Fighting Irish

The Fighting Irish pinball machine, manufactured by Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company in November 1950, is a single-player electro-mechanical game with a football theme. Arriving a few years after the flipper revolution of 1947, it represents the leaner style of early-1950s pinball, when manufacturers were still working out how the new player-controlled game should be laid out.

Gameplay on the Fighting Irish is straightforward and engaging. Players control two flippers to keep the ball in play as it interacts with two pop bumpers and a kick-out hole. The sparse feature list is typical of the period, placing the emphasis on ball control and accurate shooting rather than on a crowded playfield.

The machine's artwork is by Roy Parker, one of the most celebrated pinball artists of the era, whose work for Chicago Coin and Gottlieb defined the look of 1940s and 1950s pinball. While the designer is not documented, the combination of a classic American football theme and Parker's artwork makes the Fighting Irish a pleasant example of early-1950s Chicago Coin production.