Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1505336
UNDER THE DOME 12 PRESEASON 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS EXTENDS CONTRACT WITH UNDER ARMOUR The University of Notre Dame's athletic gear, across all 26 varsity sports and in retail stores everywhere, will be manufactured by the same supplier that has been paired with the Fighting Irish for the last 10 years. Notre Dame and Under Armour have of- ficially extended their contract for another decade, UA announced on Aug. 4. Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported on July 31 it could be the richest collegiate athletics sponsorship in the country with a payout of more than $10 million annually in cash and gear. Official terms of the contract have not been released. Notre Dame and Under Armour first struck a blockbuster deal in 2014. At that time, it was also believed that the two par- ties had the richest apparel agreement in the nation. It was quickly bumped down the list when other bluebloods in college athletics like Texas inked mega deals with Nike, which is the industry leader in col- legiate apparel contracts in terms of total number of schools being supplied. Under Armour is nowhere near Nike in that regard. According to a 2021 report from Boardroom, Nike supplied 68 FBS schools with their gear. Adidas was second in volume with 37, and Under Armour was third with 17. — Tyler Horka SEVERAL NOTRE DAME PLAYERS LAND ON PRESEASON WATCH LISTS The 2023 season is right around the corner. That means it's watch list season. As of Aug. 4, nine Notre Dame players had landed on watch lists for national awards to be given out at the end of the year. Here is a rundown of what those players are up for. Player Award QB Sam Hartman Maxwell (best quarterback) LS Michael Vinson Mannelly (best long snapper) LB JD Bertrand* Nagurski (best defensive player) CB Benjamin Morrison Nagurski OT Joe Alt Outland (best interior lineman) OT Blake Fisher Outland K Spencer Shrader Lou Groza (best kicker) WR Chris Tyree Hornung (most versatile) C Zeke Correll Rimington (best center) * Bertrand is also on the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is awarded annually to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with an athletic and academic achievement. — Tyler Horka One of the best quarterbacks in Notre Dame his- tory died at the age of 98 on July 25. Johnny Lujack passed away in Naples, Fla., after a brief bout with an illness. Lujack, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee and a two-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, won the Heisman Trophy in 1947. He was the second Notre Dame player to ever win the coveted award. Five Fighting Irish players have followed in his footsteps over the years. For a while, Lujack, the third-ever monogram win- ner in four sports in school history, was everything any Notre Dame student-athlete in any era could hope to be. He led the program to national cham- pionships in 1943, 1946 and 1947. He held a 20-1-1 as head coach Frank Leahy's starting quarterback. Both Lujack and Leahy left South Bend in the middle of their respective careers to enlist in the Navy. The 1946 and 1947 titles came after their service in World War II. "He's one of the most prestigious and accom- plished Notre Dame football players in history," Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said on July 26. In Lujack's Heisman campaign, he completed 61 of 109 passes for 777 yards with 9 touchdowns. He also ran for 139 yards and a touchdown on 12 car- ries. His proudest play might have occurred a year prior when he made a game-saving tackle to protect Notre Dame's undefeated 1946 season. Lujack was teammates with fellow Notre Dame greats Creighton Miller, Terry Brennan, Emil Sitko, George Connor, Bill Fischer and 1949 Heisman Tro- phy winner Leon Hart during his time with the pro- gram. It was a golden era of Notre Dame football that set the stage for teams led by head coaches Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine and Lou Holtz to have similar success. "We always felt that a game was kind of an easy scrimmage because the scrimmages we had against each other were mean and rough," Lujack once said according to the Associated Press. Lujack was the fourth overall pick in the 1946 NFL Draft. In a four-year career with the Chicago Bears, Lujack threw for 6,295 yards and 41 touchdowns with 54 interceptions. He also ran for 742 yards and 21 scores. He had 8 interceptions as a defensive back in 1948 and 12 in his short career. He had 11 rushing touchdowns in 1950, which was an all-time record for a quarterback at the time. He also kicked 3 field goals and made 34 extra points that season. — Tyler Horka Notre Dame Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Lujack Dies At 98 Lujack led Notre Dame to national champion- ships in 1943, 1946 and 1947. FILE PHOTO Graduate student linebacker JD Bertrand is on a watch list for both the Nagurski Trophy and the Wuerffel Trophy. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER