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Captain Dorais poses for a picture during a Notre Dame football practice.
Dorais would spend the next three years living in Corby Hall with his friend Knute Rockne. Gus is in the center near the back.
1912 - Corby Hall Friends
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A photo Gus sent home to his sister. Dorais and his Hall mates were known for 'smashing the rules'. Dorais (far right) and Rockne (seated, second from left) relaxing across the lake from St. Marys College.
Dorais and Rockne perfected the forward pass in the summers at Cedar Point, Ohio. Other Notre Dame players, including Joe Pliska(left), also practiced with Dorais(right) on the famous beaches.
1912 - Captain Dorais
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This is a picture from the Notre Dame Yearbook of 1912-13. Dorais was the Captain of the football team for the 1912 team.
1912 - ND Football Team
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Gus Dorais (center holding ball) was elected as Captain of the 1912 University of Notre Dame football team. Knute Rockne is to his right.
1912 - ND Football Team
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Captain Gus Dorais (center holding ball) with the 1912 Notre Dame football team. Knute Rockne is to the far right, middle row.
1912 - Captain Dorais
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Charles E. 'Gus' Dorais(center) was elected Captain of the football team in 1912. He is flanked by student manager William E. Cotter(left) and Head Coach L.J. 'Jack' Marks Jr.(right).
1912 - Dorais & Eichenlaub
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Captain Gus Dorais' success as quarterback with Notre Dame was due in large part to an amazing line, ends and backs. One of the biggest difference makers was 'Iron' Ray Eichenlaub whose bruising running game and blocking led to the teams success.
1912 - Captain Dorais
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University of Notre Dame Captain Gus Dorais standing on the practice field.
1912 - ND Football Team
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Captain Gus Dorais (front row center holding ball) with the 1912 Notre Dame football team. Knute Rockne is fifth from right, middle row.
1912 - Captain Dorais
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1912 University of Notre Dame football team captain Gus Dorais.
Dorais kicks a field goal against Wabash on October 26, 1912. It is interesting to note that this was a rare game where Notre Dame was forced to sew numbers on their uniforms which normally had none.
1912 - Dorais Punt Return
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On Thanksgiving Day Notre Dame played Marquette at Comiskey Park Chicago, IL. The final game of the year was a 69-0 victory and capped of a perfect 7-0 season. This picture shows Dorais breaking free up the sidelines on a punt return.
1912 - Dorais End Run
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On Thanksgiving Day Notre Dame played Marquette at Comiskey Park Chicago, IL. The final game of the year was a 69-0 victory and capped of a perfect 7-0 season. This picture shows Dorais making an end run.
ca1913 - UND Corby Baseball
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Each spring Dorais' (left) thoughts turned to baseball. He played on Hall teams and one year formed a Corby Hall team with Rockne called the 'Gutter Snipes' that played in the South Bend area.
ca1913 - Rockne Dorais
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ca1913 - Rockne(L), Dorais(R) and two others hanging out on the Notre Dame campus in the spring.
Dorais participated in many other sports besides football while attending Notre Dame. Here he is in the spring of 1913 at a track meet competing in the high jump.
1913 - UND Junior Law
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University of Notre Dame Junior Law class. Dorais is seated in the third row, fourth from left.
1913 - Gus Dorais Track
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Dorais ran Hall track for two years before joining the UND varsity track team.
Besides working and practicing the forward pass at Cedar Point, Dorais did find time to pursue other interests on the famed beaches. Here is Gus with an unidentified young lady on the beach. This is a photo he sent home to his family while attending Notre Dame.
This is a picture Dorais sent home in 1913. He is with a group of fellow students at the summer resort Cedar Point. Gus is third from the right. To his left is the girl he was dating at the time.
1913 - Quarterback Dorais
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A posed picture of Notre Dame Quarterback and All-American Gus Dorais during his senior year in 1913.
The undefeated 1913 Notre Dame football team with names.
University of Notre Dame starting football team. Dorais at quarterback. Rockne at left end.
Notre Dame senior quarterback Gus Dorais poses for a picture on the practice field. Dorais was selected as Notre Dame's first consensus All-American.
1913 - Dorais Place Kick
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Gus Dorais was known for his passing accomplishments. He was equally adept at all other aspects of the game including kicking. He did all the kicking for ND during his four years as a player. Here he is demonstrating a place kick.
1913 - Dorais Dropkick
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Gus Dorais was known for his passing accomplishments. He was equally adept at all other aspects of the game including kicking. He did all the kicking for ND during his four years as a player. Here he is demonstrating a drop kick.
Gus Dorais was known for his passing accomplishments. He was equally adept at all other aspects of the game including kicking. He did all the kicking for ND during his four years as a player. Here he is demonstrating a drop kick - follow through.
The 1913 University of Notre Dame football team. Dorais the legendary quarterback, far right middle row. Captain Rockne, center, holding ball.
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
