Old School Heroes of the NFL: Johnny Lujack

Granted back then there were only 7 total picks in the first round, but Notre Dame still found a way to snag 4 of them. Oddly enough Notre Dame quarterback Johnny Lujack was chosen second in the draft behind Notre Dame quarterback Boley Dancewicz. That is not a typo either, Dancewicz was also a quarterback for Notre Dame and the #1 pick in the NFL draft. Running back Emil Sitko and offensive tackle George Connor also were picked in the first round both playing for the Fighting Irish in college.

Another man of many trades Lujack had the ability to not only quarterback, but also play punter, kick extra points, halfback, and defense. All while playing 3 other sports. Most notably was his college hiatus in between the time he played for Notre Dame, then served in World War II, went back to Notre Dame before finally being drafted by the Chicago Bears. Because the war was such an issue during these football days it was the same war that gave Lujack a chance as a sophomore in college to play the starting quarterback role. Previous quarterback and Heisman Trophy Winner Angelo Bertelli (1943) went to enlist in the Marines leaving the door wide open for Lujack.

He eventually led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to a national championship in 1943 posting a 9-1 record under then head coach Frank Leahy. Then in an instant he was whisked away to the Navy where himself, George Connor, and head coach Frank Leahy all served and eventually how Connor wound up at Notre Dame in the first place thanks to a little pep-talk he gave George while they were at Pearl Harbor. Leahy said, "George, I wanted you to come to Notre Dame when you graduated from high school and I want you to come to Notre Dame after the war. If you come there, I can promise you two things: we will win the National Championship and you will be an All- American."

It was almost surreal as all three men returned to Notre Dame in 1946 and went on to win the National Championship with a 8-0-1 record. The tie came from a game saving tackle Lujack made on "Doc" Blanchard while playing defense in the Notre Dame vs. Army game that ended 0-0. It was technically Lujack's second consecutive National Championship even though he missed 3 years to the Navy. However it wasn't all accolades showering Lujack as Army's Glenn Davis took the Heisman Trophy home in 46'.

By 1947 Lujack was considered one of the best quarterback's to run the T-formation style offense in all of college football. It was the year he would win the Heisman Trophy Award and a 3rd National Championship finishing undefeated at 9-0. His career record at Notre Dame was 26-1-1. An amazing feat which left many baffled at his #2 draft pick a year prior.

Yes, he played a year of college ball in 1947 after he was already selected by the Chicago Bears in 1946 if anyone put two and two together. It was later said that the only reason Boley Dancewicz was picked first was because he was a home-bred boy that the Boston Yanks wanted to bring back home to Massachusetts. Although Lujack was drafted as a quarterback he spent his first season as a defensive back but still made the All-Pro team as a rookie.

He spent 1948-1951 with the Chicago Bears and in 1949 he passed for almost 2,700 yards during a time that passing yards were not as conveniently used as they are today. Overall Lujack was an All-Pro 3 out of the 4 years he was in the NFL at two different positions. Even in 1950 when he had 4 touchdowns and 21 interceptions he still was an all-star to many because of his rushing ability for almost 400 yards and 11 touchdowns. In the end however it was bad knees that forced him away from the game.