The 1946 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1946 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 8 wins and 1 tie, winning the national championship. The 1946 team became the fifth Irish team to win the national title and the second for Leahy. The 1946 is the first team in what is considered to be the Notre Dame Football dynasty, a stretch of games in which Notre Dame went 36-0-2 and won three national championships and two Heisman Trophies from 1946-1949. The 1946 team was cited by Sports Illustrated as the part of the second best sports dynasty (professional or collegiate) of the 20th century and second greatest college football dynasty. The season also produced one of college football's "games of