Lattner, "Johnny" (John J.)
Football
b. Oct. 24, 1932, Chicago, IL
The only player ever to win the Maxwell Award twice as college football's outstanding player, Lattner also won the Heisman Trophy in 1953, his senior year at Notre Dame. The versatile, 6-foot-2, 195-pounder was a T-formation halfback, but he performed like a single-wing tailback, passing on the run and from punt formation, kicking, running, and returning kicks.
A marvelous clutch performer, Lattner as a junior scored the winning touchdowns against the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California. In his senior year, he rushed for 567 yards on 118 carries, returned 8 kickoffs for 321 yards and 2 touchdowns, caught 13 passes for 180 yards, intercepted 4 passes, and punted 28 times for a 34.5 average. He scored 4 touchdowns in Notre Dame's 48-14 win over Southern California.
A first-round draft choice of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers in 1954, Lattner played with them for only one season. He entered the Air Force in 1955 and suffered a severe knee injury in a service game. He rejoined the Steelers in 1957 but quit during training camp because of the bad knee.