Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2023 53 they were likely to face in late October at Palmer Stadium. Each day's lecture covered one quarter of the "game" against Princeton. The first day, the usual crowd of players was pres- ent. The next day, all the reserves were on hand. By the "third quarter," word of the "game" had spread around campus, and athletes from other sports inched their way into the lecture room. When the "fourth quarter" began, students crowded the hallway outside the classroom, straining to hear each play. Rockne, in true dramatic fashion, left the game tied until the final min- ute. Then, the coordinated effort of all 11 Irish players pulled out the glorious victory, to the cheers of all those assem- bled. One observer, student publicity aide Frank Wallace, noted that Rockne "said it would have been bad psychology for us to have lost. He wanted to have the boys go away with the idea that they could beat Princeton—but only after a terrific struggle, with tremendous con- centration on every detail." It was that focus on "every detail" that set Rockne apart. His mind con- ceived of every possibility, and he built it into his preparation and his presenta- tion. Rockne's full genius was on dis- play. He was quick thinking as he laid out the conditions and judged the re- sponses. Challenging his charges to come along with him on an i m a g i n a r y j o u r n ey through an exercise that would test and enhance their knowl- edge of the game. Rockne had taken all he had learned from others about football and made it his own, imbued with his unique brand of energy, humor and imagination. He was coach, yes, but so much more — teacher, communicator, entertainer, psychologist, salesman. And on Oct. 20, 1923, his team — dubbed by Frank Wallace as "the think- ing, fighting Irish" — would play vir- tually a perfect game in dominating Princeton, 25-2. ✦ Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jlefebvre@blueandgold.com The chalk talks and visualization methods Rockne used in the spring of 1923 helped the Irish thrash defending national champion Princeton 25-2 later that fall. PHOTO COURTESY KNUTE ROCKNE MEMORIAL SOCIETY For more informa on, please visit: www.RockneSociety.org The Knute Rockne Memorial Society is dedicated to preserving and promo ng the life story of Coach Knute Rockne and all he stood for. Through its annual Rockne Awards, the Rockne Society recognizes and inspires great achievement in athle cs…and in life.