Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack visits Connellsville

When Johnny Lujack played high school football in Connellsville in the early 1940s, lifting weights was considered taboo.

Now weight lifting is an important part of every high school athletic program.

Lujack, 84, was in Connellsville on Friday to dedicate the Johnny Lujack Training Facility at Falcon Stadium. Lujack, the 1947 Heisman Trophy winner from Notre Dame, donated $50,000 toward construction of the state-of-the-art facility.

Lujack said the athletic program needs the facility to compete with other school districts.

"When I was young, people worried that you'd get muscle-bound and wouldn't be able to operate if you lifted weights," Lujack said. "Now, all of that has changed. Connellsville didn't have an adequate weightroom, and they needed it. Hopefully, they'll measure up better than last year."

During his visit to Connellsville, Lujack met with members of the football team, answered a few questions, posed for pictures and signed autographs. He also met with friends and fans who idolized him.

He signed footballs, T-shirts, shoes and even magazine covers. He also brought along the Heisman Trophy for the players to see and touch.

This is a big weekend for the Connellsville great. Today, he will be part of the inaugural class inducted into the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame. Also being inducted include the late Olympian John Woodruff of Connellsville, Uniontown football player Chuck Muncie, Redstone baseball player Bobby Locke, Uniontown basketball and football player Sandy Stephens, Laurel Highlands basketball player Wil Robinson, Uniontown basketball coach Abe Everhart, the 1962 Uniontown basketball team and the 1978 Geibel basketball team, Uniontown football and basketball player Ron Sepic, South Union basketball player Chuck Davis and former Herald-Standard sports editor Tod Trent.

Lujack was a 1942 graduate of Connellsville. While he was the quarterback at Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish won three national championships (1943, 1946 and 1947). He also was the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1947, and a two-time All-American in 1946 and 1947.

He is one of the few athletes to earn letters in four sports at Notre Dame. He was a starting guard on the basketball team, played baseball and ran track. Later, he was a two-time All-Pro with the Chicago Bears as a safety and quarterback.

"Johnny was a great athlete," said friend and Connellsville teammate John Schroyer. "He was a great baseball player and probably could have played in the Major Leagues."

Jeff Immel, the new Connellsville football coach, said having Lujack give something back to the program is special.

"This new facility helps brings us into the 21st century," Immel said. "And getting something from an icon of the community makes it even better.

"He wants the program to get back to the good old days. He wants the kids to enjoy their season like he did with his teammates. Having this building funded by him helps bring pride back to the community."

Connellsville senior lineman Zach Wildey said he did some research on Lujack last year.

"He was a great athlete in all sports," he said. "It's hard to believe such a great athlete played here. I wish I would have seen him play.

"Having this new facility means a lot to the program. It gets us together and will help us train in a great place."

Other donations for the training facility were made by Keith Miller (M&D Excavation), Mark Stone (Stone & Co.), Jay Puskar (Universal Ready Mix), former Connellsville football coach Lou DeSimone, Jeff Puskar and Vince Speers and their students at the Connellsville Career and Technical Center, Connellsville Area School District business manager Gene Cunningham and director of building and grounds Matt Omatick and maintenance workers Rock Richter and Tom Smith.

Additional Information:

The Lujack file

Name: Johnny Lujack

Born: Connellsville, Jan. 4, 1925

Position: Quarterback

College: Notre Dame

Did you know• After graduating from Connellsville High School, where he was part of an undefeated team in 1941, Lujack went to Notre Dame, turning down an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. ... In his first start as a sophomore on the football team in 1943, he replaced Heisman Trophy winner Angelo Bertelli, who had joined the Marines, and led the Irish to a stunning 26-0 upset of previously undefeated Army and the national championship. ... Later, he served two years in the U.S. Navy during World War II, but he returned and led the Irish to two more national titles in 1946 and 1947. ... He rushed for 2,080 career yards, completed 144 of 282 passes and won the '47 Heisman. ... When he was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in '47, Joe DiMaggio was the runner-up. ... In the NFL, Lujack was a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears and played four years, earning All-Pro honors in 1948 in 1950. ... In 1949, he established NFL single-game passing records of 468 yards and six touchdowns in a 52-21 victory against the Chicago Cardinals.