Shenanigans
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Gipp (center,
holding his coat) at the train station after the 1920 Army game at
West Point. |
A fellow student friend of
Gipp's tells this story...
Gipp, of course, was also a formidable pool and poker player. I watched him
beat the top pool hustlers in northern Indiana, and his poker-playing became
almost as legendary as his prowess on the football field. Sometimes, though,
like Rock and the University authorities, I worried about his off-campus
activities. On the morning of a homecoming game with Purdue, I ran into him
walking across campus, bedraggled and dishevelled after an all-night poker
game in Mishawaka.
"You son of a bitch!" I said. "You're supposed to play
today!" He plodded on without saying a word and that afternoon, early
on, ran 65 yards down for for a touchdown.
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The following incident occured
during the 1920 Notre Dame - Army game at West Point:
On their second play from scrimmage Notre Dame, attempting to cross up the
Cadets, tried a trick play that had worked perfectly some weeks before
against Nebraska. Army's Don Storck describes it as well as its results:
"On the preceding play Gipp had hit the middle of our line. As Notre
Dame quickly lined up for the next play, George was slow in getting up, and
the whole Notre Dame line relaxed, looking around at George. Ojay Larson,
their center, was the only lineman to remain in position, bent over the
ball. When quarterback Brandy called out to Gipp, "Are you all right,
George?' the ball was snapped to Mohardt. We were waiting for it and came
rushing through the relaxed Notre Dame line, throwing Mohardt for a big loss
with George under the pile. As George got up he said to me, 'Boy, we won't
try that again -I could have been killed under there."
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