[rmjvol]

With Brady Quinn the early 2006 Heisman favorite, I thought we could use a recap of the past Notre Dame Heisman trophy winners.

Notre Dame football has produced 7 Heisman winners in the last 63 years. 4 QB's, a Tight End, halfback & a wide receiver.

Bertelli, Angelo Quarterback 1943
Lujack, Johnny Quarterback 1947
Hart, Leon Tight End 1949
Lattner, John Halfback 1953
Hornung, Paul Quarterback 1956
Huarte, John Quarterback 1964
Brown, Tim Wide Receiver 1987

I know Tim Brown and Paul Hornung pretty well. Anybody want to fill us in on the rest of these guys? Do ND football fans know them by heart?

[Lefty Noob]

"The Springfield Rifle" Angelo Bertelli won the Heisman in 1943 despite playing in just six games. He completed 69% of his pass attempts for 10 touchdowns and with Bertelli at the helm, the Fighting Irish offense averaged more than 40 points per game. Just before the team's seventh contest, though, Bertelli was called into service by the Marines and served at both Iwo Jima and Guam. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Johnny Lujack, oddly enough, was Bertelli's replacement during World War II, and had led the team to three national titles. According to collegefootballnews.com, who named him #61 on their list of the 100 Greatest Players of All Time, "For his career, he was 144 of 280 for 2908 yards and 19 touchdowns. he also ran for 438 yards and two touchdowns." Like Bertelli, Lujack has been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

[david murray]

Interesting that John Lattner was the only Notre Dame running back ever to win the Heisman. (What about George Gipp?) He was a member of Frank Leahy's fourth and last national campionship team in 1953--and here is an odd fact: He didn't lead the Irish in rushing or receiving during his Heisman winning season. He did return two kickoffs for touchdowns that season, and apparently was a great all around two-way player. He had 13 interceptions as a defensive back during his Irish career, and held the school record for all-purpose yards until it was broken by Vagas Ferguson in 1979.