In an article published in the summer-2014 edition of Notre Dame Magazine, a quarterly publication from the University of Notre Dame, we read about how strongly Notre Dame's legendary football coach embraced his Catholic faith and how that faith was borne out in the last moments of his life.
Republished with the permission of the University of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Magazine.
(This piece was first published in Notre Dame Magazine, Summer 2014. http://magazine.nd.edu/news/48993/)
The things he carried
Author: Jack Hefferon '14 (UND)
On March 31, 1931, a little over an hour into a bumpy Transcontinental and Western Airways Flight 599 trip from Kansas City, Missouri, to Los Angeles, the plane’s right wing snapped off. All eight on board were killed in the ensuing crash.
On a sunny Monday morning, 83 years to the day of Knute Rockne’s death in that crash, Michael Lopez sits in a room on the Notre Dame campus and opens an old briefcase to reveal the item Rockne held closest as that disabled plane plunged into a Kansas cornfield.
Knute Kenneth Rockne was born in Norway in 1888, immigrating to America with his parents as a young boy. During his 13-year career as Notre Dame’s football coach, his teams totaled 105 victories, 12 losses and five ties, making him the winningest coach in the history of college football. He revolutionized the game by popularizing the forward pass. Like many diehard Irish fans, Lopez can rattle off such trivia on command. He was born into the legend of Notre Dame football, and on Saturday afternoons the stories are revisited and cherished as a family heirloom.
Legendary University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne carried his rosary whenever he traveled.
“A loyal friend, May the blessings of God descend upon you and yours and remain forever.
Rockne, raised as a Lutheran, came to Notre Dame’s campus in 1910, earned a degree in 1914 and developed a voracious interest in Catholicism. Father Mooney, himself a baseball player at Notre Dame before taking the cloth, served as his coach. Mooney baptized Rockne privately on November 20, 1925, the day before a tough contest against Northwestern. Mooney finished the ceremony by giving Knute a rosary, one the coach would carry with him to his final day.
The next day was also set to be the First Communion for Rockne’s son, Knute Jr., at St. Edward’s Hall. When Knute Jr. got in line to receive the Eucharist, his father followed. Junior protested: “Daddy, you know you can’t come with me; only Catholics receive Communion!” It wasn’t until both Knutes knelt at the Communion rail that Father Mooney whispered in the boy’s ear, “Everything’s all right, Junior; your dad was baptized yesterday.”
After Mass, Rockne headed to Cartier Field and took charge of the other boys under his care. On that day, the Irish rallied for a come-from-behind 13-10 win, capping the home schedule with a senior day victory
Knute lived out a fervent faith, becoming a spiritual leader for his teams and the campus community. His faith was reflected in his last act as he reached for a rosary and sought comfort in prayer. That rosary was found by first responders in the wreckage and returned to Knute’s widow, Bonnie, along with Knute’s other personal effects. Years later, Bonnie gave it and a few other items to Mooney’s family. Each subsequent holder of the rosary willed it to another relative until the rosary belonged to Mooney’s great-niece, Sarah Lopez. Sarah Lopez opted not to wait in handing down the rosary but gave it as a 23rd birthday present to her son, Michael, in August of 1988.
Knute Rockne was the head coach of Fighting Irish football from 1918 to 1930.
Michael calls the rosary the best birthday present he has ever received. It’s continued to be a blessing for Lopez ever since, and on this rare sunny day he pulls the rosary out of the briefcase, cradling it like a proud father.
“That’ll take your breath away, huh?”
Lopez describes himself as paranoid about the rosary and prayer book — he moved the memorabilia to a safety deposit box after worrying that the safe he’d installed in his house in Valparaiso, Indiana, didn’t offer enough protection. Prior to this day the rosary was last seen by others as part of a small media tour for the 75th anniversary of Rockne’s death in 2006, and Lopez says he may not show it publicly again. The Air Force veteran and U.S. Steel worker has spoken with some museums about a temporary display, but nothing has panned out, and he’s had no interest in the several groups who have made offers to buy. The main question surrounding the rosary’s future is whether or not Lopez will pass it on to his son.
“He hasn’t been studying the history quite like he’s supposed to,” Lopez says. “I might have to give it to a cousin.”
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.