Knute Rockne All American

Lars Knutson Rockne (John Qualen), a carriage builder, moves his family from Norway in 1892, settling in Chicago. His son, Knute (Pat O'Brien), saves up his money and enrolls in college at the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana, where he plays football. Rockne and teammate Gus Dorais (Owen Davis Jr.) star in Notre Dame's historic 35-13 upset over Army at West Point in 1913. The game is historically significant as Notre Dame employed the seldom-used forward pass to great effect. The publicity from the Fighting Irish's surprise win creates Notre Dame football fans around the country. After graduation, Rockne marries his sweetheart Bonnie Skiles (Gale Page) and stays on at Notre Dame to teach chemistry, work on synthetic rubber in the chemistry lab (under Father Julius Nieuwland) (Albert Bassermann), and, in his spare time, serve as an assistant coach of the Fighting Irish football team under head coach Jesse Harper. Outstanding freshman halfback George Gipp (Ronald Reagan) leads the Irish to greater gridiron glory. Gipp is stricken with a fatal illness after the final game of the 1920 season. On his death bed, he encourages Rockne to someday tell the team to "win one for the Gipper." Notre Dame continues its football success with a backfield of stars dubbed the Four Horsemen. Rockne is killed in a 1931 plane crash on a trip to California, but his legend makes him a campus immortal.