Johnny Lujack

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Johnny Lujack

| image = Johnny Lujack 1950.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Lujack {{circa}} 1950

| number = 32

| position = Quarterback / Safety

| birth_date = {{birth date|1925|1|4}}

| birth_place = Connellsville, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|7|25|1925|1|4}}

| death_place = Naples, Florida, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 0

| weight_lb = 186

| high_school = Connellsville

| college = Notre Dame (1943; 1946–1947)

| draftyear = 1946

| draftround = 1

| draftpick = 4

| pastteams =

Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1948|1951}})

| pastcoaching=

Notre Dame (1952–1953)
Assistant coach

| highlights =

| statlabel1 = TD–INT

| statvalue1 = 41–54

| statlabel2 = Completion percentage

| statvalue2 = 50%

| statlabel3 = Passing yards

| statvalue3 = 6,295

| statlabel4 = Passer rating

| statvalue4 = 65.3

| statlabel5 = Rushing yards

| statvalue5 = 742

| statlabel6 = Rushing touchdowns

| statvalue6 = 21

| statlabel7 = Interceptions

| statvalue7 = 12

| statlabel8 = Interception yards

| statvalue8 = 190

| pfr = LujaJo00

| CollegeHOF = 1641

}}

John Christopher Lujack Jr.{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Goldstein (writer, born 1942) |date=July 25, 2023 |title=Johnny Lujack, a Star Quarterback at Notre Dame, Dies at 98 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/sports/football/johnny-lujack-dead.html |access-date=July 26, 2023 |work=The New York Times}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|uː|dʒ|æ|k}};{{cite web |title=The Adventures of Johnny Lujack |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOwja8TSd0Q |website=YouTube | date=April 13, 2016 |access-date=27 July 2023}} January 4, 1925 – July 25, 2023) was an American football player who was a quarterback and safety. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1947. He was also a unanimous All-American in both 1946 and 1947, leading the team to national championships both years. He later played professionally for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1948 to 1951, receiving first-team All-Pro honors in 1950.

Early life and college

Lujack was born to Alice and John Luczak,{{citation |title=The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: Sports Figures, Volume 2 |editor=Markoe, Arnie |year=2002 |publisher=C. Scribner's Sons |page=[https://archive.org/details/scribnerencyclop01mark/page/79 79] |isbn=978-0-684-80665-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/scribnerencyclop01mark/page/79 }} in 1925 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania,{{citation |title=Current Biography Yearbook: Volumes 1-31 |publisher=H.W. Wilson Company |year=1948 |page=404 }} the youngest of four sons and fifth child in a family of six children. The family is of Polish descent and included older siblings Valentine ("Val"), Stanislaus ("Stan"), Victoria, Aloysius ("Allie", who went on to play professional basketball), and younger sister Dolores.Luczak. – Connellsville, Fayette, Pennsylvania. – 1930 United States Census. – United States Census Bureau.{{citation |title=Great Athletes |author=Johnson, Rafer |publisher=Salem Press |year=2009 |page=278 |isbn=978-1-58765-473-2 }}{{citation |title=The Best of Sport, 1946–1971 |author=Silverman, Al |year=1971 |publisher=Viking Press |page=22 }} His father worked for the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad for thirty years as a boilermaker.

Lujack attended Connellsville High School and played for the school's football team from 1939 to 1941. He was also the senior class president and valedictorian.{{citation |title=Football great donates $50,000 for new field house |author=Kroeger, Judy |date=September 20, 2005 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |publisher=The Daily Courier (Connellsville) }} In high school, he lettered in four sports; baseball, football, basketball, and track.{{citation |title=Life's Cover |magazine=LIFE |date=September 29, 1947 |page=29 }}

Lujack's 1941 high school team, named the Cokers for workers in the coal milling industry who feed the ovens, went 8–0–1, but did not get to play for the WPIAL league championship because their last game, with Brownsville, ended in a 13–13 tie.{{citation |author=White, Mike |title=Johnny Marching Home for Connellsville Honor |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=September 14, 1994 |page=D-1, D-5 }}

People in Connellsville had wanted Lujack to go to the United States Military Academy (Army) at West Point, going so far as to ask their local congressman for an appointment, but Lujack, a fan of Notre Dame football from listening to their radio broadcasts, had his heart set on playing in South Bend.{{citation |author=Pennington, Bill |year=2004 |title=The Heisman: Great American Stories of the Men who Won |publisher=HarperCollins |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780060554712/page/92 92, 94] |isbn=978-0-06-055471-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780060554712/page/92 }}{{citation |title=Lujack heads inaugural class |date=July 14, 2009 |author=Dvorchak, Robert |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette }} He was the first Connellsville High School student to receive an appointment to Army.

Lujack attended the University of Notre Dame, where he was given a scholarship by Frank Leahy, from 1942 to 1943 and then 1946 to 1947. His career was interrupted for two years by World War II after his sophomore season, during which he served as an officer in the United States Navy. His time in the Navy was spent hunting German submarines in the English Channel as an ensign.

When Lujack returned from the Atlantic (ETO) duty, he appeared on the cover of the September 29, 1947, issue of LIFE.{{citation |title=Life's Cover |magazine=LIFE |date=September 29, 1947 |page=(front cover) |publisher=Time, Inc. |issn=0024-3019 }} He led the 1947 Fighting Irish to a 9–0 record for his senior year, during which he completed 61 passes on 109 attempts for 777 yards and rushed for 139 yards on 12 carries, and won the Heisman Trophy. As he had in high school, Lujack once again received varsity letters (called "monograms") in four sports (again baseball, football, basketball, and track) while at Notre Dame, becoming the third person to do so. As a track and field athlete, he competed in the high jump and javelin throw, at times dashing over to the track to compete between innings of baseball games that he was playing in.{{Cite web |title=Appreciation: Unassuming Notre Dame legend Johnny Lujack learned he won the Heisman in the Coliseum |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2023-07-30/johnny-lujack-appreciation |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Los Angeles Times |date=July 30, 2023 |language=en-US}} He was a two-time unanimous All-American (1946 and 1947) and led Notre Dame to three national championships (1943, 1946, and 1947).{{citation |title=Milestones |date=July 5, 1948 |magazine=TIME }}{{citation |title=The Notre Dame Football Encyclopedia |page=128 |author1=Marder, Keith |author2=Mark Spellen |author3=Jim Donovan |year=2001 }} In addition to winning the Heisman, Lujack was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year.

Professional career

Lujack was paid USD$17,000 for his 1948 rookie season with the Bears and $20,000 for his fourth and final season. In his rookie season he played defensive back and kicker, during which he had eight interceptions for 131 yards and kicked 44 out of 46 extra points.{{citation |url= https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LujaJo00.htm |title=Johnny Lujack |publisher=Sports Reference LLC. |journal=Pro-Football-Reference.com }}

In the summer of 1949, Lujack starred in a radio program on ABC, The Adventures of Johnny Lujack, which was a summertime replacement for the Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy show. It was a 30-minute program and broadcast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.{{citation |title='Lujack' Replaces 'Jack Armstrong' |magazine=Billboard |date=June 4, 1949 }} The show was broadcast from the studios of WGN in Chicago over the Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) and ran for 13 weeks.{{citation |title=Federal Communications Commission reports |volume=32 |page=1003 |publisher=Federal Communications Commission (printed by United States Government Printing Office) |year=1962 }}

File:John Lujack 1948 Bowman.jpg

In the final game of the 1949 season, the 9–3 Bears defeated their hometown rivals, the Chicago Cardinals (6–5–1), by a score of 52–21 on December 11. In that game, Lujack threw six touchdown passes and set an NFL record with 468 passing yards.{{citation |author=Warren, Harry |title=Lujack Sets Mark in 52–21 Rout of Cards |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=December 12, 1949 |page=C1 }}{{citation |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/194912110chi.htm |title=Chicago Cardinals 21 at Chicago Bears 52 |date=December 11, 1949 |publisher=Sports Reference LLC. |journal=Pro-Football-Reference.com }} The record was broken later by Norm Van Brocklin. He was the last Bears quarterback to throw at least five touchdown passes in a game until Mitchell Trubisky threw six against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018.{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24850456/mitch-trubisky-enjoys-breakout-game-six-td-passes-bears | title=Bears' Trubisky breaks out with six TD passes | date=September 30, 2018 }}

Sid Luckman and George Blanda played behind Lujack in the rotation at quarterback for the 1949 and 1950 seasons.{{citation |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/chi/1949.htm |title=1949 Chicago Bears |publisher=Sports Reference LLC. |journal=Pro-Football-Reference.com }}{{citation |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/chi/1950.htm |title=1950 Chicago Bears |publisher=Sports Reference LLC. |journal=Pro-Football-Reference.com }}

During the 1950 season, Lujack set an NFL record with 11 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. This record was tied by Tobin Rote with the Green Bay Packers in 1956, and broken by the New England Patriots' Steve Grogan in 1976.{{citation |title=Patriots 27, Saints 6 |publisher=United Press International |newspaper=Telegraph Herald |date=December 5, 1976 |page=13 }}{{citation |author=Bedard, Greg A. |date=December 4, 2011 |title=Grogan reflects on his record-setting feet |url= http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2011/12/04/grogan-reflects-his-record-setting-feet/U9xeePy4Z25BSgtfAwtDMI/story.html |newspaper=The Boston Globe |publisher=The New York Times Company and BostonGlobe.com }} Lujack, named to the 1950 All-Pro First-team, also set a Bears record for 109 total points in a season with 11 touchdowns, three (out of five) field-goals, and 34 (out of 35) extra points.{{citation |title=Walker, Geri, Motley, Fears Unanimous All-pro Choices |publisher=Associated Press |newspaper=The New London Evening Day |date=December 28, 1950 }} That record was surpassed by Gale Sayers in 1965 with 132 total points.{{citation |title=Sayers Awarded Game Ball for 2d Time |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=December 13, 1965 |page=25 }}

Post-playing career

After four years with the Bears, Lujack returned to Notre Dame as an assistant coach for 1952 and 1953 to repay Frank Leahy as a debt of gratitude for having given him a scholarship to Notre Dame. Leahy wanted Lujack to succeed him as the head coach of the Fighting Irish, but Terry Brennan was chosen instead by Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, the university president.{{citation |title=Papa Bear: The Life and Legacy of George Halas |author=Davis, Jeff |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-07-147741-3 |page=240 }}

In 1954, he then went into the car dealership business with his father-in-law, at Lujack Schierbrock Chevrolet Company of Davenport, Iowa.Motor volume 116, publisher Hearst Corp., 1961, page 44 He purchased his father-in-law's dealership interest in 1988.Pennington. – p.96. Sometime in late 2006, the dealership was sold by his former son-in-law to Smart Automotive.{{cite web |url=https://www.smartautoqc.com/about-us/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929064428/https://www.smartautoqc.com/about-us/ |archive-date=September 29, 2020 |title=About Us {{!}} Smart Automotive}}

Lujack served as a television color commentator for NFL games on NFL on CBS for several years, teaming with Ray Scott to call Green Bay Packers games in 1957 and with Chris Schenkel to call New York Giants games from 1958 to 1961.Markoe. – p.74.{{citation |author=Adams, Val |title=TV-Radio Notes |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 22, 1956 }}

{{citation |title=Rozelle: Czar of the NFL |author=Davis, Jeff |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |year=2007 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rozelleczarofnfl0000davi/page/133 133] |isbn=978-0-07-147166-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/rozelleczarofnfl0000davi/page/133 }} However, in 1962 when Ford signed on as a major sponsor and learned that Lujack was a Chevrolet dealer, he was replaced by Pat Summerall.{{citation |title=Summerall: On and Off the Air |page=[https://archive.org/details/summerallonoffai00summ/page/81 81] |author=Summerall, Pat |year=2006 |publisher=Thomas Nelson |isbn=978-0-7852-1492-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/summerallonoffai00summ/page/81 }} He also worked with Jim McKay on CBS doing college football and on ABC college football telecasts in the late 1960s.{{Cite web|url=https://und.com/heisman-anniversaries-celebrating-john-lujack-and-tim-brown/|publisher=University of Notre Dame|title=Heisman Anniversaries: Celebrating John Lujack and Tim Brown|author=Heisler, John|date=September 17, 2017}}

On June 8, 1978, Lujack was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.{{Cite web|url=https://www.polishsportshof.com/portfolio_page/johnny-lujack/|publisher=National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame|title=Johnny Lujack}}

In 2005, Lujack donated $50,000 to Connellsville High School toward a new field house for the football stadium. It was later named Johnny Lujack Field House. The Johnny Lujack Training Facility was formally dedicated in 2009 and he was also inducted into the inaugural class of the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal life

His wife, the former Patricia Ann "Pat" Schierbrock (February 22, 1927 — August 2, 2022), was the daughter of Josephine (née Wilson) and Frank H. Schierbrock.{{citation |title=The American Catholic Who's Who |volume=14 |page=410 |editor1=Curtis, Georgina Pell |publisher=Romig, Walter |editor2=Elder, Benedict}} Lujack and Schierbrock were married in Davenport, Iowa at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on June 26, 1948.{{citation |title=Miss Schierbrock and Lujack Married In Davenport Church |date=June 27, 1948 |newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune |page=A3}} They had three children: Mary, Jeff, and Carol (1954–2002).quad cities times May 30, 2002

Lujack was distantly related to NFL player Ben Skowronek and Olympic gymnast Courtney Kupets. NFL quarterback Trent Green married into the family.{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/9/12/21433564/for-ben-skowronek-its-all-about-the-blue-and-gold-genes-lujack-heisman-notre-dame-northwestern|title=For Ben Skowronek, it's all about the blue (and gold) genes|date=September 12, 2020|website=Chicago Sun-Times}}

Lujack died at a hospice in Naples, Florida, on July 25, 2023, at age 98.{{Cite web |date=July 25, 2023 |title=Johnny Lujack, 1947 Heisman winner who led Notre Dame to 3 national titles, dies at the age of 98 |url=https://apnews.com/article/johnny-lujack-notre-dame-died-e1d99721074aaeddc83fd6a9b8423eee |access-date=July 25, 2023 |website=AP News |language=en}}

Career statistics

File:Johnny Lujack passing̠ 1947.jpg

= College statistics =

class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
Season ! Team ! Cmp ! Att ! Pct ! Passing Yds ! Passing TD ! Int ! Rtg ! Rushing Yds ! Rushing Avg
1943 \| Notre Dame \| 34 \| 71 \| 47.9 \| 525 \| 4 \| 8 \| 106.1 \| 191 \| 4.2
1946 \| Notre Dame \| 49 \| 100 \| 49.0 \| 778 \| 6 \| 8 \| 114.9 \| 108 \| 4.7
1947 \| Notre Dame \| 61 \| 109 \| 56.0 \| 777 \| 9 \| 8 \| 128.4 \| 139 \| 11.6

class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"

Season

! Team

! Cmp

! Att

! Pct

! Passing Yds

! Passing TD

! Int

! Rtg

! Rushing Yds

! Rushing Avg

1943

| Notre Dame

| 34

| 71

| 47.9

| 525

| 4

| 8

| 106.1

| 191

| 4.2

1946

| Notre Dame

| 49

| 100

| 49.0

| 778

| 6

| 8

| 114.9

| 108

| 4.7

1947

| Notre Dame

| 61

| 109

| 56.0

| 777

| 9

| 8

| 128.4

| 139

| 11.6

= Professional statistics =

Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Att	Cmp	Yds	TD	Int	Lng
class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
1948 \|\| CHI \| 9 \|\| 3 \|\| — \|\| 66 \|\| 36 \|\| 611 \|\| 6 \|\| 3 \|\| 64
1949 \|\| CHI \| 12 \|\| 7 \|\| — \|\| 312 \|\| 162 \|\| 2,658 \|\| 23 \|\| 22 \|\| 81
1950 \|\| CHI \| 12 \|\| 12 \|\| 9–3 \|\| 254 \|\| 121 \|\| 1,731 \|\| 4 \|\| 21 \|\| 70
1951 \|\| CHI \| 12 \|\| 6 \|\| 4–2 \|\| 176 \|\| 85 \|\| 1,295 \|\| 8 \|\| 8 \|\| 78
colspan="2"\| Career{{cite web\|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/L/LujaJo00.htm\|title=Johnny Lujack Stats - Pro-Football-Reference.com\|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}} \|\| 45 \|\| 28 \|\| 13–5 \|\| 808 \|\| 404 \|\| 6,295 \|\| 41 \|\| 54 \|\| 81