The Washington times., 1931-04-08

Notre Dame came to that +
Point in 1918 poorly equipps
It is interesting to note thaS'
the squad rode day coaches from
South Bend to Buffalo simply to
save expense; interesting to note,
too, that there were just IL
pairs of football shoes for the
squad and when, in the course
of the game, Gargan was forced
from the lineup it was necessary
to call time when he removed his
shoes and gave them to his sub
Stitute.
Army Given Warning
Army had heard of Notre
Danes overhead attack-h a d
been warned that the Hoosiers
were dangerous at the passing
game-but they didn't believe.
The pass hadn't been developed
in the East and Army couldn't
conceive of Western team pos
Sessing something which they
themselves didn't have. 1t was
not until midway of the first
period when, after series of
lineup plays that sucked the de-
fense in, Dorais dropped back
and sent a pass shooting into
the arms of the speeding Rockne
for a touchdown, that Army
awakened to its peril. Then it
was too late.
Nineteen times during the
course of the afternoon DOrais
shot that pass. Twelve times it
was completed for long yard.
age. Army, desperate, tried to
retaliate. But Army was un.
trained-and only twice in II
attempts were the Cadets able
to complete the overhead play
and then only for the scant.
est sort of yardage.
Some people contend that the
Notre Dame passing attack was
a thing of the moment-born of
desperation and brought into use
when everything else had failed.
Nothing could be further from
the truth. That passing game
was planned long months before
planned in the minds of Rockne
and Dorias during the long sum-
mer days that preceded that fate
full November. 1t wasn't born Of
accident but of genius; it wasn't
the child of inspiration, but OF
painstaking, back-breaking labor.
WORKED ON PASS
During the summer of 1913
Rockne and Dorais and other
members of the squad conditioned
at Cedar Point, on Lake Erie.
Rockne, as captain of the team,
felt the responsibility of his post.
Opportunity was coming - he
wanted to make the most of it.
But let's let Joseph Gargan tell
the story. Joe was Rockne's
roommate. a member of the team,
and one of the players who sum-
mered at Cedar Point.
'Tt was at Cedar Point" Mr..
Gargan writes, chat ROckne
developed the forward pass,
which was later to give him the
unchallenged mastery of the
football world. We would go
out to the beach and practice
it three or four hours at a
time. Jess Harper, the NOtre
Dame coach, had taught us the
fundamentals of the pass, but
the ball was being tossed, or
lOfted, from the flat of the
hand, irregularly, unevenly, and
for short distances only. Rock
conceived that the ball could
be gripped near its end and
thrown overland, like a base
ball, with a high speed and &C
curacy and for long distances.
$50, he got three footballs,
took Deacon Jones, Gus DOraiS,
the quarterback, now coach at
the University of Detroit, and
myself out to the beach and
for hour after hour the three
of us would run down the beach
while DOrais pelted the ball
at us.
"ROck was a fast runner. In
fact, he came to NOtre Dame as
a track man-runner, hurdler
and pole vauIter-thrOugh his
friendship with Delaney, then
track coach of the Chicago
Athletic Club. He had worked
for six years as a mail clerk,
had saved some money and was
impressed by the need of edu-
cation.
Rock would sprint down the
beach and when he had counted
'One, two, three in measured
time, he would have covered
35 yards. DOraiS would attune
his throwing to that distance
and Rock and the ball were ex.
pected to reach the same spot
at the same instant"