Lujack, "Johnny" (John C. Jr.)
Football
b. Jan. 4, 1925, Connellsville, PA
As a sophomore at Notre Dame in 1943, Lujack started at halfback but was moved to quarterback when starter Angelo Bertelli was called into service. In his first game at that position, he completed 8 of 15 passes for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns and scored a touchdown rushing in a 26-0 upset of Army.
The following year, Lujack was himself in the service. He returned to Notre Dame as the starting quarterback in 1946. In a scoreless tie against the powerful Army team led by Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Lujack saved the game with an open-field tackle of Blanchard to prevent a touchdown.
Lujack led Notre Dame to an 8-0-1 record in his senior season, 1947, when he completed 61 of 109 passes for 777 yards and 9 touchdowns. A two-time All-American, he won the 1947 Heisman Trophy as the nation's best college player and was also named athlete of the year by the Associated Press. In his Notre Dame career, he completed 144 of 280 passes for 2,080 yards. He also won letters in baseball, basketball, and track during his sophomore year.
One spring afternoon, he went three for four in a baseball game while winning the high jump and javelin throw in a track meet.
A first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears in 1948, Lujack was used primarily as a defensive back in his rookie year and was named to the All-Pro team at that position. He took over as starting quarterback in 1949 and was an All-Pro again in 1950. Bad knees forced his retirement after the 1951 season.