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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 25, 2002
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Leon Hart, who won the 1949 Heisman Trophy and helped Notre Dame win three national titles, died Tuesday at 73.
He also was a member of three NFL championship teams in eight seasons with the Lions.
Mr. Hart died at the St. Joseph Medical Center in South Bend. Hospital spokeswoman Betty Rowley said she did not know the cause of death.
The Irish went 36-0-2 in Mr. Hart's four years, winning national championships in 1946, '47 and '49, and finishing No. 2 in '48. Mr. Hart was one of the last two-way players at Notre Dame.
John Lujack, a quarterback who won the Heisman in 1947, said he knew when Mr. Hart joined the Irish in 1946 that he was in for a great career.
"He was a big freshman, he weighed about 260 pounds, we tried to fool him on a couple of plays and he wasn't very foolable," Lujack said. "We knew he was going to be a great player. He was second team to Jack Zilly, our regular right end, and he played an awful lot as a freshman. That didn't happen a lot at Notre Dame."
Mr. Hart, from Turtle Creek, Pa., was one of only two linemen to win the Heisman. Larry Kelly of Yale was the other in 1936. Mr. Hart was the last non-skilled position player to win the Heisman until Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in '97.
Mr. Hart and former Notre Dame quarterback Angelo Bertelli were the only players to win the Heisman Trophy and national championship in the same season and then become the first overall player taken in the NFL draft.
Mr. Hart was the Associated Press athlete of the year in 1949.
"He was a great act," said John Lattner, who won the Heisman at Notre Dame in 1953. "I remember watching him in high school. He was a great athlete and had a great pro career. He was a nice guy, too."
Mr. Hart, a mechanical engineering student, also was an outstanding student, Lattner said.
"Leon was probably a little more intelligent than the average football player," Hall of Fame lineman Lou Creekmur, who played for the Lions from 1950-59, said from his home in Plantation. "Sometimes he'd flaunt it."
Playing in the NFL from 1950-57, Mr. Hart helped the Lions win titles in '52, '53 and '57. He earned All-Pro honors in '51.
During his pro career, Mr. Hart played end, defensive end and fullback.
In his eight seasons with the Lions he had 174 catches for 2,499 yards and 26 touchdowns. He ran for 612 yards and five touchdowns, all in 1956, and had four interceptions, eight kick returns and twice returned fumbles for touchdowns.
After retiring from football, Mr. Hart lived in Birmingham, Mich., and ran a number of businesses, including one that made tire-balancing equipment. His son, Kevin, played for the Irish from 1977-79. His grandson, Brendan, is a walk-on junior tight end for the Irish.
Officials at Louisiana State and Tulane are carefully monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Isidore, which is projected to regain hurricane status and land somewhere along the coastline of Louisiana and Mississippi tonight or Thursday morning.
No. 20 LSU faces Mississippi State at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Baton Rouge, and Tulane hosts No. 3 Texas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in New Orleans. There is a chance the games could be postponed, but the schools don't want to overreact.
"We're monitoring the situation," LSU senior associate athletics director Dan Radakovich said. "If the storm were to have a devastating effect on New Orleans, our state police would have to deploy there and we'd have to address some security issues. But with all the technology we have, we can assess Isidore as we go along, and it shouldn't a problem."
LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette said university officials will stay in touch with Mississippi State administrators during the storm.
"We're taking a wait-and-see approach," Bonnette said. "We're taking every precaution you can take. We're like everybody else."
A 1988 game between Alabama and Texas A&M was postponed because Hurricane Gilbert. The Tide won 30-10 six weeks later.
OHIO STATE: Freshman tailback Maurice Clarett should be back in the lineup for the Big Ten opener against Indiana. Clarett, who gained 471 yards in No. 6 Ohio State's first three games, had surgery on his right knee last week. He missed the Buckeyes' 23-19 win over Cincinnati.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE: Coach Buddy Pough said suspended tailback Derek Watson is still part of the team and the school. "The guy hasn't done anything to break any school rules or that warrant him being removed from our team or university," Pough said, although he said Watson won't play until charges after his arrest for reckless driving and driving under suspension are resolved. The Bulldogs do not play again until Oct. 5, when they travel to Florida A&M.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: Running back Dontae Walker has a sprained shoulder and is doubtful for Saturday's game at LSU. Coach Jackie Sherrill said Fred Reid would start if Walker can't play in the SEC opener.
UTAH STATE: Tailback Roger Robinson, the team's leading rusher this season, has left the team, coach Mick Dennehy said. The reason was not disclosed and Robinson could not immediately be reached for comment. The sophomore led the Aggies with 128 yards rushing.
CINCINNATI: Quarterback Gino Guidugli was cited for underage drinking. The 19-year-old had a beer when police responded to reports of a fight at a fraternity house near campus. Coach Rick Minter said he was disappointed but would have no further comment.
WEST VIRGINIA: Coach Rich Rodriguez has given himself an assignment that he hopes others will quickly follow -- get the kids fingerprinted. Rodriguez donned an FBI cap at his weekly news conference to promote a program that will distribute identification kits at the home game Saturday against East Carolina. The nonprofit National Children Identification Program was established in 1997 by the American Football Coaches Association. "Our worst nightmare is to have a lost child," Rodriguez said.
CORAL GABLES -- Miami defensive end Jerome McDougle practiced with the first team Tuesday, regaining his starting position with the top-ranked Hurricanes.
McDougle, a 6-foot-4, 271-pound senior, missed most of the preseason and the season opener with a partially torn chest muscle.
He played at Florida on Sept. 7 but was listed as a backup to Cornelius Green.
After watching his performance against Boston College, coach Larry Coker thought he had to reward McDougle.
"He was one of our defensive players of the week that we wanted to recognize," Coker said. "He had seven tackles, two assists, one sack, four quarterback pressures and three quarterback hits. So he's first team."
After transferring from Hinds (Miss.) Community College, McDougle stepped in for an injured Green last season and started every game at left defensive end. He finished with seven sacks and 48 quarterback hurries and was named a preseason 2002 Outland Trophy Candidate.
But individual accomplishments, including starting, are secondary to McDougle, who says that all eight linemen in the rotation are capable of being first-team.
Also, starting running back Willis McGahee left practice early because a player stepped on his foot and popped a blister. Coker said the problem wasn't serious.
Miami is off this weekend.
CENTRAL FLORIDA: The confidence level is high and the team is eager to prove it is much better than its 0-3 record. And for this team, coming close is no longer enough. "I hate losing," senior wideout Jimmy Fryzel said. "I would rather win ugly than be coming close. I only lost two games in my high school career, so it is tough." Fryzel and his teammates are excited to play in front of the home fans. "It will be good just to get in front of our home fans with all the traveling we have done to start the season," said Fryzel, who has nine catches for 148 yards this season.