Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME that was an issue they had to grapple with. That was something they said they would take care of. "We had a turf field, but we needed to get a higher-level secondary grass field. We were in need of one anyway. We also had to get a lot of food." Blue & Gold Illustrated: Is there anything you would do differently if the team decided to come back? Buxton: "We would want to find out from them if there were things that didn't work as well for them as they would've liked. The early returns are that it was a very positive visit for them and for us. They were very respectful and were always on the move." — Staci Gasser JOHNNY LUJACK RECOVERING FROM SPINAL SURGERY Former Notre Dame quarterback Johnny Lujack, at 89 the oldest living Heisman Trophy winner, received emer- gency spinal stenosis surgery July 30 but was recovering well. On July 28, Lujack was transferred via helicopter from Genesis Medical Center in his Davenport, Iowa, home- town to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "He came through the surgery just great, telling jokes in the intensive care unit," reported Lujack's granddaughter, Amy Flanagan. "He's so positive. He's already making great progress. But he's got a long road to go. He's got to be patient. "It was a pretty dire situation," she said. Lujack is the only quarterback in major college football history to start on three national title teams, but was also known just as much for his defensive prowess and tackling skills, highlighted by his open-field stop of Army's 1946 Felix "Doc" Blanchard in the scoreless tie in 1946. He succeeded 1943 Heisman Trophy winner Angelo Bertelli as the starter in the last four games when Bertelli had to report to Officers Training school because of World War II. The Irish then defeated No. 3 Army, No. 8 Northwestern and No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight (a semi-pro World War II team) on its way to the national title. After serving overseas in the Navy in 1944-45, Lujack returned to Notre Dame at the end of the war and helped lead two more title runs in 1946-47. The Irish never trailed in a game either year and Lujack was the Heisman Trophy recipient after the 1947 campaign. The first-round pick of the Chicago Bears played four years in the NFL before retiring at age 26. In his rookie year he intercepted eight passes and kicked 44 of 46 extra points, and the next year he set an NFL record with 468 yards passing and six touchdowns in one game. He made the Pro Bowl his last two seasons and was All-Pro in 1950, the year in which he posted an NFL single-season-record 11 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Lujack, the oldest living Heisman Trophy win- ner at 89, was recovering well and in good spirits after his surgery. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS