Charles E. “Gus” Dorais is best known as the passing end of the “Dorais to Rockne” Notre Dame tandem that helped revolutionize the forward pass in football. In the summer of 1913, prior to their senior year at Notre Dame, Gus Dorais and Knute Rockne perfected the pass routes they would use to shock Army, 35-13, on Nov. 1 of that year at West Point in what was called “the game that changed football.”

Over the next four decades, Dorais gained prominence as a professional player in the pre-NFL days and college football coach—most notably at the University of Detroit. He finished as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.

During his long tenure as a coach, Dorais was one of the foremost, respected minds of football innovation in the first half of the 20th century. He played with and coached against many of the prominent football legends of the time. He was an innovator and pioneer in football and had a lasting influence on the game.

For decades, his grandson Bob Dorais tirelessly researched the life of Gus Dorais, compiling a wealth of material—letters, photographs, articles, memorabilia—gleaned from his numerous visits to universities, libraries, and halls of fame.

Bob teamed with Joe Niese, an award-winning sports author in Gus Dorais’ hometown of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, to write the biography Gus Dorais: Gridiron Innovator, All-American and Hall of Fame Coach.

The book has been described as “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. 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.”

Bob Dorais served in the Navy and stays active in military communities and research. The father of four currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is an engineer with business interests in Brazil, where he frequently travels.

His dedication to chronicle his grandfather’s story adds immensely to the recorded history of Notre Dame and college football.