Winning One for the Gipper: An Analysis of Football’s Impact on the Identity of the University of Notre Dame

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2017
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Haverford College. Department of History
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Open Access
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Abstract
For my senior thesis, I will be discussing the early history of football at the University of Notre Dame between the years, 1913 and 1924. During this period, the football team climbed from the ranks of a little known program in South Bend, Indiana to a national powerhouse. Spawning from the success of the football team, the University’s self-identification gradually changed over eleven-year time period, from that of an institution, lamenting its own inferiority to one that had an unmatched sense of pride in its football program. To find these change in attitude within the Notre Dame community, I used primary sources made available in the University’s digital collection, such as the Scholastic Magazine and Notre Dame Football Review. These publications served as an incredible launching point for research, never ceasing to make definitive statements about the identity of the University, whether that was how the endowment lacked sufficient scholarship funds, how the athletic department was collectively insulted following being snubbed of entry by the Western Conference multiple times, or how the national championship of 1924 was a reflection of the environment created by the Notre Dame community. While many sources regarding this era at Notre Dame discuss the success of the football team, how it helped the University ascend to national prominence for the first time, and the subsequent legends that were created revolving around these early years, I seek to discuss how Notre Dame itself reacted to these successes, while also providing larger context to justify these reactions.
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