Sandusky in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Knute Rockne Wedding

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

1. Knute Rockne Wedding Marker

Inscription. Legendary University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach Knute Rockne married Bonnie Skiles of Kenton, Ohio in the rectory of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church on July 15, 1914. Father William F. Murphy officiated. The two met in the summer of 1913 while employed at Cedar Point.

Best Man at the ceremony was Notre Dame football teammate Charles “Gus” Dorais who with Rockne perfected the forward pass in their spare time while working together as lifeguards at Cedar Point in the summer of 1913.

Throughout the 1920s Rockne was head coach at Notre Dame. He sent members of his football team to Cedar Point, including The Four Horsemen, to work and practice at the Sandusky resort.

Erected 2007 by the Erie County Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Sports. A significant historical date for this entry is July 15, 1914.

Location. 41° 27.131′ N, 82° 42.55′ W. Marker is in Sandusky, Ohio, in Erie County. It is on Columbus Avenue south of East Jefferson Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map.

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Marker is in this post office area: Sandusky OH 44870, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ohio’s Lake Erie Shore

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: First Congregational Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sandusky Telephone Building (about 400 feet away); The Johnson House (about 400 feet away); Erie County Jail / Sandusky Library (about 600 feet away); Sandusky’s First Congregation — 1818 (about 600 feet away); Adams Street Double House (about 600 feet away); Lester S. Hubbard House (about 700 feet away); Jackson Jr. High School (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sandusky.

Also see . . .
1. 100 years ago today: Knute Rockne married in Sandusky.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

2. Knute Rockne Wedding Marker

2013 article by Mark Hazelwood in the Sandusky Register. Excerpt:

While Knute Rockne gained notoriety for his summer workouts with the forward pass in the summer of 1913, his biggest catch didn’t come on Cedar Point beach. The iconic University of Notre Dame coaching legend also met his future bride. As a frequent visitor to Cedar Point’s Grill Room, a restaurant in the Grand Pavilion, Rockne met Bonnie Skiles, a waitress who was from Kenton, located 80 miles southwest of Sandusky.

(Submitted on October 30, 2019.)

2. Wikipedia entry for Four Horsemen. Excerpt:

The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame’s 1924 football team. The players that made up this group were Harry Stuhldreher, Don Miller, Jim Crowley, and Elmer Layden.

In 1924, a nickname coined by sportswriter Grantland Rice and the actions of a student publicity aide transformed the Notre Dame backfield of Stuhldreher, Crowley, Miller, and Layden into one of the most noted groups of collegiate athletes in football history,
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 7, 2019

3. Saints Peter an Paul Catholic Church and Rectory, and this Marker
the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.

(Submitted on October 30, 2019.)

Knute Rocke of Notre Dame after catching a forward pass against Army image. Click for full size.

Unknown Photographer via Wikimedia Commons, 1913

4. Knute Rocke of Notre Dame after catching a forward pass against Army

The Four Horsemen image. Click for full size.

unknown photographer via Wikipedia Commons, 1924

5. The Four Horsemen

Notre Dame’s 1924 famous football backfield: : left halfback Jim Crowley, fullback Elmer Layden, right halfback Don Miller, and quarterback Harry Stuhldreher.

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church & Rectory image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 16, 2025

6. Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church & Rectory

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church Cornerstone & Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 16, 2025

7. Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church Cornerstone & Plaque

Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 981 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 30, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 5. submitted on October 31, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 6, 7. submitted on May 19, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.