Show ITHE THE Copyright 1927 1827 New York Tribune Inc lne Trademark Registered U. U u 0 B. B s Patent Office By Grantland Rico Till THE HARDEST COACH TO BEAT Some years ago there was Vas a great forward passing combination at Notre Dame where here the South Bend starts from each fall known knO as Doral to Rockne They were brilliant In the days doya when forward passing was still a crude art arC at most moot other universities Dorais was the Notre NoIre Dame quarterback and ami Knute Rockne Ro kne was the end About the only thing they couldn't do with a n football was to cat It and they might have put this act across if IC food had ben scarce at the time Ume I After that Knute Rockne taught chemistry at Notre Noire Dame where he I proved his ability as an Instructor and where he also began to acquire the theart theart theart art of football coaching under Jess Harper who knew his share of the i coaching profession I ISO So when Knute Knots Rockne started to coach at his old university he had these gifts to work ork with a with a complete knowledge of the game the art of Instruction the ability to handle men the drive and the uplift the saving grace race of wit and humor and the in inspirational In- In qualities that few tew coaches can equal from any given date of or football time It would be stepping too far along Into the realms of or the unknown to say that Knute or any coach was the greatest that ever eser lived ed But Dut Rockne Is one of the greatest one of the smartest one of or the most Interesting and one of the most artis antis artistic artistic tic that ever handled a squad TilE THE AMAZING AVERAGE Notre NoIre Dame In the the- last las seven en or eight years has won Von something like 75 out of or 80 SO games This b is no exact statistical report but the average is around those figures One or two other teams may have done as well but bit not against the same opposition For Notre Dame year after year has met most of the strongest teams from the University of Southern Cali Call California California fornia and Stanford In the west to Minnesota and Northwestern North in the middle west the Army Anny Navy and others In the cast east and Georgia Tech TechIn In the south Year after year jear ur Knute Rockne Recluse has stepped Into a killing blighting sched ached schedule schedule ule tile of at least six Ix and often seven hard hand games and his winning average has been a shade better than three out of or four tour The fact that Rockne has a win winning ning Team leans a team that Is seldom beaten Is only part of the story He has something more He nearly al always al- al alVas alVa's ways Vas has a team that has has as much grace and speed as It has hns skill and I power a team Interesting to watch not a big smashing m hammering out out- outfit outfit outfit fit but one that works like a smooth and marvelous machine Notre Noire Dame Is a popular opponent because you never hear about any un un- unnecessary unnecessary un- un unnecessary necessary rough play anc am there are few accidents and Injuries In the wake of a Notre Dame visit Rockne depends more upon speed peed skill smart smut smartness smartness ness and ond deception than he does docs upon crashing through LONG KING SI-KING PRACTICE It should be stated elated here that Rockne has hu some Bome advantages which most moat other coaches miss He Mc has made football the big sport at Fotre J Dame and he Is able to get out a tremendous tremendous dous squad for spring practice a squad d numbering or men He has put such Intense enthusiasm Into his ida own work that he has the university university sity ally on fire with a football name flame ame that never dies away This long hard spring practice has been one if r f the rr ln secrets of Isis his success Every one knows how little time Ume there is to work with veith a football team from September to December Decem r. r Many coaches have ha only 75 or 80 hours of practice for the entire sea lea season season son and when the complexity of the modem modern game 13 Is cons Ide d d this Is nothing at all The wonder Vonder is that so many mony do as well Many of or them ac accomplish so- so accomplish miracles against heavy odds But Rockne has found what he can cando cando cando do with six weeks or more of or hard work In the spring It is here that he lee starts completing his plays and does doe most of his scrimmages His spring practice Is full of or almost almot endless scrim scrim- scrimmaging scrimmaging maging day after arter day where his men learn leans football Instinctively With this to work on he lee has hns less fall rail scrim scrim- scrimmaging scrimmaging maging than any other coach In fact there Is almost no scrimmaging after the of October where her other coaches conches are still sUll hard hord at It and fre fcc frequently frequently losing valuable talent from Irom a twisted ankle a battered knee or a I bum shoulder After the first week In October Rockne's main job is to polish off oct his machinery to keep It working smooth smooth- smoothly ly Iy y and to keep It geared up to top speed He Ic Is a past master at keeping his squad mentally Mert lert and mentally I keen He happens to be a keen wit VIt end and a great reat story stony teller and this Is U Uno I no light help through the grind and drudgery of a hard fall tall campaign H HI H. H knows when to put on pressure and when hen to ease up He can be as hard hardas as ns steel and as pleasant as a sum sum- summers summer's summers summers summer's mers mer's day THE HARDEST TIlING THING TO TEACH The hardest thing th ng to teach In football says Rockne Redone Is to train your men to w keep mentally alert and physically relaxed It Is easy enough to key up a 0 team and get them on ore edge But Dut It Isn't quite qu te so simple to keep them keen and concentrated on the job mentally and not be too over over- overeager overeager eager or overanxious or too tense No art Is needed In keying up a team But Dut to keep them keyed up while they are physically relaxed is Ia another Job GREAT DEFENSE In some way the th Impression has got around that Rockne wins Ins largely through the passing game He always has a great set of passers and a fine variety of or the passing game but many overlook the fact that he also has a varied deceptive running game gome and andone andone andone one of the strongest defensive teams that steps S PS out into action No teanis surpass Notre Dame at blocking and tackling at taking men out or pulling them down n. How Stow does he get set them that way long hard patient drilling A certain star told ma me fall that only two men on era his hla team knew what the duties of or other were Almost every enry player on a a. Notre Notes Dame team knows alo alio the theother theother theother other fellows fellow's Job And he knows every angle of his own Few of these men are big and when you jou s see e them In a a. group they the theare the are not Impressive They are around only average avenge weight but bert they are lire usually loose jointed on the lean and lanky side aide trained to start in a hurry It happens to be the first tint few yards In football that count with triple ef ef- ef feet Rockne works for speed and pre pre- precision precision cislon and end for the best possible Urn tim ing Ini And he insists that every man give everything he lee has to every play A official said that he h worked once In a Notre Dame game and that he decided to wear a golf gob suit sult The garb was something like Ilka that of the opposing op team and ho ho happened to be stationed a big part of the game with the defensive cast cost backing up upI I X was Vas knocked down on nearly f every play he said when Notre Dame had the ball They were ere knock- knock knockIng knockIng knockIng Ing everybody down In short trousers and they were wasting no time three trying to distinguish officials from rival players Rockne also happens to be one of ot the leading inspirational talkers be before be- be before fore rore a game and between n the halves He can lift Jet his team to rare heights whenever the occasion demands any unusual oratorical efforts bus bui he doesn't overdo It Before the Notre Army Dame game last st year the Army Anny coaches were warned by one of or the scouts to take lake the boll ball l If possible starting the third period and keep it until Rockne's team had lead lost some of his Inspirational steam This detail was overlooked The score was 0 to 0 shortly after the third period opened when Flana flana- Flanagan flanagan gan ran with Army Anny tacklers tackier on their backs all a II over 0 er the lot Rockne starts with fundamentals blocking charging etc arid and makes them as perfect as he can Then he goes Into smoothness of ot ex execution ex- ex execution for each play pia an ani then Into a greater variety where hU hI shifts and his deceptive dec plays are carried out with few tew tangles and few snarls Neither Rockne nor Notre NoIre Dame are Invincible No team can cano o 0 unmarked unmark cd or unwearied through such an annual schedule that calls for thousands el tf I miles of travel el But Dut the winning aver aver- average average average age Is phenomenal and the speed skill and beauty of execution of or play are even eyen more phenomenal than the therun therun therun run of victories No one but a a. teach teach- teacher er en er man handler strategist psychologist let 1st and philosopher could get set such combined results resul Historians disagree regarding the Inventor of or printing from movable type In Europe but It started either cither In Germany or Holland about 1440 J |