[He had] a cheekiness bordering at times on nail-file abrasive.

Little figures on a little screen showed newsreel footage, talked about the war with maps and pointers, unable to compete as yet with radio.

I got it, looked at it and put in my file.

In season it's not uncommon for them to spend at least 40 hours a week, often 50 or 60 hours (on their sports). These guys do it willingly because they believe they can win the lottery and become a high-paid pro athlete.

You've got to admire the guy, coming into this very tough system and figuring out how to beat it.

Rockne returned home [from Pittsburgh] exhausted,