Throughout World War I and World War II, Great Lakes offered recruits athletic opportunities in swimming, basketball, hockey, water polo, boxing, wrestling, and track and field, but football brought national prominence. Among the thousands of recruits passing through Great Lakes were players from Notre Dame, Northwestern, Iowa, Washington, Detroit, Ohio State, and many other schools. One player who later achieved fame in professional football was George Halas, known as “Papa Bear” of the Chicago Bears. Great Lakes completed an undefeated 1918 season that culminated in the 1919 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where it defeated the Mare Island Marines 17-0. During World War II, the Great Lakes Bluejackets twice defeated Notre Dame in football, and the baseball team competed well against professional teams.
