Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 30, 2019 53 Q: What did you appreciate the most playing for Coach Frank Leahy? JL: "Frank Leahy was as good a fundamentalist as any coach I've run into — and I played in Pro Bowl games, college all-star games … I've been around a lot of the great ones, but he was the best. Leahy covered all the intricacies of football, from the weakest thing to the strongest. "We had a meeting one time with the quarterbacks and his question was, 'In the event that you were go- ing to take an intentional safety in the end zone, how would you go about doing it?' We said we'd take one knee when we're just about to be hit. His answer was, 'No, no, you run out of the end zone! That way no one could touch you and there would be no chance of a fumble.' That's just one example of the little things that he covered daily. Any situation in a game you were involved in, he had already covered, so you never felt unsure once it was time for the game. He did the same for your business life, personal life and spiritual life. "I think he would be every bit as good today as he was back then. If you're going to be a great coach, you have to have discipline, you have to have fundamentals, you have to have the players' respect, and you have to be able to teach and adjust to differ- ent things in the game. None of that changes in coaching. "In Leahy's first year at Notre Dame [1941], he was undefeated. But then the next year he changed to the T-formation, a complete change in Notre Dame's past philosophy. Now, when you're undefeated in your first try, how many people do you think would change things? That just shows you how he was. He recog- nized that the T-formation was going to be the formation of the future and what happened in the past didn't matter." Q: What do you think of the Heis- man hype today? JL: "It's something I certainly wasn't familiar with in our day. When I was notified I won the Heis- man in a telegram after the 1947 win at USC to end the season, I was the most surprised guy in the world. Winning games for Notre Dame was all that mattered to me. You can't be out for yourself. You're out for the team. If you check my records, I threw about 10 passes per game — and people do that in one quarter these days. "Today a freshman or sophomore can be coming in and a [reporter] says, 'Boy, he has Heisman potential!' I think that puts a lot of pressure on a kid to perform maybe differently than he would naturally perform. If I were in the media, I would maybe write the same stuff, but it does add a lot of pressure." Q: You were part of the "Golden Age" in Notre Dame football. How important is football prosperity to Notre Dame? JL: "I've always felt that the love of Notre Dame is not built necessarily around the academic standards. Now don't get me wrong, that is extremely important and I know that. But when you're talking about alumni who are 50, 60 years old, the mystique of Notre Dame is built around winning football, and that started all the way back with Knute Rockne. "You've got to win football games. If Notre Dame was to go 6-6 for the rest of our lives, don't you think that the people that grew up following and loving Notre Dame would be very disappointed, downhearted and distressed about what has hap- pened? Nobody wants to see a proud tradition just fade away when you grow up with that mystique and pass it on from generation to generation. I think winning football helps Notre Dame in all aspects." ✦ A versatile two-way standout, Lujack led the Irish to the national championship in 1943, served two years in the Navy during World War II, then returned to guide Leahy's Lads to two more national titles in 1946 and 1947. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS MEMORABILIA Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room ND Stadium Items, Jerseys, Helmets, Autographs and One-of-a-Kind Rockne Items. COME INTO THE STORE TO SEE OUR RARE NOTRE DAME HELMET DISPLAY, 1900 - PRESENT!! Voted Best Notre Dame Collectibles in the Country! 1811 South Bend Ave. South Bend , I n 46637 574-277-NDND (6363) www.augieslockerroom.com FACEBOOK.COM/AUGIESLOCKERROOM NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-395-2974 ACCOMMODATIONS 2 Notre Dame Game Football Weekends Available 2 nights ON Campus! Price Includes: Game Ticket, Parking for the weekend, Bed at Sacred Heart Parish Hall on campus and Lunch at Legend's Tent prior to game. Choose either: Virginia 9/27, 9/28, 9/29 $475 each Virginia Tech 11/1, 11/2, 11/3 $475 each Proceeds benefit the Student Scholarship Fund, South Jersey Notre Dame Club E-mail bill.burns.68@alumni.nd.edu Or call Bill Burns 609-368-1962 M A R K E T P L A C E Call 877-630-8768 to advertise in Blue & Gold Illustrated! Want a prayer published? Call 800-421-7751