and he learned from his mentor Amos Alonzo Stagg at U of C. Read Philip Brooks' book "The Forward Pass: How it Saved College Football" for a detailed account of its evolution.
Sure, the forward pass was tried in the latter 1800's, maybe earlier, and Stagg's 1906 pass playbook contained dozens of formations. But nobody featured it like Harper and his prized pupils, Rockne and Dorais. I remember seeing that plaque as a young kid and thinking "wow".
Harper's other major contribution to ND and college football was playing a national schedule, and Rock took that to new heights. In my book Harper was the first great ND coach. And it was he who convinced Rock to stay on as his replacement.