Learning to play football in the streets of his Logan Square neighborhood in Chicago, Knute Rockne’s dream was to go to Notre Dame for a college university. After several years working in the Post Office, Rockne finally realized his goal. Entering Notre Dame as a 22 year-old freshman, Rockne not only won all-American honors as an end on the football team, but revolutionized the game with his development of the forward pass. Knute graduated in 1914 with a chemistry degree, but chose a pro football career instead. Five years later Notre Dame hired their esteemed alumni to coach their own football team. Over the next 13 years, Rockne led Notre Dame to five undefeated seasons and three national championships. His 105 wins, 12 losses and 5 ties for an .881 winning percentage is still unrivaled. His championship football teams made Notre Dame one of the most famous universities in the nation, a status unheard of for a non-Ivy League school.

     In today’s cynical day and age, it’s hard to imagine the warmth that Notre Dame’s student body as a whole had for Coach Rockne. For instance, in June of 1924 Rockne had just signed a 10-year contract to coach Notre Dame, and to show how much the students appreciated him, presented the coach with a gold watch. This wasn’t an alumni association, sports association or corporate gift, but a heartfelt token of gratitude from the regular student body who just wanted to say thank you for committing to a decade of service to their University. Unfortunately, Knute was unable to fulfill his end of the contract due to a tragic plane crash that took his life in the winter of 1931. This is the gold timepiece Coach Rockne received from the students at Notre Dame in 1924. The watch is a Chesterfield model made by the South Bend Watch Company. The inside of the watch is engraved “To Coach Knute K. Rockne from The Undergraduate Body Notre Dame June 14th, 1924” in a flowing cursive script. The watch has some medium wear to the case from use and some scuffing on the crystal. The hour hand is missing and there is a light stain or tarnishing on the face between the 4 and 5, but is in amazing display condition. A museum-quality artifact that illustrates the love and respect felt for Knute Rockne by the students of the university he made famous.

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