Though natural rivals as the two most prominent Catholic colleges playing Big Time Football, it took quite a while for the Boston College-Notre Dame series to take root.
Part of the reason may have been that Boston College felt that Notre Dame stole Frank Leahy back to South Bend.
Frank Leahy had coached at Boston College, spectacularly, in ’39 and ’40, and was a glistening 20-2 for a .909 winning percentage, the greatest in Boston College History. Nevertheless, when Notre Dame came calling it was a swift and easy decision for Frank Leahy to return to his, and Rockne’s, alma mater.