The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-04-03
N0YRE DAME GRID
WIZARD ID AS
PIONEER VIKINGS
Famed Irish Mentor Was Lover
Of Speed; Found Thrill in
Modern Aviation
WAS FIRST TO EXPLOIT PASS
Developed Adventurous Spirit in
Football Teams; Made
Chemistry a Hobby
MAS FIRST TO EXPLOIT PASS
ME- Service)

inca SerVIceD
1xn,,te Rookie was a son OF n VI
kinrs. His blood was like theirs and
II called him to daring and aoVen.
tire lust as it called the Vikings OF
old Norway who pointed their SHIPS
into the trackless ocean.
The son Of immigrants, who be-
came the greatest football coach tne
world has ever known. died 1inaily
INST as many Of his Viking forefatn.
ers had died, upon a ship,
hound on q Western trail.
Rockne found in aviation the same
thrill that the old Norsemen 1ounc
IN their crude and restless craft Win
which they dared the devils OF the
Saan +o do their worst. 1t was an
excitement that satisfied a desire
that; was dear to him. a craving 1or
adventure that grew out OF his MORSE
heritage. 80 e-,u,,.ors
..rt in uncharted seas. The ship OF
pockne plunged to the earth IN
@ismes. The craft in which he sailed
uttered from theirs. but the old urge
that prompted him to fly was tne
same daring that sent them m1o 'n7
tempestuous darkness
Has Viking Spirit
An idea of this spirit OF
mo. conveyed during a recent VISIT 70
rrotre DAME. Rockne had an AUTO
rroh,1e that had been presented u
MIN in recognition Of his Champion
.h;n Football team of the year pc
FORE He had been in one o. tnc
chemistry laboratories where ne hKeo
10 dabble around with strange com.
pounds and mixtures. 1t was almosI
time for the squad to practlce whell
he emerged, met me and lnvfteo me
r. over to the football field, oio
cartier Field it was then.
He leaped in and graspeo the
~hea1 we started with a rush n a
roor much after the manner IN whlcn
h;s great grid teams started. HARD
~ had I closed the door than the ma
chine shot out, up over the curoias
with a terrific jolt.
Was Fast Driver
pockne never was one to SUCK 10
roads In his driving he used up a
car IN a few months, and it had to be
a good car to last a year uncer MS
tmpulsive guidance.
We grazed a tree. Rockne, with no
d;snlay of emotion, kept talking III
that hard. metallic voice that MS
PLAYERS learned to admire and obey.
Il like to drive" he said. .bus !
like to fly, too. Maybe If l hadnt
heen a football coach I would have
been an aviator. There's something
about it that gets YOU"
We bumped and jolted across a
shallow ditch at about 40 miles an
hour. we went splashing straignt
through the center of a small pond
sending mud and water flying up
over the hood. Finally we crossed
another curbing, wheeled along q
gravel road and pulled up at the foot
ball field.
Rockne shot on the brakes with a
bang and we slid for a few feet before
stopping.
He leaped out and started at once
giving directions to the squad. divid-
ing them into units for passing,
blocking, tackling signals.
Loved Adventure
The picture that he left with me
Is that of him at the wheel. steering
an uncharted course just as the Vi
kings of old drove their stout ships.
II the Viking urge in him hadn't
been 50 strong, Rockne might have
become a famous chemist. Ills OLD
teachers at Notre Dame often praised
ii. brilliant efforts with the test
tubes. But innate restlessnes5 finally
brought him to the football field, and
10 deeds of daring.
It was the Viking In him that led
to his development of the forward
PASS. The story of that began when
Knute, the son Of poor Norwegian
parents who brought him to the New
world when he was still a baby. hao
to work hard during the summers r.
keep himself at school
Learns to Pass
one summer while Rockne was still
= student at Notre Dame, he and Gus
Dorais worked as walters in a resort
hotel at Cedar Point, o. It was there
that Rockne with his flair for daring
and dramatics, toiled with D0rais, 8
buddy. in the perfection Of the pass
Gus threw passes to Rockne dur.
ing every minute the two could gel
away from their work. Dorais, who
now Is q coach at the University o.
Detroit, threw him short passes, flat
passes, long arching passes that made
sRock" hustle to catch. They worked
indefatigably. In the year that fol-
lowed, their success with the pass wa
amazing.
@The pass Is going to change THU
game" Rockne predicted 10 year,
ago when he captained the Notr'
Dame team through an -undcfeatet
rear. Besides being q beautiful thini
10 watch. It opens up the game. !
Odds the element Of surprise to at
tack. II you've got . lot Of passes u
your repertoire. the enemy nevel
knows what's coming and can't &c
Det.s
The pass then was new. It ha,
not been exploited. Rockne, with hi
daaire Tor discovery, explored its pos
- Mites. Again, the old Viking urg
RI change. for what was new an
~Ifarentl
~ men caught that spirit. Rock
teams were daring teams Will
f1o CIR o. adventure about then
aS - Vikings roamed. his team