Johnny Lujack, Heisman-winning quarterback at Notre Dame, dies at 98

Mr. Lujack grew up in Pennsylvania coal country, listening to Notre Dame football games while bent over his family’s Philco radio. He went on to become one of the university’s most storied athletes, lettering in baseball, basketball and track in addition to starring on the football field, where he sometimes played all 60 minutes in a game, alternating between roles as a defensive back, punter, kicker and quarterback.in 2015.

season, when Notre Dame signal-caller Angelo Bertelli was inducted into the Marine Corps, and literally stepped into Bertelli’s shoes.“I had a rip in one of my shoes from a cleat in the previous game,” he told the New York Times. “When Bertelli left, I asked for a new pair, and they said, ‘Why don’t you try on Bertelli’s?’ I did try them on, and they fit nicely. So I kept wearing them for the rest of the season.

Mr. Lujack was a consensus all-American both years and finished third in Heisman voting in 1946 before winning the trophy the next year, when he led Notre Dame to a perfect 9-0 record. By then, he was among the country’s most recognized athletes, known for his versatility, poise and toughness, including a tendency to lead with his head while plowing over opposing players.

“It was like two Joe Louises standing face to face for sixty minutes,” wrote sportswriter Red Smith, adding that despite his injury, “Lujack threw every Notre Dame pass, kicked every Notre Dame punt, ran the ball with speed and malevolence and tackled with hideous violence.”No tackle was bigger than the one he made in the third quarter, when he took out Blanchard at the Irish 36-yard line with a blow to the legs.

Source: Education Headlines (educationheadlines.net)

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