On this day 78 years ago, one of the greatest coaches in college football history, the legendary Knute Rockne, died in a plane crash in eastern Kansas.
He was a native of Norway, and he was trained in chemistry, but he gave that up when he got an offer to coach football. Rockne was an innovator, and he is credited with popularizing the forward pass. In 13 years as the head coach at Notre Dame, Rockne compiled a record of 105–12–5, and he won six national titles.
More than half a century after Rockne's death, I was driving from Texas through Kansas on my way to visit an old friend who was living in Kansas City at the time. As I drove along the turnpike, I saw signs directing me to the Rockne crash site and, being a sports fan and a history buff, I decided to stop. I owned a dog in those days, and he needed to walk, anyway.
The stop on the turnpike turned out to be a disappointment. The sign there informed visitors that the actual crash site was a few miles away. I gathered from what I read that the land where the crash occurred was privately owned and this was as close as the general public could get.
Since that time, I have learned that there is a memorial on the actual site of the crash, but the owners of the land apparently resisted having the turnpike built any closer than it is. So, back in 1989, I thought there was no memorial to Rockne on the actual site of the crash. In reality, though, it does exist, but, apparently, it's not so easy to get to — at least, not for those traveling on the turnpike.
I wish I had known that 20 years ago. I might have taken a few minutes to exit the turnpike and drive to the actual site.
Nevertheless, I'm glad I stopped at that memorial on the turnpike. It's a memory I will always cherish.
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