Notre Dame announces passing of 1947 Heisman winner, College Football Hall of Famer Johnny Lujack at 98

Johnny Lujack is one of the greatest players in the history of Notre Dame’s program. Now, the Fighting Irish will mourn his passing as the 1947 Heisman Trophy winner has passed away.

Notre Dame Athletics shared the news of Lujack’s passing earlier today. Lujack was 98 years old upon his passing after recently spending time in hospice care.

We mourn the loss of @NDFootball alumnus Johnny Lujack and remember the impact the Heisman winner and College Football Hall of Famer left.

We lift our thoughts and prayers for Lujack’s family, friends and loved ones.

🔗 https://t.co/LsFi9zkfjf pic.twitter.com/qJHVnxINn8

— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) July 25, 2023

Lujack was one of the first-ever winners of the Heisman Trophy. He was the 13th overall winner of the award when he was a senior as he threw for 777 yards and nine touchdowns on the season.

He was also a part of three national championships at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish won a trio of their 13 total championships with Lujack as their quarterback. Overall, Lujack left South Bend with a record of 21-1-1.

As a pro, Lujack went fourth overall to the Chicago Bears in the 1946 NFL Draft. He arrived in Chicago in 1948 and was a Pro Bowler in 1950 and 1951. However, he played just four years in the NFL before eventually returning to Notre Dame as an assistant in 1952 and 1953.

Lujack’s granddaughter, Amy Schiller, confirmed his passing and shared some final words about her grandfather who, in the end, goes down as a legend in college football.

“He was not only a legend in Notre Dame football and the sports world. He was a legend as a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather,” Schiller said.

McElroy likes Notre Dame at over 8.5 wins

After a down-and-up season for Notre Dame, the people of South Bend are ready for their second year under Marcus Freeman. However, with a projected win total of 8.5, are the Fighting Irish going over or under in 2023?

Greg McElroy answered that question in an episode of ‘Always College Football’ on Monday. He recognized that Notre Dame is going to be a favorite in several of their matchups but that they’ll also take part in a handful of primetime matchups as well.

“They’re the favorite. You look at their schedule and they’re favored in nine games. They should be based on preseason prognostications. They should be favored in nine games,” McElroy said. “But you also have three big-time opponents in Ohio State, USC, and Clemson. All three of those will be very difficult. You have a swing game with Pitt and the next thing you know we’re flirting with 10.”

Over 12 games, McElroy was looking to see if he found three to four losses on the Irish’s slate. In the end, he found four that are tossups with three coming against those big-name programs over the course of a six-week span.

If they can at least split those matchups and go 2-2, McElroy likes their chances of going over 8.5 wins and made a prediction for them to go around 9-3 in ’23.

“You have two swings games really. If you want to win 10, you want to get back to the New Year’s Six? You’ve got to win one of these two: You’ve got to beat USC or you’ve got to beat Ohio State. And then you’ve got to split on the road between NC State and at Clemson,” said McElroy. “If you can get those taken care of? Those are really the four, I think, that are going to determine whether they go over.”

“I think they go over. They get at least one of those four teams, even though two are on the road and two are elite teams at home,” McElroy said. “I think they get at least one and 9-3 is about right for the Fighting Irish this year.”