Tall Grass Game

1928 Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin football game "Tall Grass Game"
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Wisconsin Badgers (1–0[1]) (0–0[2]) 6 22 Head coach:  Knute Rockne Head coach:  Glenn Thistlethwaite
1 2 3 4 Total Notre Dame 0 6 0 0 6 Wisconsin 2 0 13 7 22
Date	October 6, 1928
Season	1928
Stadium	Camp Randall Stadium
Location	Madison, Wisconsin
Attendance	40,000[3]

The Tall Grass Game was the 1928 Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin football game played on October 6, 1928, between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Wisconsin Badgers. Notre Dame, coached by Knute Rockne, arrived in Madison, Wisconsin, only to find that the grass on the football field at Camp Randall Stadium had not been mowed in a week. Rumor was that Wisconsin coach Glenn Thistlethwaite wanted to slow down the speedy Notre Dame Irish players. Rockne demanded the field be trimmed and Thistlethwaite refused.^[4]

The game was considered to be one of the premier non-conference games of the time. Before the game began, a stadium-record 40,000 fans were expected to attend the game,^[5] an attendance mark that was achieved.^[3]

The Badgers upset the Irish 22–6,^[6][7] and Wisconsin fans still refer to the game as "The Victory In The Tall Grass."^[4] It was called the first win by a Big Ten Conference team over Notre Dame in over a decade,^[8][9] although the Fighting Irish had actually lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes only seven years prior to the game. The Badgers broke the Irish's 14-game streak against Big ten opponents and became only the second team to defeat them since their blackballing from the league was rescinded in 1917.

References

1. DeLassus, David. "Coaching Records Game-by-Game (1928) Knute Rockne". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
2. DeLassus, David. "Coaching Records Game-by-Game (1928) Glenn F. Thistlethwaite". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
3. "Notre Dame Routed by Wisconsin". New York Times. October 6, 1928. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
4. Oliver Koechle and Jim Mott, "On Wisconsin: Badger Football", pages 111-113 (c) 1977.
5. "40,000 Fans to See Game in Madison". The Milwaukee Journal. October 1, 1928. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
6. Warner, Glenn S. (October 8, 1928). "Losses by Irish, Michigan Big Upsets, Says Warner". Rochester Evening Journal. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
7. "Official Football Review - University of Notre Dame 1928" (PDF).
8. Warner, Glenn S. (October 8, 1928). "Middie's, Irish Provide Days Heavy Upsets". Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
9. Zuppke, Robert C. (October 8, 1928). "Wisconsin Had Courage, Says Zuppke of Victory". Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved October 29, 2013.