The Washington times., 1931-11-11


Sires to state that the foregoing
queries have come to him very
often of late. Most of the ques-
tioners are Georgetown men. A
few have been Navy men.
The Rockne system is really the
"Rockne-Notre Dame" system. 1t
is So-called because it was evolved
at Notre Dame and developed to
a high degree of perfection by the
late Knute K. Rockne. The sys-
tenn primarily calls for perfect
execution of attacking plays to
the last minute detail by men thor
oughly trained and educated in
football fundamentals, especially
blocking. In short, perfection of
execution" is the basis of the
Rockne-Notre Dame system.
However, there is more to it
than that.
The system, in it's broader as
poets, places a premium upon
brains, the unSelfiSh spirit of self
sacrifice, intense fire of nervous
energy, courage. Self-reStraint,
and fine muscular coordination
Also. in the words of the immor-
tai "Rock"-'technique made para
mount"
Spirit Of Clean Play
Underlying the system itself is
a spirit of clean play-sportsman
ship, if you will-which makes for
the development of the resource
fulness and militant energy of the
American spirit"
To properly and satisfactorily
install the Rockne-Notre Dame
system requires three full years,
very often four.
Tommy Mills, at Georgetown,
will probably require three years.
Edgar rip" Miller, at Navy, will
; probably require four years. Ar
: thur Dutch" Bergman, at Cath
olic University, may or may not
: require four years. The .ast two
! named have not, to date, had
the man-power to accomplish
things in three years. Mills will
be hard put to it to accomplish
his task in three years, due also
to a lack of man-power in his
first year at the Hilltop
Mills, like Miller and Bergman,
has a proper and capable COM
plement of assistants. John Col
rick, Frank Leahy and Frank
Kersges are ideal men for George
town. Miller has men of similar
Caliber at Navy. as has Bergman
at C. U. All three of the men
named are by character, training
and disposition proper men in
the proper scheme of things at
G. U.
There is no doubt whatsoever
in the mind of this writer, a
former Georgetown football cap
tain, but that in another season
Mills methods will repay George
town most handsomely in victory
dividends. Blue and Gray suthor-
tiles will never regret, to this
writer's way of thinking. the time
devoted to properly installing
the Rockne-Notre Dame system.
The same may also be said of
Navy and C. U.
No Sentimentality
There is no Sentimentality at
tached to the system at Notre
Dame or any other place. 1t is
a matter Of carrying out minute
details, particularly blocking.
Rockne and Notre Dame put
FIRST things FIRST, and Won"
Any college which follows that
rule-"first things first
hardly escape the lesson of the
Rockne-Notre Dame system. Mills,
Miller and Bergman demand per-
lection of execution. They insist
that first things be first. Their
ideas are not thoroughly under
stood by all, or anywhere near
all, not even among football play
erS. However, their systems pre-
clude injustice to a candidate FOR
the football team, offer construc-
tive recreation and teach the doc
trine: "The team before all else"
Rockne and Notre Dame said.
! together, of inter-hall football at
Notre Dame: 1T must be played
in virile, competitive way with
a maximum Of color and interest,
where both sides are trying hard
to win and where it means
something to win or lose. We
don't believe that innocuous con-
tests between pancreas and spleen
amount to very much"
| No Sentirnentalitv therel