Notre Dame Box
Encyclopedia
The Notre Dame Box was a variation of the single-wing
formation used in American football
, with great success by Notre Dame
in college football and the Green Bay Packers
of the 1920s and 1930s in the NFL. Green Bay's coach, Curly Lambeau
, learned the Notre Dame Box while playing for Knute Rockne
in the late 1910s.
The Notre Dame Box differed from the traditional single-wing in that the line was balanced and the halfback who normally played the "wing" in the single-wing was brought in more tightly, with the option of shifting out to the wing. These two changes made the backs' formation resemble a square (hence the "box") and made the formation less predictable, allowing offenses to run more easily to the "weak" side. Additionally, the halfback
became a more viable runner than in the single-wing and the quarterback
, normally just a blocking back in the single-wing, could become a passer since the center could snap the ball directly to him. The Notre Dame Box relied on a great deal of deception, caused by backs shifting frequently, rather than the pure power of the single-wing. Teams would often adopt the Notre Dame Box if they lacked a true "triple threat
" tailback
, necessary for effective single-wing use.
The Packers, using the Notre Dame Box almost exclusively, won three straight NFL titles from 1929-1931. From 1936 through 1945, Green Bay made use of the Notre Dame Box to exploit Don Hutson
's receiving ability. Bringing the halfback in tight allowed Hutson to split out from the line, making him an even more potent threat. Hutson, impossible to cover one-on-one by any defensive back of his day, averaged a touchdown every five times he caught the ball, a mark that no receiver has rivaled in NFL history. Green Bay added three more championships employing the Notre Dame Box after 1933 (when official championship games began), beating the Boston Redskins
21-6 in 1936, defeating the New York Giants
27-0 in 1939, and beating the Giants again in 1944 by a score of 14-7. Green Bay tailback
s of those years were among the first NFL passers to post "modern" numbers. Arnie Herber
was the first NFL player to pass for over 1000 yards in 1936, throwing for 1239 yards and 11 touchdowns. Of that, 526 yards and 8 TDs were to Hutson. In 1939, Herber and Cecil Isbell
combined for 1856 yards passing and 14 touchdowns. In 1941, Isbell broke Herber's single season record with 1470 yards passing and 15 touchdowns; he bettered his own marks in 1942 with 2021 yards passing and 24 TDs. 1942 was also the year Don Hutson shattered his own NFL records with 1211 yards receiving and 17 TDs, all in 11 games.
The Chicago Bears
's and Clark Shaughnessy
's Stanford Indians
success with a modernized version of the T-formation in the 1940s eventually led to the demise of the Notre Dame Box, as well as all single-wing variants. The Packers finally switched to the T-formation, after Don Hutson had retired, in 1947. No major NCAA or NFL team has used this formation since and much of the knowledge (i.e. playbooks) associated with this formation are no longer available.
. The frequent shifts in the backfield that are employed by the system are still legal, but teams must now set themselves in a formation for at least one second before snapping the ball or sending a player into motion. This motion player must be moving backward or laterally. Canadian football
never adopted these changes, and (even though it is not used in that variant of the sport) the original version of the system is still legal.
In the late 1990s, Western Harnett High School of Lillington, North Carolina
was featured on ESPN
after their program experienced a major turnaround credited to their employment of the Notre Dame Box.
The head coach of that team, Travis Conner, later moved on to Jacksonville High School in nearby Jacksonville, North Carolina
and installed the Notre Dame Box there, as well. He then moved onto Bunker Hill High School and completely transformed their football program, with the new system Bunker Hill produced 3 top 10 rushers with the leader being Reggie Davis who rushed for a single season near 2000 yards.
The formation is very prevalent in the north of England, and is used by many teams in BUAFL and BAFL due to the lack of talented passers as well at the unpredictable weather conditions.
Single-wing
In American and Canadian football, a single-wing formation is any offensive formation having exactly one wingback and one tight end aligned together. The single-wing formation, created by Glenn "Pop" Warner, was a precursor to the modern spread or shotgun formation...
formation used in American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, with great success by Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
in college football and the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
of the 1920s and 1930s in the NFL. Green Bay's coach, Curly Lambeau
Curly Lambeau
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau was founder, player, and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team...
, learned the Notre Dame Box while playing for Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
in the late 1910s.
The Notre Dame Box differed from the traditional single-wing in that the line was balanced and the halfback who normally played the "wing" in the single-wing was brought in more tightly, with the option of shifting out to the wing. These two changes made the backs' formation resemble a square (hence the "box") and made the formation less predictable, allowing offenses to run more easily to the "weak" side. Additionally, the halfback
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
became a more viable runner than in the single-wing and the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, normally just a blocking back in the single-wing, could become a passer since the center could snap the ball directly to him. The Notre Dame Box relied on a great deal of deception, caused by backs shifting frequently, rather than the pure power of the single-wing. Teams would often adopt the Notre Dame Box if they lacked a true "triple threat
Triple threat man
In gridiron football, the phrase triple-threat man refers to a player who excels at all three of the skills of running, passing, and kicking. In modern usage, such a player would be referred to as a utility player....
" tailback
Tailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
, necessary for effective single-wing use.
The Packers, using the Notre Dame Box almost exclusively, won three straight NFL titles from 1929-1931. From 1936 through 1945, Green Bay made use of the Notre Dame Box to exploit Don Hutson
Don Hutson
Donald Montgomery Hutson was the first star wide receiver in National Football League history. He is considered by many to have been the first modern receiver....
's receiving ability. Bringing the halfback in tight allowed Hutson to split out from the line, making him an even more potent threat. Hutson, impossible to cover one-on-one by any defensive back of his day, averaged a touchdown every five times he caught the ball, a mark that no receiver has rivaled in NFL history. Green Bay added three more championships employing the Notre Dame Box after 1933 (when official championship games began), beating the Boston Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
21-6 in 1936, defeating the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
27-0 in 1939, and beating the Giants again in 1944 by a score of 14-7. Green Bay tailback
Tailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
s of those years were among the first NFL passers to post "modern" numbers. Arnie Herber
Arnie Herber
Arnold "Arnie" Charles Herber was a professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966...
was the first NFL player to pass for over 1000 yards in 1936, throwing for 1239 yards and 11 touchdowns. Of that, 526 yards and 8 TDs were to Hutson. In 1939, Herber and Cecil Isbell
Cecil Isbell
-Pro:-External links:...
combined for 1856 yards passing and 14 touchdowns. In 1941, Isbell broke Herber's single season record with 1470 yards passing and 15 touchdowns; he bettered his own marks in 1942 with 2021 yards passing and 24 TDs. 1942 was also the year Don Hutson shattered his own NFL records with 1211 yards receiving and 17 TDs, all in 11 games.
The Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
's and Clark Shaughnessy
Clark Shaughnessy
Clark Daniel Shaughnessy was an American football coach and innovator. He is sometimes called the "father of the T formation", although that system had previously been used as early as the 1880s. Shaughnessy did, however, modernize the obsolescent T formation to make it once again relevant in the...
's Stanford Indians
1940 Stanford Indians football team
The 1940 Stanford Indians football team, nicknamed the "Wow Boys", represented Stanford University in National Collegiate Athletic Association intercollegiate competition during the 1940 season. First-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy inherited a team that finished with a 1–7–1 record the previous...
success with a modernized version of the T-formation in the 1940s eventually led to the demise of the Notre Dame Box, as well as all single-wing variants. The Packers finally switched to the T-formation, after Don Hutson had retired, in 1947. No major NCAA or NFL team has used this formation since and much of the knowledge (i.e. playbooks) associated with this formation are no longer available.
Modern use of the Notre Dame Box
Use of the Notre Dame Box in modern times has been limited in part due to changes in football rulebooks regarding motionMotion (football)
In gridiron football, motion refers to the movement of an offensive player at or prior to the snap.- Motion and shift :There is a distinction drawn between a shift and motion in football. A shift occurs when one or more players changes their position on the offensive side of the ball before the...
. The frequent shifts in the backfield that are employed by the system are still legal, but teams must now set themselves in a formation for at least one second before snapping the ball or sending a player into motion. This motion player must be moving backward or laterally. Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
never adopted these changes, and (even though it is not used in that variant of the sport) the original version of the system is still legal.
In the late 1990s, Western Harnett High School of Lillington, North Carolina
Lillington, North Carolina
Lillington is a town in Harnett County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,915 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Harnett County.-Geography:Lillington is located at ....
was featured on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
after their program experienced a major turnaround credited to their employment of the Notre Dame Box.
The head coach of that team, Travis Conner, later moved on to Jacksonville High School in nearby Jacksonville, North Carolina
Jacksonville, North Carolina
Jacksonville, North Carolina, is a city in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the population stood at 70,145, which makes Jacksonville the 14th largest city in North Carolina...
and installed the Notre Dame Box there, as well. He then moved onto Bunker Hill High School and completely transformed their football program, with the new system Bunker Hill produced 3 top 10 rushers with the leader being Reggie Davis who rushed for a single season near 2000 yards.
The formation is very prevalent in the north of England, and is used by many teams in BUAFL and BAFL due to the lack of talented passers as well at the unpredictable weather conditions.
External links
- A basic overview of the Notre Dame Box offense: http://www.the-endzone.net/The%20Notre%20Dame%20Box%20Offense.doc