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GALLERY
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1949 - Gus Dorais Chevrolet
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Gus Dorais Chevrolet automobile new agency in Wabash, Indiana.
Gus Dorais unveils a plaque dedicated to Knute Rockne at Cedar Point, OH. The ceremony took place next to the famous beach where the pair perfected the forward pass during summers there as Notre Dame students.
Caricature of Gus Dorais from the Detroit Free Press.
1949 - Rockne Stadium
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Chicago’s Rockne Stadium was dedicated in October, 1949. Dorais served as one of the speakers.
1950 - Wabash High School
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Gus Dorais gives an MVP award to a player at Wabash High School. Dorais was involved in the area high schools by lending assistance to the players and coaches.
Press release photo of Gus Dorais from Wabash, Indiana where he was running an automobile dealership - Gus Dorais Chevrolet.
1951 - Wabash, Indiana
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Where Dorais went, football followed. After Gus moved to Wabash, Indiana, he was often found on the practice fields of the three local high schools. All of them instituted Gus Dorais Awards in football and basketball, voted on by the teams. Here Gus is in 1951 (far left) presenting the award to a recipient.
Dorais' wife Vi pictured attending a banquet in honor of Gus.
Gus playing golf in the Wabash area. He was a near scratch golfer.
Gus playing golf in the Wabash area. He was a near scratch golfer.
1951 - Gus Dorais Show
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In 1951, Dorais was a television analyst before and after college games under a NCAA experimental program. Before games he analyzed games and picked the winners of a big national slate. He then reviewed games on a post-game program called the 'Gus Dorais Show'.
1952 - Gus Dorais Chevrolet
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Dorais retired from football (temporarily) after the 1947 season. By 1949 he had started a dealership 'Gus Dorais Chevrolet' in Wabash, Indiana with his son Bill. Here is a picture of Gus delivering a car to couple at the dealership. Gus Dorais far left - Bill Dorais far right.
1952 - Pittsburgh Steelers
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Dorais (middle row - third from right) came out of retirement one more time to coach the backfield of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1952. He was brought in by his friend Joe Bach to help implement the T-Formation. He retired after one year due to health problems.
1952 - Panama Canal Cruise
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Gus and Vi Dorais finally got a chance to travel outside the United States. They took a cruise from the Panama Canal to New York City in March of 1952 aboard the S.S. Cristobal.
1952 - Joe Bach & Gus Dorais
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In 1952, Dorais was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an assistant coach to help head coach, Joe Bach implement the T formation. Bach, a fellow Notre Dame alum, had served as an assistant coach for Dorais’ entire time as head coach of the Detroit Lions.
Wire Photo of Gus Dorais from early 1953. Unknown location.
Dorais was inducted in to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame a year after his death in 1955.
Vi Dorais at the unveiling of Gus’ Wisconsin Sports Hall of Fame plaque in 1955.
1958 - Michigan Hall of Fame
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Gus Dorais was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1958.
1958 - Dorais Playfield
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Here is a shot of Dorais Playfield in the winter. People are sledding next to the Soap Box Derby ramp used in the summer. Today, their is a bicycle track adjacent to this hill called Dorais Velodrome. Gus was a leading proponent of recreational facility development in Detroit.
1976 - Dorais Field Dedication
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On September 17, 1976, Dorais Field in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin was dedicated. Over four decades later it remains one of the top facilities in western Wisconsin, hosting everything from football games to marching band competitions.
Vi Dorais unveils a memorial sign dedicating the main road on campus to Gus Dorais.
1988 - Gonzaga Hall of Fame
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Dorais was inducted to the Gonzaga University Hall of Fame in 1988.
100 years later Dorais' great-grandson Gus Dorais II recreates the forward pass on the beach at Cedar Point.
2013 - Dorais to Rockne
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100 years ago Dorais and Rockne practiced the forward pass at Cedar Point. The scene was reenacted on the same beach by the great grandsons Mike Rockne(19) and Gus Dorais II(13)
Ohio Historical Markers
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There are two historical markers in Sandusky, Ohio related to Dorais and Rockne. One marks the church where Knute Rockne was married with Gus Dorais as best man. The other is on the beach at Cedar Point commemorating the spot where Dorais & Rockne (and others) practiced the forward pass during their summer breaks from Notre Dame.
Gus Dorais Athletic Field
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Chippewa Falls High School athletic field is named after Dorais. Located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, the Gus Dorais Athletic Field was dedicated on September 17, 1976.
VIDEOS
1927 - University of Detroit football team beats South Dakota State in the final game of the season - 38-0.
1927 - University of Detroit football team training for the upcoming season at Camp Ozanam in Lexington, Michigan - north of Port Huron.
1928 - Gus Dorais puts his University of Detroit football team through drills in preperation for the upcoming 1928 season. The Titans would go on to have an undefeated season at 9-0. Parke Davis eventualy named the 1928 National Champions as a tie between Detroit and Georgia Tech.
1928 - University of Detroit beats Loyola at Dinan Field, 27 to 0. Captain Tom Connell makes the first touchdown for U of D. Malony breaks thru for a 60 yard run. Connell passes to Brazil for a 20 yard gain.
1928 - University of Detroit undefeated football team are guests of Delta Sigma Pi at annual football banquet.
1936 - Gus Dorais Interview regarding the development of the Forward Pass. Howard Jones - USC Head Coach - interviews Gus. Courtesy of University of Notre Dame Archives.
The 2013 college football season marks the 100th anniversary of Notre Dame's victory over Army - when Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne utilized the forward pass to upset the Cadets and establish Notre Dame as a national football power. The work that Dorais and Rockne did was commemorated by the University and Cedar Point in the summer of 2013. Dorais and Rockne's great grandsons reenact the scene on the beach.
2013 - Fighting Irish Digital Media investigates Dorais and Rockne and the storied 1913 season, the forward pass, Sorin Hall, ND Archives, Cedar Point and more.
"2018 Finalist Award from American Book Fest"
"... It is a story researched and told lovingly, one that helps provide immense context and understanding not just of Dorais' life and competitive fire but of Notre Dame's rise as a power and the foundation of American football itself. The game today, of course, is the forward pass. With his then-unique throwing style, Gus Dorais was the pioneer who pointed the way and thus defined the pass. His story is the game's story. With a timing that meant everything."
- Roland Lazenby - Most prolific sports author of our time - Latest book, Michael Jordan: The Life 2018
"This book tells the unknown story of one of football's early pioneers - Gus Dorais. From his humble beginnings, to his influence on the sport as a player, scout and coach, this well-researched and well written account of Dorais' life will fascinate readers. The combination of Joe Niese and Bob Dorais have told the story of a football lifer that is long overdue."
- Chris Willis, Head of Research Library, NFL Films
"As teammates at Notre Dame, Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne changed how the game of football was played. Great friends and coaching colleagues, they shared a passion for the game and what it could achieve as a means of molding young lives. They influenced so many under their tutelage, helping cement the best elements of football as a staple in American life and culture. It's an enduring legacy that has positive effects still felt today. Joe Niese and Bob Dorais have done a remarkable job of capturing the life and importance of Rock's cherished pal."
- Jim Lefebvre, Notre Dame football scholar & award-winning author: "Coach For A Nation: The Life and Times of Knute Rockne"
"Gus Dorais is an excellent biography about one of the legendary coaches of college football history who is unfortunately forgotten today for that aspect of his career. This important book belongs in every football historian's personal library."
- Ray Schmidt, Football Historian/President College Football Historical Society
"The book leaves no doubt that Dorais was an innovative coach in designing plays and offensive formations...The authors have done a splendid job of describing an era in football when it was undergoing significant change and following the life of a player and later a coach who was responsible for many of those changes."
- Michigan in Books
