Exhume One for the Gipper

The granddaughter of Eva Bright had suspicions about her ancestry; she had reason to believe she may have descended from George Gipp who her grandmother dated a year before his death.

Mike Bynum, a sports author, came across the granddaughter on the internet. He put her in touch with Gipp’s relatives. After some time, permission was given for the body to be exhumed for DNA testing. The results were negative which puts to rest decades of rumors.

In 1920, George Gipp died of complications from pneumonia and a strep infection. It was his senior year at Notre Dame University. He was the school’s first All-American athlete setting records that would stand more than 50 years.Coach Knute Rockne often invoked the wishes and memory of Gipp while rallying the Fighting Irish. “Win one for the Gipper” became the team’s mantra.

The phrase became a political gold for actor turned politician, Ronald Reagan. Reagan portrayed Gipp in the 1940 movie, “Knute Rockne, All American.”