1953 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

1953 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
National champion (various selectors)
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 2
APNo. 2
Record9–0–1
Head coach
CaptainDon Penza
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
1953 Midwestern college football independents records
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 2 Notre Dame    9 0 1
Cincinnati    9 1 0
Carthage    8 1 0
Youngstown    7 1 0
John Carroll    7 2 0
Washington University    7 2 0
Rose Poly    6 2 0
Wabash    6 2 1
Marquette    6 3 1
Baldwin–Wallace    4 4 0
Drake    4 4 0
Wayne    3 4 1
Dayton    3 5 1
Michigan Tech    2 5 0
Xavier    2 7 1
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1953 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 1953 college football season. Led by Frank Leahy in his 11th and final season as head coach, the Fighting Irish compiled a record of 9–0–1. John Lattner won the Heisman Trophy although he did not even lead the Irish in passing, rushing, receiving or scoring. Lattner held the Notre Dame record for all-purpose yards until Vagas Ferguson broke it in 1979.