The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-04-04
.SEEING ECKERSALL
IN GAME CHANGES
KNUTE'S AMBITION
Notre Dame Wizard Always Had
Soft Spot in Heart for Street
R%agamuffins
ELECTED CAPTAIN OF IRISH
Earns First College Tuition
Money by Working as Mail
Dispatcher in Illinois
ELECTED CAPTAIN OF IRISH
(NEA Service)

(NEA Serv1ce)
All his life. Knute Rockne had q
soft spot in his heart for gate-crash-
ing kids. He never forgot that. m
he had been a gate-craShing kid
himself, and it vas because he crash
ed the gate at a football game that
he dreamed his great life dream that
finally came true.
The visionary CLEAN Of heroism
broke into Rockne's soul like the
sun suddenly flaming from behind
a cloud-30 years ago in Chicago.
Rock" a skinny kid from the Logan
Square neighborhood, sneaked in at
the gate through which the new
tangled" horseless carriages of that
distant day passed.
A high school team from Brook
lyn, N. Y, had come to the west to
play Hyde Park High, Chicago cham
pions. Walter Eckersall was quarter
back for the Hyde Park team. Above
all others he was the man "Rock"
wanted to e
"Rock" waited patiently at the mo-
tor gate until the guards were on the
other side of the line of cars, then
pulled an end run with the vehicles
running the interference. Rock"
was something Of a blocking strategist
at gate-crashing, too.
Eckersall's play that day was a re-
velation. The man who was to be-
come one of the greatest quarter
backs the world ever knew guided his
team u%nerringly to a los to 0 victory
over the flock from F1atbuSh.
Idolizes Eckersall
"Rock" saw and idolized the keen
eyed signal-caller, who with not
much more than four plays, upset
the heavier Brooklyn team time after
time. Up to that time R0ckne had
played his football in the neighbor-
hood games in which the Irish and
"the Swedes"-as all boys of Scandi-
navian descent were called-battled
for blood on the vacant lots of Logan
Square. AS an end on the "Tricky
Tigers" young Rockne's spindly legs
and flying feet carried him to some
local renown.
But Eckersall, that day against
Brooklyn, brought to the mind OF the
Norwegian boy a picture and a les
son that he never forgot. Even in
that period when brute strength pre-
vailed yer the sly strategem, Ecker
sail was a master timer.
Over and over again Eckie's correct
precision and timing caught the
bumptious Brooklynites off balance
and brought long gains for the Hyde
Park eleven. Rockne caught the
rhythm of that clicked attack, and
years later it was that same timing
that made his teams at Notre Dame
marvellous to watch and hard to stop.
Eckersall awakened in slim-legged
young Rockne the desire to become q
football player. Previously Rockne
had held up before himself the heroes
of baseball of the period as worthy Of
following. Mordecai Brown was n
of his youthful y~earnings. Rube
Waddell was another. It was in play
ing baseball, by the way, that Rock"
had his nose splattered all over his
face, being smashed with a bat in q
free-for-al1.
Decides For Football
After seeing Eckersall Rockne
definitely determined what he want
ed to do, and his baseball hopes faded
before the great desire that Ecker
sails playing aroused.
In 1901 Rockne entered high school
in Chicago. At football he was not
an immediate success. He toiled
faithfully as a scrub and it was not
until his senior year that he made
the team.
During this period young Rockne
had some success at track. He had
speed afoot and developed into a
half miller Of parts, later adding pole
vaulting to his athletic line. It was
because he was a promising track
athlete that he remained out Of
school for four years after being
graduated from high school. He
competed in all sorts of track meets,
finally being taken under the colors
Of the Illinois Athletic club.
The dream Of football greatness
that Eckersall had inspired was still
retained by Rockne, however, but the
way was hard for him. With the goal
set Of saving $1,000 so he might enter
the University of Illinois, he took a
civil service examination and was ap-
pointed a mail dispatcher. Top SAL
ary for such a Job was 500 a month.
Rockne saved. How he must have
savedl BY 1910-Rockne was % then
-he had put by his $1,000 and had
enough left over to buy q suitcase.
His goal was Illinois, but two friends,
Johnny Plant and Johnny Devine,
persuaded him to come with them to
Notre Dame.
Rockne was q Protestant, then, but
his friends convinced him he could
i've more cheaply and stood q better
chance Of getting q job at the Cath
Ole school.
Crashes Irish Line
Frank Longman was coach the year
Rockne arrived. Freshmen played in
that football era, and someone rec
commended Rockne to Longman.
Longman stuck him in at fullback
In q scrimmage between regulars and
scrubs. Rockne himself often told
the story Of how he failed miserably
In that first game. The coach sent
him back to the Brownson Hail team.
FRockne went out for track.
! IN the following year Notre Dame
hired q new coach, Jack Marks from
Dartmouth. Rockne tried again.
This time he had q little better sue
cess, and in 1912 Marks gave him q
eteady assignment at end.
Toward the end Of the 1912 season,
Rockns. constantly improving. be-