Knute Rockne

Ivan Maisel has an interesting piece on the roots of the Fielding Yost and Knute Rockne feud.  It's a concise snapshot of the roots of the rivalry, and good fodder for the "slow season" we're in right now.  The article is here: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7954463/hate-fueled-football-great-rivalries   .

I've always enjoyed the rivalry, finding the Irish to be one of the classier rival fan bases, and less prone to cooler-pooping and couch-burning than some fan bases.  Yost's delight in running up points and pissing off opposing coaches with a sharp tongue makes me think of him as an earlier-day Steve Spurrier type. 

Choice bits from the Maisel article include:

When Yost became head coach in 1901, he transformed the Wolverines into the most dominant program in the nation. Michigan didn't lose a game under Yost until 1905. These were known as the "Point-A-Minute" teams, both for their margins of victory and to reflect the head coach's personality. Chicago sportswriter Hugh Fullerton would describe Yost's methods as "tramp on the injured and hurdle the dead."

Yost believed Rockne cut corners in recruiting, promising employment and scholarship aid that the rules did not allow and looking the other way when Irish players participated in pro football games on the side.