Through the years, Notre Dame has had four quarterbacks win the most coveted individual award in college football, the Heisman Trophy. The conventional wisdom always has been that quarterbacks at N.D. have an advantage when it comes to consideration for the Heisman; remember the adulation heaped upon Ron Powlus after his four-touchdown debut against Northwestern in 1994? Despite what conventions might dictate, however, it has been 42 years since an Irish signal-caller last won the most coveted individual award in college football. This week, we look at the most recent Irish QB to win the Heisman, John Huarte.
Go Irish! Beat Jackets!
Mike
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Notre Dame fans experience a curious consciousness when it comes to their beloved football program. They revel in the landmark victories, but for a program that has experienced so much success, oftentimes the heartbreaking losses stand out more. Southern Cal's come-from-behind 16-14 victory in 1931 at Notre Dame Stadium left fans scratching their heads for decades. For fans in more recent times, the 41-39 loss to Boston College in 1993 still touches a nerve. For an earlier generation of fans, the standout heartbreaker was the 20-17 loss in final game of the 1964 season, versus Southern Cal. In that game, the hopes and dreams of an improbable turnaround season were dashed, as the Irish finished with a 9-1-0 record in Ara Parseghian's first season at the helm in South Bend. Despite that national championship-denying loss, it was one of the most memorable seasons in school history, aided in large part by the season-long throwing clinic put on by Irish senior QB John Huarte.
Of all the Heisman Trophy winners to have come through Notre Dame, Huarte is perhaps the most overlooked and, certainly, the most improbable of the seven. A native of Anaheim, California, where he played for Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Huarte was recruited to Notre Dame by Joe Kuharich. Given Kuharich's nightmarish 17-23 four-year tenure as head coach for the Irish, it is not surprising that Huarte's skills went overlooked by the coach. As a sophomore in 1962, Huarte played all of five minutes for an Irish squad that went 5-5. In 1963, under interim head coach Hugh Devore, Huarte played 45 minutes as a junior, still buried on the QB depth chart.
In entered Ara Parseghian, whose long-acknowledged greatest ability as a coach was to recognize talent and put it in the correct place on the roster. Allegedly, when Parseghian arrived at Notre Dame with his top assistant Tom Pagna, he was startled and pleasantly surprised at how much talent he had inherited from a team that had gone 2-7 the previous season. A player who caught his eye immediately was Huarte, despite the fact that the QB had thrown only 50 passes in his varsity career. Huarte had good quarterback sense and was able to integrate Parseghian's complex system of hand signals that the coach employed from the sidelines. Huarte sustained a shoulder injury during spring practices in 1964, but Parseghian gave him a vote of confidence as he headed home to California for the summer.
In a scene reminiscent of Knute Rockne and Gus Dorais on the beaches of Sandusky, Ohio before the 1913 season, Huarte and his favorite target, Jack Snow, worked on receiving patterns on the beaches of southern California during the summer. Their hard work paid off; that fall, Huarte and Snow took the college football world by storm. Notre Dame dashed to an improbable 9-0 start, following their disastrous finish the previous year. Then came the Southern Cal game, which the #1-ranked Irish led 17-0 at one point. In a scene that would be repeated often during the Parseghian Era at Notre Dame, Southern Cal snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with less than ninety seconds to play.
Understandably, the Irish were devastated by the loss. Had they held on for another few seconds, they would have had the national championship. Despite the blemish on an otherwise perfect record, it remained a memorable season about which fans still talk. Huarte set twelve school passing records during the season, including marks for passing yardage (2,062), touchdown passes (16), and pass completions (114 on 205 attempts). He ranked third in total offense nationally while leading the Irish to a #3 finish in the final rankings. These numbers were all the more impressive considering that Huarte had never started before his senior season. Following the season, Huarte garnered All-America honors and received the Heisman Trophy, beating out, among others, Illinois' Dick Butkus. He became Notre Dame's sixth winner of the award in its 31-year existence.
There is an interesting historical footnote to Huarte's improbable senior campaign. A few days following the Heisman ceremony at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York, Notre Dame held its annual football banquet. During that banquet, Parseghain conferred monograms upon a number of players for the first time. Among those first-time winners of a monogram was Huarte. The Californian actually won the Heisman Trophy before winning a varsity monogram for Notre Dame. This fact remains as one of Parseghian's favorite anecdotes from his time at Notre Dame.
After his playing days at Notre Dame, Huarte went on to the professional ranks. Drafted in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL draft, Huarte opted to sign with the New York Jets of the upstart American Football League. The Jets drafted him in the second round and signed him to a $200,000 contract. He entered the league with another Jets rookie QB, Joe Namath. His career in the AFL, and the later the NFL, was largely undistinguished. He played until the mid-1970s, never really experiencing the same success he enjoyed at Notre Dame. He now is the president and owner of a chain of fourteen tile and marble distribution stores in the west.
Few athletes have experienced such a meteoric rise to stardom as John Huarte. Forty-two years after winning his Heisman Trophy (and Notre Dame monogram), Huarte's accomplishments are no less amazing now than they were then. Although he is often overlooked when younger fans reel off the names of Notre Dame legends, Huarte's journey will long stand as one of the most amazing stories in the history of Notre Dame football.
Originally published August 23, 2006
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Showing posts with label Heisman Trophy Winners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heisman Trophy Winners. Show all posts
Friday, September 01, 2006
Angelo Bertelli
Another season of Notre Dame football is nearly upon us. To get everyone ready for the 2006 season, over the course of each of the next four weeks, I'll be sending out emails that look at different personalities that have contributed to Notre Dame through the 119-year tradition of what has been called "history's program." This week, we look at the story of one of Notre Dame's greatest players and her very first Heisman Trophy winner. A heralded signalcaller, war hero, and successful businessman, Angelo Bertelli always kept a state of quiet dignity about his accomplishments.
Go Irish! Beat Jackets!
Mike
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It is one of the old standards of college sports that one should never follow a legend. The expectations for an individual in that position are too great, and, consequently, the chances for success are more difficult. This adage has been proved time and again with Notre Dame's famed football program. Perhaps at no point was this better demonstrated than in the years following the untimely death of the school's most famous coach, Knute Rockne. In the ten years following Rock's death in 1931, coaches Hunk Anderson and Elmer Layden struggled in the shadow cast by the titanic litany of Rockne. So great was Rockne's influence on the school that in the late 1930s, as other programs were adopting new offensive schemes, Notre Dame was still employing the outdated Rockne Shift. This all changed in 1942 when second-year coach Frank Leahy controversially abandoned the Shift in favor of the innovative T formation. This move was made possible in part by the unique abilities of one of Leahy's most famous players and Notre Dame's first Heisman Trophy winner, Angelo Bertelli.
The great Angelo Bertelli was a heralded back from Springfield , Massachusetts who was recruited heavily by a number of coaches as his high school career ended in 1940, including the then-coach of Boston College , Leahy. Born in 1921, Bertelli electrified opponents during his high school years, earning him the nickname "The Springfield Rifle." Despite its distance from home, Notre Dame was Bertelli's choice when he graduated high school, opting for the famed university as so many recruits from Catholic high schools did in those days.
Bertelli enrolled at Notre Dame in the fall of 1940, but due to restrictions on freshmen playing in those days, he did not play in that, the final season of Coach Elmer Layden's tenure. As a sophomore in 1941, Bertelli played as a tailback. During that season, he threw for over 1,000 yards and led the nation in completion percentage, showing the skills that led many to remark on his remarkably accurate short passing abilities. That 1941 season saw the Irish finish with a 9-0-1 record, the school's first undefeated campaign since the days of Rockne. Meanwhile, in a bit of foreshadowing, the sophomore Bertelli finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year.
In 1942, Leahy implemented his switch to the T formation. Fans howled in protest when the school only went 2-2 in its first four games, including a loss to Michigan in the schools' first meeting since 1909. With Bertelli at quarterback, the team improved, however, finishing the season with a 7-2-2 record.
In Bertelli's senior season of 1943, the T formation would allow him to lead an offensive attack that averaged 43 points per game through its first six games. The most anticipated game of that season was when #1 Notre Dame and #2 Michigan squared off in Ann Arbor . Notre Dame's convincing 35-12 win put them in the driver's seat for the national title, a position that was further strengthened by a win over wartime power Navy in which Bertelli threw for three touchdowns.
Having led the team to a 6-0 start, Bertelli was excited to take part in Notre Dame's annual grudge match against third-ranked Army in New York in early November. Uncle Sam had other plans, however. As World War II continued to rage throughout Europe and the Pacific, Bertelli was called to training camp for the Marine Corps. As a member of the first training group at Parris Island , Bertelli and his comrades had a group of Marines waiting to run them into the ground.
Notre Dame's good fortunes continued on in Bertelli's absence, however. Future Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack would take Bertelli's place at quarterback and lead the Irish to a 9-1-0 final record, culminating with the school's fourth consensus national title and first since 1930. The national championship was bestowed on Notre Dame despite a last second season-ending loss to a team of semi-professionals from Great Lakes Naval Base. In a hut on Parris Island , Bertelli and a group of other Notre Dame student-recruits listened to the radio in shock as the Irish lost that final game. As Bertelli left the hut, however, he was approached by a Marine with a telegram informing him that he had just won the Heisman Trophy.
Bertelli went on to serve with distinction during his tour with the Marines during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. He fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Guam , earning the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. After leaving the Marines, Bertelli finished his degree at Notre Dame, and then went on to play for the Los Angeles and Chicago franchises in the All-America Football Conference for three seasons before knee injuries ended his career. Bertelli later ran a series of businesses after settling in Clifton , New Jersey . He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
Despite the accomplishments that Angelo Bertelli attained during his career at Notre Dame, he was always a humble and unassuming individual. As the first of Notre Dame's seven Heisman Trophy winners, Bertelli started a tradition of Notre Dame quarterbacks being considered for college football's greatest individual award, a tradition that continues this year with Brady Quinn. Although he passed on in June of 1999, Bertelli's legacy will long endure at Notre Dame, not simply for his gridiron greatness, but for the sacrifice that he made during his service in World War II, and the unassuming manner in which he carried himself through life.
Originally published August 2, 2006
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Go Irish! Beat Jackets!
Mike
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \
It is one of the old standards of college sports that one should never follow a legend. The expectations for an individual in that position are too great, and, consequently, the chances for success are more difficult. This adage has been proved time and again with Notre Dame's famed football program. Perhaps at no point was this better demonstrated than in the years following the untimely death of the school's most famous coach, Knute Rockne. In the ten years following Rock's death in 1931, coaches Hunk Anderson and Elmer Layden struggled in the shadow cast by the titanic litany of Rockne. So great was Rockne's influence on the school that in the late 1930s, as other programs were adopting new offensive schemes, Notre Dame was still employing the outdated Rockne Shift. This all changed in 1942 when second-year coach Frank Leahy controversially abandoned the Shift in favor of the innovative T formation. This move was made possible in part by the unique abilities of one of Leahy's most famous players and Notre Dame's first Heisman Trophy winner, Angelo Bertelli.
The great Angelo Bertelli was a heralded back from Springfield , Massachusetts who was recruited heavily by a number of coaches as his high school career ended in 1940, including the then-coach of Boston College , Leahy. Born in 1921, Bertelli electrified opponents during his high school years, earning him the nickname "The Springfield Rifle." Despite its distance from home, Notre Dame was Bertelli's choice when he graduated high school, opting for the famed university as so many recruits from Catholic high schools did in those days.
Bertelli enrolled at Notre Dame in the fall of 1940, but due to restrictions on freshmen playing in those days, he did not play in that, the final season of Coach Elmer Layden's tenure. As a sophomore in 1941, Bertelli played as a tailback. During that season, he threw for over 1,000 yards and led the nation in completion percentage, showing the skills that led many to remark on his remarkably accurate short passing abilities. That 1941 season saw the Irish finish with a 9-0-1 record, the school's first undefeated campaign since the days of Rockne. Meanwhile, in a bit of foreshadowing, the sophomore Bertelli finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year.
In 1942, Leahy implemented his switch to the T formation. Fans howled in protest when the school only went 2-2 in its first four games, including a loss to Michigan in the schools' first meeting since 1909. With Bertelli at quarterback, the team improved, however, finishing the season with a 7-2-2 record.
In Bertelli's senior season of 1943, the T formation would allow him to lead an offensive attack that averaged 43 points per game through its first six games. The most anticipated game of that season was when #1 Notre Dame and #2 Michigan squared off in Ann Arbor . Notre Dame's convincing 35-12 win put them in the driver's seat for the national title, a position that was further strengthened by a win over wartime power Navy in which Bertelli threw for three touchdowns.
Having led the team to a 6-0 start, Bertelli was excited to take part in Notre Dame's annual grudge match against third-ranked Army in New York in early November. Uncle Sam had other plans, however. As World War II continued to rage throughout Europe and the Pacific, Bertelli was called to training camp for the Marine Corps. As a member of the first training group at Parris Island , Bertelli and his comrades had a group of Marines waiting to run them into the ground.
Notre Dame's good fortunes continued on in Bertelli's absence, however. Future Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack would take Bertelli's place at quarterback and lead the Irish to a 9-1-0 final record, culminating with the school's fourth consensus national title and first since 1930. The national championship was bestowed on Notre Dame despite a last second season-ending loss to a team of semi-professionals from Great Lakes Naval Base. In a hut on Parris Island , Bertelli and a group of other Notre Dame student-recruits listened to the radio in shock as the Irish lost that final game. As Bertelli left the hut, however, he was approached by a Marine with a telegram informing him that he had just won the Heisman Trophy.
Bertelli went on to serve with distinction during his tour with the Marines during World War II, attaining the rank of captain. He fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Guam , earning the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. After leaving the Marines, Bertelli finished his degree at Notre Dame, and then went on to play for the Los Angeles and Chicago franchises in the All-America Football Conference for three seasons before knee injuries ended his career. Bertelli later ran a series of businesses after settling in Clifton , New Jersey . He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
Despite the accomplishments that Angelo Bertelli attained during his career at Notre Dame, he was always a humble and unassuming individual. As the first of Notre Dame's seven Heisman Trophy winners, Bertelli started a tradition of Notre Dame quarterbacks being considered for college football's greatest individual award, a tradition that continues this year with Brady Quinn. Although he passed on in June of 1999, Bertelli's legacy will long endure at Notre Dame, not simply for his gridiron greatness, but for the sacrifice that he made during his service in World War II, and the unassuming manner in which he carried himself through life.
Originally published August 2, 2006
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Johnny Lujack
Despite the attention being placed upon Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn as a candidate for this year's Heisman Trophy, it has been a long time since the Irish have had a player in this position. Regardless, Notre Dame has had seven winners of the greatest individual award in college football, a number only matched by arch-rival Southern Cal . Last week, we looked at Heisman-hopeful-turned-war-hero Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame's first winner of the award. This week, we look at the individual who became the starting QB when Bertelli was called into the military, and who would go on to win the Heisman in his own right in 1947, Johnny Lujack.
Go Irish! Beat Jackets!
Mike
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \
Undoubtedly, one of the most famous games in the history of the Notre Dame program came in 1946. In one of the great defensive match-ups in the annals of college football, #1 Army and #2 Notre Dame fought to a 0-0 draw in front of 80,000 fans at Yankee Stadium in New York . The build-up to the 1946 game was comparable to many later "Games of the Century," and was accentuated by the fact that Army had walloped the Irish in 48-0 and 59-0 whitewashings in their 1944 and 1945 games. The Cadets' owned a 25-game winning streak that would end on that November afternoon in the Bronx . Endzone seats with face values of $3.30 were selling for $200 each. Historically, the game still stands as the only one to feature four different Heisman Trophy winners playing on the same field: Army's Doc "Mister Inside" Blanchard (1945) and Glenn "Mister Outside" Davis (1946) and Notre Dame's Johnny Lujack (1947) and Leon Hart (1949). As is so often the case with tense games such as the famous Notre Dame-Army tie, one great defensive play stood out as the turning point in the game. The author of that play was junior Johnny Lujack.
As that 1946 season began, everyone had taken note of the amazing collection of talent that Irish coach Frank Leahy had put together in the wake of World War II. In his role as a commander in the U.S. Navy during the war, Leahy oversaw recreational activities for officers in the Pacific Theater, a role that often gave him access to talented "recruits" whom he would often persuade to enroll at Notre Dame and play for the juggernaut that he was assembling. Considered perhaps the greatest collection of talent in the history of college football, the 1946 and 1947 Notre Dame teams featured a large number of players, many of whom never saw the playing field for the Irish, go on to star in the professional ranks. Of all the players on those teams, however, Lujack was the one most recognized as the "difference maker."
Lujack, like so many other great Irish quarterbacks, came to South Bend from western Pennsylvania . Born in Connelsville in 1925, Lujack was a phenomenal athlete who received monograms at Notre Dame in baseball, basketball, and track, as well as in football. He saw his first action as a football starter in 1943, when he replaced senior QB Angelo Bertelli, and led the Irish to a resounding 26-0 victory over Army. After serving for two years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Lujack returned to Notre Dame to complete his degree. Over the course of his career as the starting QB for the Irish, Lujack amassed an astounding 20-1-1 record, and led three separate Irish squads to the national championship.
Although Lujack will be best remembered as one of Notre Dame's most heralded signal callers, perhaps his defining moment as a player at Notre Dame came during the 1946 Army game on the defensive side of the ball. His playing status questionable until game time because of a sprained ankle, Lujack nevertheless started as QB on offense, and as a DB on defense in an era where players played on both sides of the ball. As a DB, Lujack executed a brilliant open-field tackle of Army's Blanchard that saved a certain touchdown, and spared Notre Dame a third consecutive loss to Army. Indeed, that tackle essentially won the Irish the 1946 national title, a feat that the Irish would accomplish two more times over the next three seasons.
Lujack's brilliance in the 1946 season garnered him unanimous All America honors, as well as a third-place finish in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year. In 1947, he would follow up his performance from the previous year by leading the Irish to a 9-0-0 finish, the program's first perfect season since Rockne's last campaign in 1930. His excellence on the gridiron earned him unanimous All America honors again, as well as the Heisman Trophy, making him the second Irish player to win the award. He was also voted the recipient of that year's Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, beating out the New York Yankees' Joe DiMaggio.
After graduating from Notre Dame in the spring of 1948, Lujack went on to play professionally for the Chicago Bears. In his first game, he intercepted three Green Bay Packer passes, a record that still stands in the Bears' record books. On the offensive side of the ball, he once set the NFL record for most passing yardage in a game with 468 yards, while throwing six touchdown passes in the same game against the Chicago Cardinals. Knee injuries cut short Lujack's playing career after only four seasons, although he was selected to the the All-Pro squad in his last two years as a professional. He went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Bears for several seasons before he left football to open a successful car dealership in Davenport, Iowa, and later pursued a number of other business ventures. Now retired in the Quad Cities area, Lujack recently endowed a scholarship at Notre Dame.
One of the greatest all-around athletes that Notre Dame has ever produced, Johnny Lujack is frequently overlooked because his professional career was cut short, as well as the fact that he played for such tremendously talented teams during his last two years at Notre Dame. Regardless, Lujack continued the Heisman tradition at Notre Dame began by his predecessor Angelo Bertelli, and remains a loyal and dedicated son of Notre Dame to this day.
Originally published August 10, 2006
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Go Irish! Beat Jackets!
Mike
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \
Undoubtedly, one of the most famous games in the history of the Notre Dame program came in 1946. In one of the great defensive match-ups in the annals of college football, #1 Army and #2 Notre Dame fought to a 0-0 draw in front of 80,000 fans at Yankee Stadium in New York . The build-up to the 1946 game was comparable to many later "Games of the Century," and was accentuated by the fact that Army had walloped the Irish in 48-0 and 59-0 whitewashings in their 1944 and 1945 games. The Cadets' owned a 25-game winning streak that would end on that November afternoon in the Bronx . Endzone seats with face values of $3.30 were selling for $200 each. Historically, the game still stands as the only one to feature four different Heisman Trophy winners playing on the same field: Army's Doc "Mister Inside" Blanchard (1945) and Glenn "Mister Outside" Davis (1946) and Notre Dame's Johnny Lujack (1947) and Leon Hart (1949). As is so often the case with tense games such as the famous Notre Dame-Army tie, one great defensive play stood out as the turning point in the game. The author of that play was junior Johnny Lujack.
As that 1946 season began, everyone had taken note of the amazing collection of talent that Irish coach Frank Leahy had put together in the wake of World War II. In his role as a commander in the U.S. Navy during the war, Leahy oversaw recreational activities for officers in the Pacific Theater, a role that often gave him access to talented "recruits" whom he would often persuade to enroll at Notre Dame and play for the juggernaut that he was assembling. Considered perhaps the greatest collection of talent in the history of college football, the 1946 and 1947 Notre Dame teams featured a large number of players, many of whom never saw the playing field for the Irish, go on to star in the professional ranks. Of all the players on those teams, however, Lujack was the one most recognized as the "difference maker."
Lujack, like so many other great Irish quarterbacks, came to South Bend from western Pennsylvania . Born in Connelsville in 1925, Lujack was a phenomenal athlete who received monograms at Notre Dame in baseball, basketball, and track, as well as in football. He saw his first action as a football starter in 1943, when he replaced senior QB Angelo Bertelli, and led the Irish to a resounding 26-0 victory over Army. After serving for two years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Lujack returned to Notre Dame to complete his degree. Over the course of his career as the starting QB for the Irish, Lujack amassed an astounding 20-1-1 record, and led three separate Irish squads to the national championship.
Although Lujack will be best remembered as one of Notre Dame's most heralded signal callers, perhaps his defining moment as a player at Notre Dame came during the 1946 Army game on the defensive side of the ball. His playing status questionable until game time because of a sprained ankle, Lujack nevertheless started as QB on offense, and as a DB on defense in an era where players played on both sides of the ball. As a DB, Lujack executed a brilliant open-field tackle of Army's Blanchard that saved a certain touchdown, and spared Notre Dame a third consecutive loss to Army. Indeed, that tackle essentially won the Irish the 1946 national title, a feat that the Irish would accomplish two more times over the next three seasons.
Lujack's brilliance in the 1946 season garnered him unanimous All America honors, as well as a third-place finish in the Heisman Trophy balloting that year. In 1947, he would follow up his performance from the previous year by leading the Irish to a 9-0-0 finish, the program's first perfect season since Rockne's last campaign in 1930. His excellence on the gridiron earned him unanimous All America honors again, as well as the Heisman Trophy, making him the second Irish player to win the award. He was also voted the recipient of that year's Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, beating out the New York Yankees' Joe DiMaggio.
After graduating from Notre Dame in the spring of 1948, Lujack went on to play professionally for the Chicago Bears. In his first game, he intercepted three Green Bay Packer passes, a record that still stands in the Bears' record books. On the offensive side of the ball, he once set the NFL record for most passing yardage in a game with 468 yards, while throwing six touchdown passes in the same game against the Chicago Cardinals. Knee injuries cut short Lujack's playing career after only four seasons, although he was selected to the the All-Pro squad in his last two years as a professional. He went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Bears for several seasons before he left football to open a successful car dealership in Davenport, Iowa, and later pursued a number of other business ventures. Now retired in the Quad Cities area, Lujack recently endowed a scholarship at Notre Dame.
One of the greatest all-around athletes that Notre Dame has ever produced, Johnny Lujack is frequently overlooked because his professional career was cut short, as well as the fact that he played for such tremendously talented teams during his last two years at Notre Dame. Regardless, Lujack continued the Heisman tradition at Notre Dame began by his predecessor Angelo Bertelli, and remains a loyal and dedicated son of Notre Dame to this day.
Originally published August 10, 2006
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Paul Hornung
This week, Sports Illustrated features on one of its regional college football preview covers Brady Quinn and two other Irish players, sending shivers down the spines of believers in the alleged "Cover Jinx." As the hype for Quinn builds, it is interesting to look back at another winner of the Heisman Trophy for Notre Dame. The incomparable Paul Hornung was one of the most talented players ever to come through N.D., all while playing as a senior for one of the worst teams the school has ever had. Sorry for the lateness, as it's been hard to find time for typing during my honeymoon in Mexico!
Go Irish! Beat Jackets!
Mike
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \
During the recent media maelstrom surrounding Notre Dame's firing of Tyrone Willingham in December 2004, a frequently cited but oft-overlooked fact was that Notre Dame had suffered three losing seasons out of five years for the first time in the program's history (1999, 2001, 2003), a fact that may have hastened Willingham's departure. Indeed, losing seasons at Notre Dame are an historical anomaly, happening on average only once every eleven or so seasons. Of all the losing seasons, one of the worst came in 1956, when the Irish went 2-8. Even in that season, the nadir of the Terry Brennan Era, an era that spanned 1954 to 1958, there was one bright spot: Irish QB Paul Hornung became Notre Dame's fifth Heisman Trophy winner. Among the seventy individuals to have won the Heisman Trophy since 1935, Hornung still stands fifty years after winning the honor as the only one to play for a team with a losing record. The fact that he still holds this distinction speaks in large part to the appeal of Notre Dame's famed football program, but also to the unique abilities of the versatile Hornung.
Hailing from Louisville , Kentucky , Hornung was heavily recruited to the University of Kentucky by an up and coming Paul "Bear" Bryant. Listening to the desires of his devoutly Catholic mother, however, Hornung, a four-year letterman in baseball, basketball, and football in high school, decided to play for Frank Leahy at Notre Dame, making him (eventually) the fifth separate Heisman winner that The Master recruited to the Irish sidelines.
Hornung, however, never got the opportunity to play for Leahy. Because of health considerations (and perhaps other administration-related reasons), Leahy stepped down after the 1953 season at the tender age of 45. In stepped the 25-year-old Terry Brennan, who had played for Leahy in the late 1940s, and who had most recently served as Leahy's freshman squad coach. Undoubtedly, Brennan would have worked closely with Hornung, and would have seen his abilities very closely during the talented back's freshman season of 1953.
As a sophomore, Hornung saw limited playing time as a reserve fullback. The following season, however, he started at halfback and safety, and finished fourth in the nation in total offense. His impressive offensive numbers were enough to garner him acclaim as an All-American for the 1955 season. The following year, he would lead the Irish in passing, rushing, scoring, kickoff and punt returns. As if that were not enough, he also led the team in punting. For his achievements during the 1956 season, Hornung again received All-America honors, and was awarded with the Heisman for that season. One wonders with a player of such prodigious talents how the Irish only managed a mere two victories that season. Perhaps this contributed to the later departure of Terry Brennan, who only lasted two seasons more after Hornung graduated and headed for the NFL.
After leaving the friendly confines of Notre Dame, Hornung continued to excel in football, perhaps as much as any Notre Dame footballer ever has. During his distinguished career for the Green Bay Packers, Hornung would live up to the expectations that accompanied him as the number-one overall pick in the 1957 NFL draft. Playing for the legendary Vince Lombardi, Hornung played primarily as a halfback and kicker. In a 12-game season in 1960, he set an NFL record by scoring 176 points. During the following season's championship game, he scored 19 points, which still stands as a record for NFL championship games to this day. His versatility translated well to the professional game, where he was twice honored as the league's Most Valuable Player, making him one of only five players to win that award and the Heisman.
Hornung's career was blemished by a potentially career-ending suspension by the NFL during the 1963 season. That year, a scandal was uncovered involving Hornung and Detroit Lions star Alex Karras (later of television "Webster" fame) involved in a gambling ring which involved betting on games. Hornung fessed up to his mistake and was reinstated during the following season. His career lasted long enough for him to be on the roster when the Packers played in and won the first Super Bowl following the 1966 season.
Following his career in the NFL, Hornung pursued a number of businesses in real estate, while always keeping connections to the game of football. In 1985 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 1986 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has over thirty years of experience in broadcasting games on the radio and television, most notably as a host for Westwood One's coverage of Notre Dame football. That affiliation ended two seasons ago after Hornung made what some considered to be racially insensitive remarks.
Despite the recent controversy surrounding Hornung, he remains always "The Golden Boy." Deemed by Vince Lombardi as "the most versatile man who ever played the game," Hornung still stands as one of Notre Dame's most outstanding athletes and will be always on the short list of the greatest football players the school has ever produced.
Originally published August 18, 2006
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
Go Irish! Beat Jackets!
Mike
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During the recent media maelstrom surrounding Notre Dame's firing of Tyrone Willingham in December 2004, a frequently cited but oft-overlooked fact was that Notre Dame had suffered three losing seasons out of five years for the first time in the program's history (1999, 2001, 2003), a fact that may have hastened Willingham's departure. Indeed, losing seasons at Notre Dame are an historical anomaly, happening on average only once every eleven or so seasons. Of all the losing seasons, one of the worst came in 1956, when the Irish went 2-8. Even in that season, the nadir of the Terry Brennan Era, an era that spanned 1954 to 1958, there was one bright spot: Irish QB Paul Hornung became Notre Dame's fifth Heisman Trophy winner. Among the seventy individuals to have won the Heisman Trophy since 1935, Hornung still stands fifty years after winning the honor as the only one to play for a team with a losing record. The fact that he still holds this distinction speaks in large part to the appeal of Notre Dame's famed football program, but also to the unique abilities of the versatile Hornung.
Hailing from Louisville , Kentucky , Hornung was heavily recruited to the University of Kentucky by an up and coming Paul "Bear" Bryant. Listening to the desires of his devoutly Catholic mother, however, Hornung, a four-year letterman in baseball, basketball, and football in high school, decided to play for Frank Leahy at Notre Dame, making him (eventually) the fifth separate Heisman winner that The Master recruited to the Irish sidelines.
Hornung, however, never got the opportunity to play for Leahy. Because of health considerations (and perhaps other administration-related reasons), Leahy stepped down after the 1953 season at the tender age of 45. In stepped the 25-year-old Terry Brennan, who had played for Leahy in the late 1940s, and who had most recently served as Leahy's freshman squad coach. Undoubtedly, Brennan would have worked closely with Hornung, and would have seen his abilities very closely during the talented back's freshman season of 1953.
As a sophomore, Hornung saw limited playing time as a reserve fullback. The following season, however, he started at halfback and safety, and finished fourth in the nation in total offense. His impressive offensive numbers were enough to garner him acclaim as an All-American for the 1955 season. The following year, he would lead the Irish in passing, rushing, scoring, kickoff and punt returns. As if that were not enough, he also led the team in punting. For his achievements during the 1956 season, Hornung again received All-America honors, and was awarded with the Heisman for that season. One wonders with a player of such prodigious talents how the Irish only managed a mere two victories that season. Perhaps this contributed to the later departure of Terry Brennan, who only lasted two seasons more after Hornung graduated and headed for the NFL.
After leaving the friendly confines of Notre Dame, Hornung continued to excel in football, perhaps as much as any Notre Dame footballer ever has. During his distinguished career for the Green Bay Packers, Hornung would live up to the expectations that accompanied him as the number-one overall pick in the 1957 NFL draft. Playing for the legendary Vince Lombardi, Hornung played primarily as a halfback and kicker. In a 12-game season in 1960, he set an NFL record by scoring 176 points. During the following season's championship game, he scored 19 points, which still stands as a record for NFL championship games to this day. His versatility translated well to the professional game, where he was twice honored as the league's Most Valuable Player, making him one of only five players to win that award and the Heisman.
Hornung's career was blemished by a potentially career-ending suspension by the NFL during the 1963 season. That year, a scandal was uncovered involving Hornung and Detroit Lions star Alex Karras (later of television "Webster" fame) involved in a gambling ring which involved betting on games. Hornung fessed up to his mistake and was reinstated during the following season. His career lasted long enough for him to be on the roster when the Packers played in and won the first Super Bowl following the 1966 season.
Following his career in the NFL, Hornung pursued a number of businesses in real estate, while always keeping connections to the game of football. In 1985 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 1986 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has over thirty years of experience in broadcasting games on the radio and television, most notably as a host for Westwood One's coverage of Notre Dame football. That affiliation ended two seasons ago after Hornung made what some considered to be racially insensitive remarks.
Despite the recent controversy surrounding Hornung, he remains always "The Golden Boy." Deemed by Vince Lombardi as "the most versatile man who ever played the game," Hornung still stands as one of Notre Dame's most outstanding athletes and will be always on the short list of the greatest football players the school has ever produced.
Originally published August 18, 2006
copyright Michael D. McAllister 2006
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