucka Dies At Age 85 - UND.COM - University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site
Sept. 12, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Frank Tripucka, starting quarterback on the 1948 University of Notre Dame football squad that finished 9-0-1, died this morning of congenital heart failure at his home in Woodland Park, N.J. He was 85.
Originally from Bloomfield, N.J., Tripucka (truh-PEW-kuh) worked his first three seasons with the Irish behind 1947 Heisman Trophy winner John Lujack--then took over as the starter in his senior campaign in `48.
A three-time letter-winner at Notre Dame, the 6-2, 172-pound Tripucka completed 53 of 91 throws as a senior for 660 yards and 11 touchdowns. He played in the College All-Star Game following that season. His 11 TD throws that year set a Notre Dame single-season record.
As a junior in '47 he connected on 25 of 44 throws for 422 yards (three TDs, one interception) on the Irish national championship squad. In 1946 as a sophomore he hit one of his five throws for 19 yards and as a freshman in 1945 completed his only pass for 19 yards (and carried twice for eight yards).
His career totals featured 80-of-141 passing for 1,122 yards and 14 TDs.
Tripucka's final three Notre Dame teams featured a combined 26-0-2 mark and consensus national titles in 1946 and 1947. His senior season in 1948 saw the Irish move into the number-one slot in the Associated Press poll two games into the season, as Notre Dame posted a 12-7 win over eighth-rated Northwestern and finished the season tying USC 14-14. The Irish finished second in the final AP poll that year behind unbeaten Michigan.
