George Gipp Memorial

George Gipp Memorial. . , This monument and park stands in honor of legendary Notre Dame athlete George Gipp, a native son of Laurium. It was dedicated on August 3, 1935, and restored in 1999., George Gipp was born on February 18, 1895 and attended Calumet High where he played baseball and basketball. The six-foot, 180 lb, Gipp was a gifted athlete and fierce competitor who starred on the local semi-pro baseball team, the Calumet Aristocrats, and in the local pool hall, in this thriving mining community of 35,000., In 1916, at the age of 21, Gipp accepted a scholarship to play baseball at Notre Dame. Coach Knute Rockne recruited Gipp for the football team after watching him punt towering spirals to friends on campus. Gipp would go on to earn four varsity football letters, and become Notre Dame's first All-American., Considered by teammates and opponents alike to be the most versatile and agile athlete of his time, Gipp played quarterback, halfback, kicker, and kick return man. It was Gipp's undeniable will to win that time after time vaulted underdog Notre Dame teams over powerhouses such as Army and Nebraska. His gridiron accomplishments have not paled with time: , . He led the Irish in both passing and rushing in each of his last three seasons. , . He didn't allow a pass completion in his territory during his career. , . He earned Walter Camp's outstanding college football player award in 1920. , . He holds Notre Dame's single season record for rushing yards per attempt, 8.10 yards per carry in 1920., Gipp played his last football game in November 1920. Already ill with the disease that would take his life, he completed five of six passes, including a 55-yard touchdown pass that would be his last, in a 33-7 triumph over Northwestern. At about 7pm on December 14, 1920, George Gipp died of complications from pneumonia and strep throat. Knute Rockne religiously attended to Gipp during his illness and in 1928, Rockne, whose team was severely over-matched by a formidable Army squad, recounted Gipp's dying wish: , "I've got to go, Rock,' Gipp said, 'It's all right, I'm not afraid. Sometime, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out 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.", Notre Dame defeated Army 12-6...this time thanks to the undeniable spirit of George Gipp.