Honoring Knute Rockne as one of the greatest

Will Rogers.
Babe Ruth.
Knute Rockne.

When CBS Sports listed the three most significant celebrity voices of the 1920s, it’s no wonder they included Notre Dame legend Knute Rockne. With a historic .881 winning percentage and six national championships in his 13 seasons as head coach, Rockne is known for revolutionizing the game of football with his innovative use of the forward pass, formations, and modern equipment and uniforms. He changed the game—literally.

Today, let’s take a moment to celebrate our legendary coach’s birthday and his enduring legacy at Notre Dame!

100 years ago, this photo was taken as Rockne shared the gridiron with one of the other significant voices of his time: Babe Ruth, the Major League Baseball hero whose career spanned 22 seasons playing for the Red Sox, Yankees, and then the Braves. 

The iconic photo of Rockne and Ruth was taken in 1926. Ruth would have been about 31 years old, and Rockne, 38. Ruth made his way to South Bend for the first time that October to play two games following his record-setting performance in the World Series with the Yankees.

Rockne and Ruth are found here standing on Cartier Field, where the Fighting Irish first played their games. The field was located just north of the current Notre Dame Stadium and housed fewer than 30,000 fans.

The team would later move to the House That Rockne Built.

In every way you share your Fighting Irish spirit—through your gifts to the Rockne Athletics Fund, your cheers from the stands or from home, and your prayers for our student-athletes and staff—you honor Knute Rockne. You celebrate the man who stood among legends and ushered in a new era of the game we all love.

We are proud to bear his name. We are proud to be the Fighting Irish.