John Edward "Jack" Chevigny

Jack Chevigny (1906 - 1945) was a Notre Dame football star who figured prominently in the "One for the Gipper" legend in Yankee Stadium. In the Notre Dame v. Army Game of 1928, Chevigny scored against Army after hearing Knute Rockne's famous "Win one for the Gipper" halftime speech and yelled, "That's one for the Gipper" as he crossed the goal line.

He was born in Dyer and attended Hammond High School. He was called "The Flash." He attended Notre Dame from 1924 to 1928 and received his law degree in 1930. In college, he was described as a "great blocker and brilliant defensive player."

Later as a coach, he led the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL. At the age of 28, he led the Texas Longhorns to the precipice of a national championship, only to have his coaching career shattered by two consecutive losing seasons in Austin.

He served in the U.S. Army as a corporal, and then became a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a Marine officer, he accepted the challenge of establishing Camp Lejeune as a premier football program. Under his guidance, Camp Lejeune's football program became the "jewel" of the Marines, but Chevigny, a close friend of Marine Commandant General Vandergrift, requested combat duty in January 1944. He was assigned to the 27th regiment of the Fifth Marine Division which went overseas in the fall of 1944. He was killed leading his assault team onto the eastern beach of Iwo Jima on February 18, 1945.

His story is documented in a book titled, "The Last Chalkline: The Life & Times of Jack Chevigny" by Jeff Walker.

In describing him, Mr. Walker said, "Jack had little patience for inefficiency or incompetence. He was less of a negotiator and more of an activator. He enjoyed the spotlight but held private certain aspects of his life. For example, few people knew that his talents included sketch artistry. Writing his letters, he was particularly fond of decorating the margins with sketches of nature. What was commonly known about him was his remarkable wealth of charisma. Although he wasn't imposing ... Jack's presence was such that it was said by numerous people that when he walked in the room, all conversations stopped."

John "Jack" Chevigny was nominated by Dave Kornaus, Santa Barbara, Calif. and formerly of Hammond, Ind.