Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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field surrounded by nearly 76,000 bleacher seats, the Rocknes were sold. No longer would Rockne have to dream of the far-off day when the authorities at Notre Dame and in South Bend could become perfectly aligned and the coffers full enough to build a proper stadium. Here, he envisioned year-round use of the magnificent structure for not just football games, but track meets, athletic festivals, and coaching schools. Southern Cal was willing to meet a number of conditions and make Rockne a relatively wealthy man. … Rockne's pledge that he would never leave Notre Dame seemed long ago and far away, even after winning a national championship. *** The Rocknes wrapped up their stay, said goodbye to the palm trees and sweet smells of jasmine, and headed back to snowy South Bend. On January 15, 1925, the Southern Cal comptroller wired Rockne that all of his conditions had been met. But the agreement soon took an awkward course. News of the offer made the Los Angeles papers, and then other papers across the country, before Rockne could meet with Father Walsh to discuss ending his long-term Notre Dame contract. Walsh, like many others, heard about the offer from newspaper reports, and threatened legal action if the deal proceeded. Southern Cal officials apologized for the leaked story, but reiterated its desire to sign Rockne. In the end, though, Walsh's bluff worked to scuttle the deal. Rockne feared legal action, and told Southern Cal he regretted the whole incident, since it might have put him in a negative light with important Notre Dame alumni. In the end, Southern Cal didn't get its man, instead turning to former Iowa coach Howard Jones, victor over the Irish in 1921 at Iowa City, to take over its football fortunes. One positive result of the back-and-forth over Rockne's services was an agreement between Notre Dame and Southern Cal to begin their intersectional football series in 1926. *** The 1925 season (7-2-1) ended on Thanksgiving Day in Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Irish were again subject to shocking public displays of anti-Catholic animosity, including a distasteful halftime skit that mocked the intelligence of Irish-Americans. Notre Dame officials were incensed, and immediately worked to cancel the series, against Rockne's wishes. The coach didn't care for the treatment his team received, but saw the greater advantage to his football team of playing the giant of the Midlands every year. … Rockne was furious that the decision to end the Nebraska series was made without asking his opinion. Angry and frustrated over the whole situation, Rockne headed off to postseason coaches meetings in New York City. … He wondered, did coaches at other schools have it easier than he did with the constant approval process that always ran through the priests at Notre Dame? Was there a less complicated place to coach than at Notre Dame? The Nebraska cancellation cut