Knute Rockne

Bio

To answer the debate as to who was college football's greatest coach, the argument must always begin with Notre Dame's Knute Rockne. His .881 winning percentage is the highest in major college football history. He had five undefeated seasons, and six others where he lost just one game. His teams won three national titles and he made Notre Dame a team with a national following. From 1918 to 1930, Rockne's Notre Dame elevens had a 105-12-5 record. Rockne's electric personality and the stylish play of his teams captured public imagination during the "Golden Age" of sports in the Roaring Twenties. He perfected such maneuvers as the Notre Dame Shift and helped change the game from one of brute strength to one of speed and deception. His style of play was adopted by countless teams and six of his players would become Hall of Fame coaches. He coached legendary athletes such as George Gipp, Hunk Anderson, Rip Miller, and of course, the Four Horsemen - Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, Don Miller and Elmer Layden. Then, on March 31, 1931, America and the world mourned the news - Knute Rockne had died in a plane crash at Bazaar, Kansas at the age of 43. Will Rogers paid this tribute: "Notre Dame was Knute Rockne's address, but every gridiron in America was his home."