A ‘44 ND Frosh that I left out

Sorry to add clutter…..but it’s a good story

I left ND ‘44 FROSH Joe Gasparella off my list above because he was a. QB….but converted to fullback late in that 1944 season.

Gasarella was a 6’3 218 lbs QB from Vandergrift, Pa…..a heralded Qb recruit……Street and Smith football magazine 1944 even put his picture in the preseason publication write up on the Irish….sort of unheard of for a incoming Frosh.

Gasparella started off great at Qb….throwing 2 td passes in the ‘44 opener vs Pitt…..ND won 58-0….Joe G was backing up Boley Dancewicz…..fyi, Joe G was only the 2nd ND Frosh Qb to EVER throw a td pass for the Irish.

For the year, Joe G was 13 of 28 for 240yds.

But

Late in the Army game, Joe G was in at Qb with ND trailing 52-0…….Joe G tried a screen pass out of his end zone….it hit an Army DL right in the face mask at the 1 yd line and dropped into his hands….the Army linemen then took a step into the end zone for Army’s final Td……

Final Army 59 ND 0

Joe Gasparella was moved to Fullback for the next game….in ND lore the story was that this was punishment for the ill timed pass out of the end zone……but likely was just that ND needed bodies at fullback

Gasparella shared the fullback duties with fellow Frosh Marty Wendell and gained 71 yds on 15 carries vs Northwestern ……ND won 26-0……quite a comeback from the Army

Joe G suffered a knee injury in 45….then, spent some time in the Army…..came back and graduated from ND with a degree in Architecture.

Joe G was selected the Steelers inn the NFL draft….actually the first ND player taken in that draft….playing Qb and “ blocking back” for a number of years in the NFL

And also

Joe Gasparella was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study Architecture in Italy….Gasparella was fluent in Italian…both his parents had been born there

After studying abroad, Gasparellla became a Architect professor at Carnegie Tech…..he also was the HC of the football team for 13 years…..coaching through the years of the name change to Carnegie Mellon….credited with saving the program.

Joe G also designed some of the Steelers offices and locker room at Three Rivers Stadium

An Interesting Domer