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Wednesday, November 19, 2003 Knute Rockne, 42, goes out on top By Larry Schwartz Special to ESPN.com Dec. 6, 1930 At 42, Knute Rockne is at the pinnacle of his storied career. Notre Dame finished an impressive new stadium on the South Bend campus earlier in the season and then caps its second consecutive national championship with a 27-0 rout of Southern Cal before a crowd estimated at 90,000 in Los Angeles. Because of an injury to the Fighting Irish's fullback, Bucky O'Connor, who had been the second-string halfback, gets a start at fullback for the USC game. He justifies Rockne's move by scoring two touchdowns, including an 80-yard dash. The victory is Notre Dame's 19th straight, as it goes 10-0 after a 9-0 campaign in 1929. This is Rockne's last game. He coached the Irish for 13 years, compiling a record of 105-12-5, for a winning percentage of .881, the highest in NCAA history. In the spring, Rockne will be killed in an airplane crash.
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