Disce Quasi Semper Victurus Vive Quasi Cras Moriturus"
("Study like you will live forever; live like you will die tomorrow".)

Starting in the late 1870's, this rather intimidating phrase was the Scholastic Magazine credo. Ironically, the Scholastic proved to be the vehicle which has allowed the daily experiences of Notre Dame students during the past 150 years to truly "live forever". Scholastics are a virtual gold mine of Notre Dame history, and more importantly, of insight into the daily lives of its students. These first hand reports of campus life, written by student reporters, give a candid and personal view of important (and trivial) events on the Notre Dame campus. Joe Madonia, an '82 alum and partner in the Chicago law firm of Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon, will edit a monthly column of excerpts from his rare and wonderful collection of original Scholastic Magazines spanning the period from 1869 - 1931.

 

Semper Victurus this month is an excerpt on Gipp's famous game against Army in 1920 from the November 6,1920 Scholastic.

Gridiron Gossip

ARMY, 17; NOTRE DAME, 27.

A great chapter in Notre Dame's unparalleled football history has been completed; another, greater and more glorious, is about to be written. Seven continuous and successful years of eastern invasions have brought the reward of honest recognition to Notre Dame and the West.

THE PRESS BOWS.

Notre Dame's third consecutive victory over the Army at West Point Saturday has conclusively proved the contention that western football is the equal, if not the superior, of the eastern game. A score of coldly judging, later admiring and finally enthusiastic sport writers, gridiron experts and critics from the metropolitan press viewed the battle. They saw the Army team, admittedly the strongest, best coached and brilliant West Point machine in recent years, meet its defeat at the hands of the greatest combination of "football brains, speed and courage" , seen in the east in a decade. A dozen of the great eastern papers carried the play-by-play story of the game, its wonders, revelations and lessons. Flaring headlines proclaimed All-American candidates, and long columns recorded and resounded with "Mr.George Gipp," "sons of old Notre Dame," "dazzling aerial attack," "keen generalship," "invincible line" and a hundred other phrases; all in just tribute to Coach Rockne's men, who have wrested the title of gridiron leadership from the east for the west.

BRILLIANT SETTINGS AND PLAYS.

Saturday was an off-day for eastern football. The press heralded the Army-Notre Dame game as "worthwhile" and a "true test of the undefeated Army." The trip up the Hudson, social features and brilliant company were all mentioned. For once the press did not fail. The occasion proved to be the most perfect socially and sensationally of the season.

Friday's rains ceased at nightfall; a keen breeze aided in drying the heavy field till the bright skies of morning took up the work. By noon the thousands of fashionable fans began to arrive and found the "Plains" at its best. The colorful autumn scenes of the Hudson and the towering battlements of the Academy lent every aid to brilliance. Motors large and small, trains, steamers and ferries poured hundreds of spectators upon the scene every hour. Thousands of fashionable guests viewed the Cadets' 'on dress parade' , and then settled in the stands to await the event of the day.

Nearly four hundred faithful followers and friends of Notre Dame massed in the east stands, and the score of writers and operators prepared to chronicle the clash of the undefeated east and west. The Cadet Corps with fife, drum and band swung into the west stands singing and cheering as they came. They had wagered their "all" and were confident of the returns. The tension was almost unbearable; something had to happen.

Something did. The Gold and Blue squad, led by "Little Willie" and Coach Rockne, trotted onto the field. Simultaneously the Cadet Corps in the west stands and the "gathered four hundred," from "Jimmy" Hoskins to "Rupe'. Mills and "Red" Salmon in the east stands, rose and cheered. Brandy chased the first eleven smoothly up and down the field, Castner, Degree and Gipp entertained, each punting graceful forty, fifty and sixty yard spirals. "George" non-chalantly booted a few forty yard drop kicks over the bar. Then the Army's army of football men came. The cadets in the west stands rose, hats off. They sang, cheered and shouted. An Army victory was demanded, it seemed impossible that anything else could happen. The Army team looked heavier, it was heavier than it looked, and they had a grim earnestness about them. The Army must win. The coaches had told them so, their brother cadets and visiting guests and West Point tradition demanded it. It was the even year; they had always beaten Notre Dame on the even year.

THAT FIRST HALF.

Captain Coughlin chose to receive the kick-off and amid impressive scenes and demonstrations the greatest intersectional game of the season was on. Notre Dame hit a hard pace from the first. Gipp and Mohardt rushed the ball past midfield in four plays. Then Wynne went into action. Wynne ripped through the Army center for a twelve yard gain, but lost the ball when three cadets tackled him and knocked it out of his arms. The Army players followed the ball hard and closely every minute of the game, their efforts to "take it away" causing most of the real thrills of the game. Recovering the ball the Cadets began to slash their way down the field, French, the Rutgers All-American backfield man, doing most of the work. By making two of the four first downs made during the entire game the Army threatened our goal and finally Lawrence broke the line for a score. The Goal was easy. The "Rockmen " came back strong. Taking the kickoff they marched to mid-field in three downs, were penalized half the distance back, and then started over again. This time they marched seventy-five yards without a halt to a touchdown. Gipp to Kiley, Gipp off tackle, Gipp around end and Mohardt in sensational dashes, is the story. Mohardt took the ball over and Gipp kicked the goal. After running the ball to midfield on the next kickoff , Gipp punted from regular running formation and caught the Army backs napping. Forced to punt from behind his goal French got forty yards. Gipp, Kiley and Mohardt again rushed the ball to the Cadet goal behind perfect line offense work. Kiley carried the ball thirty-five yards on a pass for the touchdown.

Fate destined the Army for luck. Notre Dame's third march was scarcely underway when a bad pass forced Gipp to punt in the shadow of his goal. French received the punt and romped sixty yards down the side line tape for the touchdown, which tied the score and sent the cadetcorps into poroxysms of joy. Fate still held with the Cadets, for after the next kickoff the "Irish" were forced behind their own goal by fumbles and penalties. Gipp failed to kick into the field, the Army recovering the out of bounds kick with only fifteen yards to go. The "Rockmen" held and forced the Army to drop kick. French performed the feat and sent the Army into the lead 17-14. Here the first half ended, both teams retiring for quasi-chats by the respective coaches. Needless to say, the calmest sports writer in the press box was "all attention" by this time. The game had early attained historic and classic proportions. Queries for extra space and time were relayed to New York.

A SENSATIONAL SECOND HALF

When Rockne's men appeared for the :second half, Larsen the regular center was missing. He had played nearly the entire second quarter with a badly torn hip partly dislocated. Mehre replaced him. The famous Notre Dame aerial offensive, Gipp to Kiley and Mohardt, featured the play of the third period. Notre Dame failed to score due to penalties at crucial moments, but twice threatened the enemy goal, and the period ended with the ball on the Army fifteen yard marker. Wynne had battered the Cadet line into submission and a substitute was sent in after each play. The plucky Army forwards were unable to stave off inevitable defeat, however, and at the opening of the fourth period Mohardt took the ball for the third score after Gipp had advanced it within scoring distance. On the kickoff Gipp continued his superman act. He ran the ball fifty yards through the middle of the Army defense and then forward passed and plunged, alternating with Coughlin and Barry, to scoring distance. At this point Wynne drove through the Army line and sprinted down the side line for twenty yards and a touchdown. That ended his work for the afternoon. Many critics declared him to be the fastest, hardest driving fullback of the season and predict great things for the future.

Notre Dame's reserve rushed into the fray at this point. Piloted by Grant, the reserves kept the Army on the retreat but failed to score. Garvey, Hayes and Carberry featured the line play. Castner also exhibited original line plunging stunts. When the play ended, the largest crowd that had ever attended a game on the "Plains" realized they had witnessed an unusual game, the making of several AII-American possibilities, the certainty of one, George Gipp; and the turning point in eastern and western football relations. Notre Dame, Knute Rockne, Gipp, forward pass and brilliant football had new meanings.