Rockwell enrolled at the
University of Michigan and played on the freshman football team in 1920. He did not play football in 1921 or 1922. Years later,
Harry Kipke wrote about the play and described Rockwell's "perfect acrobatic somersault" as he appeared to be down but maintained his balance and ran for the winning touchdown. The following week, Michigan faced
Minnesota for the Western Conference championship, and Rockwell caught a pass from Michigan's fullback on his fingertips, juggled the ball, and ran 31 yards for a touchdown that led Michigan to a tie with Illinois for the conference championship. After the 1923 season, another sport writer said of Rockwell: "Through the years Michigan has turned out a bunch of brilliant quarterbacks, 'Boss' Weeks, 'Shorty' McMillan, Tommy Hughitt and Uteritz but Rockwell gives promise of equaling the remarkable performance of all these former celebrities." The 1923 team finished the season with a perfect 8–0 record and has been recognized by Billingsley as the national champion of 1923. In 1924, Rockwell started seven games at quarterback and one at halfback in leading the Wolverines to a 6–2 record, including wins over
Michigan State (7–0),
Wisconsin (21–0),
Minnesota (13–0),
Northwestern (27–0) and
Ohio State (16–6). However, the Wolverines could not stop the
Illinois team led by
Red Grange, giving up 39 points to Michigan's 14. Rockwell received his degree from the University of Michigan as part of the first class to graduate from Michigan's new school of physical education and coaching. ==Coaching career==