John Edward Chevigny (August 14, 1906 – February 19, 1945) was an American football player, coach, lawyer, and United States Marine Corps officer who was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
[4] Part of the legend of Notre Dame football history was that Chevigny, who played three seasons as right halfback from 1926 to 1928, scored the winning touchdown against Army on November 10, 1928 (the 153rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps) in Yankee Stadium after Knute Rockne’s famous "Win one for the Gipper" halftime speech (in memory of Notre Dame football great George Gipp) with Chevigny yelling, "That's one for the Gipper" as he crossed the goal line.
He directed a 7–6 victory over his alma mater, Notre Dame, during the second game played in South Bend, Indiana.
[4] In March 1943, Chevigny (then 36 years old) was drafted into the U.S. Army after trying to enlist and being rejected because of a football knee injury he received while playing at Notre Dame.
He received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army on June 10, 1943, in order to be released for service in the Marine Corps Reserve.
The Marine Corps District Headquarters Induction and Recruitment Station in Seattle immediately used him in a public-relations enlistment poster photo wearing his summer officers service uniform.
1st Lt. Chevigny was one of the many hundreds of Marines and Navy corpsmen serving alongside them that were killed in action on the seven color-named and numbered landing zones, each 550 yards wide, that together stretched for two miles of beach on the southeast side of Iwo Jima.
On September 2, 1945, this pen was supposedly discovered in the hands of one of the Japanese officer envoys at the surrender of Japan on the battleship USS Missouri.
[7] The legend, which surfaced in 1945 in conjunction with the anniversary of the November 10, 1928 football game,[8] has been a part of Notre Dame lore ever since.