Early life
Wunsch was born on November 20, 1910, in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to South Bend, Indiana, in 1926. [1] [2] He attended Central High School in South Bend where he played football as a fullback and also competed in track and field, specializing in the broad jump and sprinting events. [3] According to Notre Dame's Official Football Review, Wunsch "could buck a line, pass and block. And he could run." [3]
Wunsch enrolled at the University of Notre Dame in 1930. [1] He tried out for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and was moved to guard, playing for them in 1931 as a sophomore. [3] [4] The Official Football Review described him as "smart, fiery, and fast ... [and] especially adept at pulling out of a line and running interference for the backs." He was noted to be "a hard blocker and a savage tackler. In appearance he is short and fat, but there is not a superfluous ounce of tissue on him. He is rugged and can take as well as give punishment." [3]
As a junior in 1932, Wunsch was benched for being overweight. [4] He dropped 30 pounds (14 kg) for his senior year, weighing 212 pounds (96 kg) at the start of the season, and became a starter at left guard. [4] [5] He was named the team captain for the Fighting Irish's first game of the 1933 season, appointed by coach Hunk Anderson. [5] He was the first Notre Dame captain to be appointed under a new selection system, in which new captains were chosen for each game. [5] He played his last collegiate game in 1933 against the Army Black Knights. [6] He was awarded Notre Dame's athletic council medal that year for being the team's best blocker. [7] While with the Fighting Irish, he was the lone player to be from South Bend, Notre Dame's location. [3]
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