Notre Dame Football: Remembering Knute Rockne
By Paul Walsh
A College Football Pioneer
Rockne is often credited with “inventing” the forward pass. Unfortunately, this is not the case. However, Rockne did play an integral role in the game that first extensively utilized the forward pass.
On November 1st, 1913, the Fighting Irish took on the juggernaut that was the Army football team. While the Irish did employ the running game, their offense also featured the vertical pass regularly. Notre Dame quarterback Charlie Dorais connected downfield with Rockne throughout the course of the contest. Dorais complete 14 of 17 passes for 243 yards in the game en route to a 35-13 win over the tough Army squad. Rockne’s performance as a receiver helped to revolutionize the game of college football as a whole, and the win over Army helped to solidify Notre Dame as a national football power.
As a coach, Rockne employed what became known as “The Notre Dame Box” — a scheme that he learned from his predecessor, Jesse Harper. But Rockne proved to make it his own in his time at Notre Dame. The scheme opened up the offense in a variety of ways and allowed Rockne to be continually experimental. His shifts often confused defenses, and other teams across the country came to adopt Rockne’s formations. Even the Green Bay Packers utilized Rockne’s tactics throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s, led by former Rockne player Curly Lambeau.