Carnegie Tech Pinback Button
date: label: date made
content: 1905 - 1965
notes: label: Description
content: Carnegie Tech (today known as Carnegie Melon) is a small modern football team, unknown to most casual spectators. However, Tech is responsible for one of the greatest upsets in football history. In 1926, Carnegie Tech and Notre Dame lined up for their annual match. There were low expectations for the game and Tech was considered heavy underdogs. In the previous four meetings Tech was outscored by Notre Dame 111-19. Coming into the 1926 matchup, Notre Dame (led by Knute Rockne) were undefeated and just a few weeks away from claiming a National Title. The Carnegie Tech Tartans were a respectable but not overly impressive 6-2 coming into the game. In fact, the Fighting Irish were so heavily favored, that Knute Rockne decided to attend the Army-Navy game rather than coach Notre Dame against Carnegie Tech, leaving the duties to his assistants. On the cold, snowy November afternoon, Carnegie Tech came out and employed Notre Dame’s common “shock troop” tactics against them, surprising Notre Dame into an early hole. Tech would hold on, including a four down stop of the Notre Dame offense on the goal line, giving the Tartans a victory of 19-0. The upset sent shockwaves through college football and led to celebrations on the Carnegie Tech campus that lasted for over a week. Today, the game is still considered one of the greatest upsets ever and is featured by ESPN in a countdown of best upset games.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: level of sport
content: collegiate
label: web subject
content: Sports
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1996.0213.284
label: accession number
content: 1996.0213
label: catalog number
content: 1996.0213.284
objectType: label: Object Name
content: button, collegiate
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 in; x 5.08 cm