George Gipp (1895-1920) was one of the greatest collegiate football players in history. He played with serious injuries, he played with illness, and he could almost always be counted upon to give his beloved alma mater, Notre Dame Unive rsity, a victory.

George Gipp was born in Laurium, Michigan, on the Keweenaw Peninsula, on February 19, 1895. He was the seventh of eight children born to Mathew Gipp, a hard-edged, hard-working Baptist preacher, and his wife Isabella. Although young George was considered very bright, his grades in school were so bad that he never earned a diploma or a letter in any sport. He loved to sleep and to play ball. Otherwise, he liked to drink, play cards, and shoot pool.

A phenomenal athlete from the beginning, Gipp was six feet tall and weighed a solid 180 pounds. He could run, he could throw one of the old oblong footballs 50 yards...