“The Gipper” In “Win Just One For The Gipper” Was A Man From Michigan?

When looking back at classic lines in movies, the line "Win just one for The Gipper," always seems to make its way into movies in some sort. One example was from the film Major League 2 when Tom Berenger gives his "Win this one for Lou (the team's coach)" speech. It's just one of those infamous lines that, in some fashion or another, is still used to this day. But where did this come from?

It actually came from a man named George Gipp. George was a Michigander who would go down in history, and eventually be portrayed by actor and future President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. George Gipp was born and raised in Laurium, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula where he would eventually pursue athletics at Notre Dame University.

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Where Did "Win One For The Gipper" Come From?

Gipp was really young, only 25 when he passed away (b.1895 - d. 1920). According to his Wikipedia, it's said that after George Gipp contracted Strep Throat from Pneumonia, and was close to death on his hospital bed, he told his Head Coach, Knute Rockne:

I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy.

Rockne apparently used the line "Win just one for the Gipper" to help rally the Fighting Irish to a 12–6 upset victory over the then-undefeated Army team in 1928. Rockne would tragically die 3 years later in a plane crash.

George Gipp Played By Future President Ronald Reagan

As fate would have it, Warner Brothers eventually made a movie about the head coach's life called Knute Rockne. All-American. The role of George Gipp was played by the future President Ronald Reagan, which is why he was often referred to as "The Gipper" during his time in office.

He was buried in Michigan, and his grave can be visited at Lake View Cemetery near West Tamarack. Gipp's hometown of Laurium even built a memorial in his honor.