November 1, 1913: Gus Dorais and The Irish Revolutionize The Game Of Football

On November 1, 1913, Notre Dame quarterback Gus Dorais put on a show that hadn't been seen before when he completed 14 of 17 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown in a 35-13 win over Army. The forward pass had been made legal 7 years prior to this game but it had never been used like it was used on that day in West Point, New York. Before that day the only time the forward pass had been used was in late game situations when a team was desperate. Knute Rockne hauled in a record setting 40 yard pass from Dorais that had the Army team stunned by the aerial display. By halftime the Notre Dame squad held a 14-13 lead, then just simply walked away with it as Dorais and company put on a display that would forever change the landscape of college football. While many credited Dorais and the Irish for inventing the forward pass, it first arrived on the scene in 1906 at St. Louis University when Eddie Cochems built an offense that incorporated it into his game plan. What Dorais and the Irish did was change the way it was used, they ushered in a new era and put Notre Dame on the map in the process.