Knute Rockne rose to prominence in 1913 as an end for the University of Notre Dame , then a largely unknown Midwestern Catholic school . When Army scheduled Notre Dame as a warm-up game , they thought little of the small school . Rockne and quarterback Gus Dorais made innovative use of the forward pass , still at that point a relatively unused weapon , to defeat Army 35 – 13 and helped establish the school as a national power . Rockne returned to coach the team in 1918 , and devised the powerful Notre Dame Box offense , based on Warner 's single wing . He is credited with being the first major coach to emphasize offense over defense . Rockne is also credited with popularizing and perfecting the forward pass , a seldom used play at the time . The 1924 team featured the Four Horsemen backfield . In 1927 , his complex shifts led directly to a rule change whereby all offensive players had to stop for a full second before the ball could be snapped . Rather than simply a regional team , Rockne 's " Fighting Irish " became famous for barnstorming and played any team at any location . It was during Rockne 's tenure that the annual Notre Dame-University of Southern California rivalry began . He led his team to an impressive 105 – 12 – 5 record before his premature death in a plane crash in 1931 . He was so famous at that point that his funeral was broadcast nationally on radio
plane crash
1931 Transcontinental & Western Air Fokker F-10 crash
College football