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Knute Rockne - Coach and Legend of Notre Dame
Knute Kenneth Rockne was born on March 4, 1888 in Voss, Norway. He
first moved to Chicago at the age of 5. Nobody liked him there, and he was
Cheap Custom Essays on Knute Rockne
in many fights. Before football or even baseball, Knute discovered skiing.
He loved it, and went skiing every chance he got during the winter. Knute
was a natural athlete, and excelled in all of the sports he tried. He
excelled in track, making a name for himself later on.
Although he was always one of the shortest guys around, Knute was
one of the toughest. The only protective gear he ever wore was adhesive
tape that he stuck to his ears to prevent them from being torn off. Knute
often said Show me a good and gracious loser and Ill show you a
failure.
Knute discovered the great game of football at the age of 7. He
played in games against other teams his age. The team he played on was
called the Tricky Tigers. All of the teams were sandlot teams. Knute
could not get enough of the sport. He praticed every chance he got. In
fact, the other boys thought him crazy for practicing so much. This
obsession almost got him an education. Knute never made the starting team
until he was a senior, so he played on the scrubs team.
At the same time, Knute tried playing many other sports. His
school attendance slipped and his grades became mediocre. Persistence paid
off, and after years on the scrubs, Knute finally made it to the
starting football team. After this successful senior football season, it
was time for him to leave high school. It was a wonder that he got into
Notre Dame with his high school record.
At the age of , Rockne decided that he wanted to fulfill a
dream. That dream was to become a pharmacist and to eventually own his own
drug store. Two of Knutes friends gained acceptance to a small college in
South Bend, Indiana called Notre Dame. Knute decided to try to get into
this same school, although his high school grades were dismal. He was
accepted, but his parents were not fond of the idea of him going to a
Catholic school, as they themselves were practicing Lutherans. However,
they did not forbid him to go. Interestingly, Notre Dame was not Rockneys
first college choice. For years he had saved and planned to go to the
University of Illinois. Knute had not even planned on playing football in
college. That decision would have resulted in a very different future for
Knute. Basically, Knutes decision to go to Notre Dame was an economic
one; it was much cheaper than U.I.
While working during college to earn his way, Knute got a course
in memory training, which would later become a valuable asset in his
coaching career. A
picture at this time revealed a cocky young man whose sparse hair made him
appear more like a young professor than a college freshman. Knute made
friends with the future quarter back Gus Dorais. They would be roommates
through all 4 years of college, and took vacations together during school
breaks.
Rockne didnt make the varsity squad until his third year. There
were many theories about why this was. Some said he was too short and
caused too many turnovers as a freshman. Whatever the reason, Knute palyed
on the scrubs for two years. A new coach entered the picture by his junior
year and gave Knute a chance at the end position. Everyone knows what he
did from there. (If you dont already, you will!) In his career at Notre
Dame, Knute averaged a grade point average. In his senior year of
college, he was still determined to become a pharmacist. He had no
intention of becoming a coach!
Rockne did not invent the forward pass - he revolutionized it!
During a summer break form school, Gus and Knute decided to fool around
with The forward pass. Knute got an idea telling Gus What if you hold the
football closer to this end? Gus tried it and was astonished by the
outcome. He could actually control the speed and accuracy of the ball!
After that, Gus discovered something he wanted Knute to do. Instead of
letting the ball come to him and hit him in the chest, he instructed Knute
to catch it with his hands in full stride. Gus then proceeded to deliver
the ball to Knute in this fashion, and the idea worked. Sure enough, Knute
caught the ball without missing a step. Knute Rockne had perfected the art
of relaxing your hands to catch the ball. He also invented pass patterns.
Notre Dame brought this new arsenal to their playbook in the biggest
game of the year against Army. Army was heavily favored in this game. The
fighting Irish came out with their usual ground attack for 7 plays, with
Rockne out with a leg injury. Rockne came out to the huddle and told Gus
it was time. Rockne went in, hitting the OB and ran a beautiful pattern.
Gus delivered the ball right on target and Rockne scored on a 5 yard
toss. Everyone was awed by this sequence of events. Notre Dame went into
halftime leading 14-1. They came out in the nd half and boom, boom, one
pass after another they marched down the field like a steam roller. Seven
completions went to Knute. The Irish trounced Army with a 5-1 victory,
in what would become known as the game that revolutionized football. In
his autobiography, Rockne said that this victory inspired the development
of Notre Dame spirit.
After the game, Gus and Knute held clinics to teach the forward
pass, and many came to learn a spectacular art form. Football was no
longer a sport of physical being, but more of a science which anyone could
master. After the victory against Army, Knute decided to stay at N.D. and
become a teacher. This was because he loved all the people so much. He
would not stay long though, for he still grasps on dream of becoming a
pharmacist. In Rocknes deal he would be teaching chemistry and take the
job of assistant coach of the football team. His salary was $,400 per
year.
From the first practice Rockne displayed a skill as a strategist.
He found many new ways to run plays and confuse the opposition. When
Harper(the head coach) retired, Rockne took the prestigious job of head
coach of ND. His salary was increased to $5,000 a year. It was at this
time that he loosened his grip on becoming a pharmacist and decided to
devote his life to football.
From day one Rocknes goal was to establish ND as a national
sports power. Rockne once said about coaching, We can all be geniuses,
because one definition of genius is the infinite capacity for taking
pains. Perfection in petty detail is most essential.
George Gipp was a freshman thinking of dropping out of school.
Rockne foud him drop-kicking 5 yard field goals on the campuss practice
grounds. Knute invited him to tryout for the team. In his first season the
Gipper kicked a 6 yard field goal, scored three game clinching
touchdowns, and had a total of 480 yards in one game versus Army. He was
considered to be the best player that Rockne had ever recruited. Gipp was
a notorious fellow for gambling and cutting class. Still, the team team
and Knute immortilized him. Gipp died of complications from pneumonia
during the 10 season. In his final game, althuogh very ill, he
remarkably threw two touchdowns versus NW.
Eight years later, as the Irish battled a seemingly invincible
Army team, Rockne shook his team with quiet locker room speech that was
immortalized by sport writer Grantland Rice. Ive got to go, Rock, said
Rockne, Imitating the dying mans gestures. Its alright. Im not afraid.
Sometimes, Rock, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the
boys, tell them to go in there with all theyve got and win one just for
the Gipper. I dont know where Ill be then, Rock, but Ill know about it.
And Ill be happy.
The Irish ran out of the room and played hardnosed football. The
final score was 1-6 in Notre Dames favor, and the New York daily News
ran perhaps its most famous headline Gipps Ghost Beat Army.
He never used the same speech twice on his lads. He had a
showmans instinct for when to say what to get his troops fired up. His
motto was Practice, Practice, Practice! Practice makes perfect and
perfect practice makes a winning team.
One of his most innovative ideas was the Notre Dame Shift. This
was when the entire backfield would move all to oneside of the ball before
the ball was snapped. This really screwed up the defenders and it worked a
lot for ND.
Knute was the most innovative and charismic coaches of his era.
The Cleavland Press called him the Buffalo Bill of his
generation. In his last game as coach he defied his doctors orders and
went to the field. The players looked on in horror when the man they
thought might die in front of them told them to win or watch him die.
Rockne ended his career with the greatest all time % of .881 105 wins,1
losses, 5 ties, 6 national championships and 5 undefeated seasons. Rokne
tragically died in a plane crash a the age of 4. Studebaker named a car
after him and the U.S. government named a ship after him. Will Rogers put
it best when he said, It takes a big calamity to shock a country all at
once, but Knute, you did it. You died one of our national heroes. Notre
Dame was your address, but every gridiron in america was your home.(needs
to be proofread)
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