The Bismarck tribune., 1931-04-07
TAUGHT squad TO
| Be SELF-REL[ANT
THROUGHOUT GAME
Was Unerring Judge Of Men;
Used Caustic Tongue When
Occasion Demanded
FEARED TROJAN ELEVEN
Method Of Discipline Was Great
Aid in Football Battles;
Used Sarcasm
FEARED TROJAN ELEVEN
(NEA ServicA)

(NEA Service)
Knute Rockne was blamed for /,
lot Of psychology" that he never de
served. Most Of Rocks psycholog
was expressed in his handling of men
Thus several years ago Rockn
started second team backfield in ,
game with Princeton. There wer,
many comments in the Sunday news
papers to the effect that Rockne 'b,
q master stroke Of psychology ha1
upset the aplomb Of the might!
Tiger"
The fact was that Rockne startes
that substitute set OF backs becaus'
the first string backfield was beint
disciplined. It happened that tn,
men Of the first string backfield l1a<
begun to take themselves pretty seri'
ously, owing to number OF laudator,
wrtteups they had received. Rocknei
psychology" brought them down.
and when he did send them into tn.
game they romped like wild horses.
Secuted Northwestern
Last year, he secuted the powerful
northwestern team personally. Wher
reporters sought him out, asking ar
opinion of the eleven that Notr<
Dame was to meet the following Sat-
urday, Rockne spoke in this wise:
I'VE may have some trouble with
those big Purple linemen-but I'll be
able to tell you how good they are
next Saturday night"
Was Rockne aiming that as a psy-
geological dart at his own men? The
TACT Is that Notre Dame did have
plenty Of trouble with s'those bic
Purple linemen" just as Rockne had
said-but the touchdown, after three
and three quarter periods Of gruelline
11ne-play and end runs, finally came
when Schwartz carried the bail RIGHT
through tackle.
Cartdeo had called line-play after
line-play against the Purple and had
seen the attempts wrecked before
they could get fairly started. I'm
qaunted, as though trying to make
Rocks prediction about show good
they are" come true, he kept plugging
away with end runs and off-tackle
plays.
Finally, that off-tackle play went
through. Carideo had answered
Rocks question. The team had dis
PEELED Rocks doubts as to what could
be done to "that big Purple line" It
was as though the Notre Dame team
that day had taken up q challenge
from Its coach-and made him like it.
Feared Trojans
Before the game with Southern
California, Rockne tremulously ut
tered q fear that Notre Dame would
lose by q couple of touchdowns. Per-
haps that was psychology, but there
Is a chance that Rockne down In his
heart believed what he said.
That was another challenge to his
men. They answered 1t by getting
the Jump on the vaunted Trojan and
running away with the game before
the Californians could get going.
In this game. Rockne showed his
Characteristic consideration for his
men, and at the same time raised
their efficiency to its highest point
by using for the first time in the sea-
son the huddle. The huddle, OF
course, took time, and that Is what
Rockne figured his men would need
to get their wind, coming suddenly
into q warm climate to play.
Tongue Could Sting
OF his handling Of men, It has
been written often that he was never
abusive. That may be, but his tongue
could sting. I have seen him perched
on the high platform at practice. with
four teams running signals, and
heard him harshly criticize some
player who was loafing or going
through the motions without the re-
quired fire and dash. He spared no
persons-Captain Tom Conley, who
came In for a public rebuke shortly
before the Pitt game last year, can
verify that. But Conley took his
medicine like a man, and played a
great game throughout the schedule.
Rockne was an unerring Judge Of
men, and though he knew how to
make their necks red with a biting
word, he was loyal to them and they
called him friend
He loved the -Four Horsemen, but
did not hesitate to bawl them out
bitterly when occasion demanded.
Once in q game against Princeton,
Sleepy Jim Crowley Jagged on q run
and was nailed by Slagle from behind.
In the dressing room Crowley re-
marked that he hadn't thought slagle
was that fast. Replied Rock:
"Oh well, maybe slagle didn't know
who you were. II you had shown him
those New York clippings you have
been saving, telling how good you
were, he wouldn't have dared come
near YOU"
Players Made Self.Reliaut
BareheadAd Jack Cannon loaSed
once too often In practice on the eve
IF the Army game In 1922. Rockne
"etopl" from hts throne on
he high platform. Then:
"You fellows might a. well 20 to
The showers before Cannon spoils any
more playsl"
Cannon was stunued-but he came
,ack. His play against Army next
lay when he WAS Ill over the field
making tackles and taking out men,
vas one Of the most brilliant bits q
yuard work ! have ever seen. Rockne
aad read him rightly.
Rockue himself uinimized pgychol-
nv for the s4ke Of his men. He
aught them to depend upon them
elves. They were thoroughly tested
or errors by being allowed to make
hem, even by being led on to mako
hem 20 they could be corrected.
After he was sure of his quarter-