It was the greatest rivalry of the greatest generation. And if officials at Notre Dame, Army and Yankee Stadium can make it happen, the football rivalry that once riveted the nation will celebrate its 100th anniversary in The Bronx.
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said yesterday that he is interested in the Irish playing the Black Knights in 2013, the 100th anniversary of the revolutionary 1913 game. He told the Associated Press yesterday that he was, “just thinking out loud,” but there is interest for such a game to happen. It was in 1913 that Notre Dame, using the forward pass as a significant part of its offense, beat Army, 35-13.
A call to Army officials was not immediately returned. Irish coach Charlie Weis, a diehard Yankees fan, said through a university spokesman that he’s in favor of the idea.
“Growing up, I went to the old Yankee Stadium about 100 times for both baseball and football games, so the prospect of taking our team into the new Yankee Stadium for a game is very intriguing,” he said. “While I know we are still in the formative stages of discussion, the idea is exciting to say the least.”
Swarbrick did not name Army as an opponent, but he is looking at booking future games that “echo the history of our program.”
Notre Dame and Army met nine times between 1941 and 1958 when both were nationally ranked. The most famous encounters came in 1945 and ’46 at Yankee Stadium. Army entered both games at No. 1, with the Irish No. 2. Army blitzed Notre Dame 48-0 in 1945. The 1946 game ended in a 0-0 tie. lenn.robbins@nypost.com