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You probably heard the story about how a former Notre Dame football player, George Gipp, lay dying in bed and asked his coach, Knute Rockne, to tell the players to "win one for the Gipper." Later on, when his team is trailing at halftime, Rockne goes on to relay this moment to his players, who, in a burst of inspiration, go on to win the game. It is one of the most iconic episodes in the history of American sport.
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Didn't Tom Wolfe do a piece about working class ND fans?
Essentially, here was a Catholic university with lots of heroes who were Irish, Italian, Polish and other young men they felt good about cheering on. So, the image was burnished in the 1920s and still shines. Print the legend they all say, although the story is right about the image versus reality.
It is a coaching job many would like to have, but like some other coaches' positions, the expectations are overwhelming to most human beings.
I admit to having had a touch of this--I became area of ND during the Ara Parasegian (sic) era. I thought Terry Hanratty was going to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Superbowl when they drafted him.
Instead, it was Terry Bradshaw, with Rocky Bleier in the backfield and in January Jerome Bettis, another Notre Dame product.
However, the bloom is long since of the rose for me--the whole Notre Dame as a national phenomena with their own deals, no actual conference participation,etc. Really, why is ND so set apart from any of a number of other football mills--Florida State, Florida, Nebraska, Texas, UCLA, Penn State, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama, and on and on?
-------------------- Blinded by the lite Posts: 89 | From: West Virginia | Registered: Jan 2006
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quote:Originally posted by GrandMal de Caesar: ... Really, why is ND so set apart from any of a number of other football mills--Florida State, Florida, Nebraska, Texas, UCLA, Penn State, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama, and on and on?
Maybe because the occasional ND football player actually graduates?
Posts: 629 | From: Greenwood, IN | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:[Rockne] never mentioned [Gipp] in a halftime speech
What is the actual story? I mean, did the players popularize it or Rockne or both - Rockne died in 1931 so he couldn't consult on the movie. I was reading up on the net but couldn't find a lot. Definitely a different era - there's also the UL where Rockne is chewing out the team for being behind at halftime. Gipp isn't paying attention & is busy smoking a cigarette (yes, this was a different era). Rockne says, "Don't you care about winning this game, Gipp?" "Sure I do," says Gipp. "I've got $500 riding on it."
-------------------- No man has a right in America to treat any other man "tolerantly" for tolerance is the assumption of superiority. -Wendell L. Willkie Posts: 3833 | From: Virginia | Registered: Oct 2001
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Obviously ND has a lot of fans and they continue to buy tickets, watch games on tv, and buy ND logo products. If NBC wasn't making money,they wouldn't pay to broadcast the games.
Oh yah, they do have a ton of National Championships, none recent, but they do have a bunch of them.
-------------------- Has anyone seen my other shoe? Posts: 40 | From: Richmond, Indiana | Registered: Jun 2006
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