WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER
George Gipp (1895-1920), nicknamed The Gipper, was a college football player at the University of Notre Dame under legendary head coach Knute Rockne. He played several positions, particularly halfback, quarterback, and punter. Some sports historians rate him as the greatest football player in the history of Notre Dame.
Gipp died at 25 from a streptococcal throat infection and pneumonia. Antibiotics were not available in the 1920's, and treatment options for such conditions were limited.
It was on his hospital bed that he is said to have delivered the "win just one for the Gipper" line. He apparently said this to Rockne. The full quotation from which the line is derived is:
"I've got to go, Rock. I'm all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."
Rockne used the story of Gipp and his deathbed line to rally his team at halftime to a 12-6 upset of the previously undefeated Army team in 1928, with Jack Chevigny* scoring the "that's one for The Gipper" tying touchdown at Yankee Stadium.
The phrase, "Win one for The Gipper", has infused itself into the legacy of football history and has also become a rallying cry for other causes. The phrase was used as a political slogan by Ronald Reagan, who in 1940 portrayed Gipp in Knute Rockne, All American, and was often referred to as "The Gipper."
*Jack (John Edward) Chevigny became a football coach, lawyer, and United States Marine Corps officer. He was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
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