Drive One For the Gipper

Back in the late 1920s Studebaker was the second most famous entity in South Bend, IN. The first, obviously, was the small school located there and especially it's football team. Notre Dame, while still famous today, was, at the time, the most storied football program in the country. And their coach, Knute Rockne, was perhaps the most famous face in all of America.

Rockne would have been famous for the coaching success over his 13 years at Notre Dame which included four national titles and an overall 105-12-5 record but it was one halftime speech that immortalized him. With his team trailing 6-0 at half Rockne gave a heartfelt speech about one of his former players, George "Gipper" Gipp, who played from 1918 to 1920. The "win one for the Gipper" speech is probably the most famous halftime speech ever delivered.

Back then, even with the success at Notre Dame, coach's salaried weren't what they are today and so when Studebaker approached Rockne to take a high visibility position in the sales department with the firm, Rockne agreed. He would play on his fame and help sell the cars that were supporting his city's work force. Unfortunately in 1931 Rockne was killed when the plane in which he was riding crashed.

Plans were already in the works for a low cost car that would serve as an entry level machine for the traditional mid and luxury level Studebaker line. Studebaker president Albert Erskine dubbed this new car, the Rockne.

In all actuality Studebaker didn't design the car. The original design work was done by Willys Overland who had to sell the concept and plans to Studebaker when they were in a serious money crunch. Studebaker, seizing the opportunity, gladly took the car under their wings.

The car rolled out in 1931 with grand hopes but unfortunately the more affordable Rockne's dreams were soon dashed as the Depression, which company president Erskine didn't fully grasp, caused the car to be a failure. The last of the cars were made in 1933.

The model seen here is a 1932 model, one of only 105 known to exist.