The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-04
Talking
IT OVER
by JOE WILLIAMS

~ III DEANAli 144N-f Aphl4 d.--ho
- the bells Of the church Of the
Sacred Heart wept the funeral dirge
of Knute K. Rockne today, the man
who started the famous coach on
his superlative football career, first
as player and then as teacher, wept
with them.
Jesse Harper, once guide Of the
gridiron destinies of Notre Dame
and now a cattle raiser in Kansas.
came back to the old campus on
the prairie, where he so often had
exulted in triumph, to mourn for
the man to whom he had been as
a father.
'Rockne was genius in everything he
did" declared the veteran. while be
ALWAYS insisted that there was no such
thing as the 'Rookne system'-while he
ever delighted in saving that his foot 4.
ball went back to Harper-he was the
gridiron creator Of all time.
When ] decided 10 cult at the close
81 me 1917 season. I vent to Father
CaVanaugh. who was president of NOtre
Dame 90 the time and said. I ana through
mere. hut greater coach will follow me
Fatner Cavanaugh asked. Who is this
II told him had chosen Rockne He
vas SURPRISED. That man is to oyoung
ne SblQ. VIC can't turn this thing over 10
g coach, who is only "a.
rather. ] have chosen POCknc and I
have told him that he Is % succeed me
/ said. I cannot disappoint him.
Very well. then. II that is the case.
Rockns will get the post. Father Cav
anaugh replied. knew he would make
the grade. lie went on to make football
an advanced game all his own. There
can he no successor TO Knute Rockne."
n
a COUPLE OF years ago, in a
1 4 spirit of bandiage. Major Ca
vanaugh, coach at Fordham, said
Rochne owed his system to the foot
ball Frank taught at Dartmouth.
Jokingly, Cavanaugh said that he
had given the game to Marks at
Hanover, and Marks had carried it
to NOtre Dame, and to ROckne.
Rockne was very much amused
over this statement, and refused to
believe that it had been made in
seriousness. happened to be at
Notre Dame when the subject came
up in the newspapers, and Rockne
laughingly said.
"Cavanaugh IS wrong Our football
goes back to Adam. I learned everything
know from Harper He learned his
game from Alonzo stage for whom Jesse
played quarter at Chicago. stage brought
his football from Yale. which got it from
walter Camp. who in turn got it from
Adam"
Rockne ALWAYS was ready for @ Joke.
ana pc decided to have hls fun with
CaVanau7h. He sent him serious sound
ing letter. couched in the most r2id legal
terms informing Major Frank that unless
he retracted his statement Roctne would
sue for damages and several other things.
a week later Rockne's letter returned.
At the bottom was written:
"Co to hel. viii you. Cav"
That ended in fun what had started out
70 be dispute. No two coaches had greater
admiration for each other.
As for Rockne's getting his football
from Adam. Harper disputed that "He
did things with the game that nobody
ever dreamed could be done. and did
them by himself" said Harper.
And the bells OF Sacred Heart rolled a
Hosanah across the prairie and through
the stadium that ROci.ne with his un-
matched skill had built for Notre Dame
II
TINE last public utterances of
a Rockne were heard at a high
school basketball banquet at Wash
ington, Ind, last Thursday night
Today I got the first report of his
speech, and it is well worth telling
here.
Visiting this section of Indiana I find
myself with a poignant regret" Rockne
aafd aCor7fn~ hera reminds me NJ
thing / did some years back, when 1
wasn't so meIlowed and so experienced.
and when 7 wasn't the father of a grown
bow. I hurt father badly. and now /
know how badly / hurt him. and how
cruel was the blow.
"a high school football PLAYER came to
NOtre Dame from this section. i gave
him every opportunity but be bore OUT
the truth OF That line I have read over
and over again in Robert Louis Stevenson:
In advertisv the yellow leaf Wlthers and
falls. but the green one turns TO gold
The boys father came 70 Notre Dame
in wrath ae wanted to take his boy
home He berated me az a moor coach
and a worse Judge Of material, The boy
was on the eleventh team. ! was a hit
nut ont over the TRADE and sent for the
lad. I put him on the scrubs, and sent
four varsity PLAYS through him. Four
times that boy backed away.
T turned 10 the father and he was cry
ing like q child I realized then and there
that 70 father the son is something Of
an ideal an idol. / had broken that
fathers Image Of his son. And / want to
say / suffered
cit was a wonderful lesson for me-
A lesson / would like all coaches to
learn and profit by. even as I have
profted. Never lower O. son to his
father"
That was part of the essence Of the
Rockne system insofar as it related TO
the PLAYER himself. He never lowered a
son to another mans SON
NNLY a short time ago in New
~ York, Rockne went over the
chief elements of the various foot
BAH systems. His greatest praise
was for the Army, his greatest re-