I was fortunate to meet Mr. Hart in 1989 at the Navy game. Curious, would you put him in the top ten maybe top five all time football players at Notre Dame. I think he may be the most underrated.
Clarification regarding the phrase ".....then off to the NY Giants as an All Pro DE on their NFL Championship teams." Despite being in the title game six times in eight years (1956-1963), the NY Giants only won one title (1956) in that time period.
Lengthy story on Ameche this past week in the local paper. The ND connection with his coach and the recruiting battle is mentioned. I didn't realize until now he died at the age of 55 back in 1988.
I knew Tom Roggeman (the son). His father died last August. May they both rest in peace.
I can't open the linked story of Ameche-so I'm not sure if the following is mentioned(though I kind of doubt it).....
On Alan Ameche's recruiting visit to ND, he was assigned to ND fullback Neil Worden.....Worden not only played the same position as Ameche- Neil was also from Wisconsin (Milwaukee Pulaski HS),
Things seemed to be lining up nicely for ND regarding Ameche. His mom reportedly wanted ND, so did his HS girlfriend(liking the 'all male' aspect of ND in particular), famous cousin actor Don Ameche had put in a good word for ND, and volunteer ND assistant coach Fred Miller(of Miller Brewing fame in Wisconsin) was involved...even personally flying Ameche for a ND visit...his HS coach (though claiming to be neutral) was an ND QB for Rockne.
However, while Worden was showing Ameche around the ND campus, Neil was apparently telling his HS star Wisconsin guest NOT to come to Notre Dame.
For the remainder of Worden's ND career, his Irish teammates kidded Neil that he had sabotaged the recruitment of Ameche because Worden didn't want the competition.
In reality, Worden was pissed at Leahy at that particular moment.
It seems that Leahy, in one of his usual off hand comments to light a fire under a player (re Worden), was quoted in the newspaper as expecting fullback Fidel Gander (Chicago Mt Carmel) to beat out Worden for the starting FB job....at that moment, Worden wasn't even sure he wanted to stay at ND.
This is not to say that Worden's actions were the deciding factor in Ameche rejection of the Irish-but it didn't help either.
Leahy won the battle-lost the war.
The battle: Worden led the Irish in rushing as a soph & again as a senior-out rushing his backfield teammate Johnny Lattner-who won the Heisman that year even though he didn't even lead the Irish in rushing.
The 'recruiting' war: Ameche won his own Heisman-at Wisconsin.
Here are the ND-specific mentions:
As a sophomore, Ameche was promoted to the varsity on a team that finished the 1948 season with an 0-8 record, scoring one touchdown the entire year. Before the start of the next season, Chuck Jaskwhich, a Kenosha native who played quarterback at Notre Dame, was named as the new coach. The Red Devils responded with a 5-3 record, winning their final four games.
And...
After Kenosha opened the 1950 season with a 45-14 nonconference rout of Fond du Lac, in which Ameche scored two touchdowns but was slowed by injury, the Racine Journal Times wrote in its upcoming preview, “Even on one leg Ameche is better than most of the backs in the Big Eight. He’s that good.”
Other editorial examples included a comparison to a Triple Crown-winning race horse, “Alan Ameche, sensational Kenosha left half, showed the speed and stamina of a Citation going down the stretch … “
After his high school career, which also included a state title in the shot put, Ameche was the subject of an intense recruiting battle that eventually boiled down to Notre Dame and Wisconsin.
Ameche was named a first-team running back on The Milwaukee Journal Team of the Century in 1993, in which writer Cliff Christl sent out 300 ballots to coaches, players and writers. Ameche also was chosen as the All-Time Player.
Ameche died at age 55 of a heart attack in 1988 after heart surgery in Houston.
referenced in the excerpt I had posted.
Cliff Christl has been the official historian for the Green Bay Packers for years and has done a *lot* of digging into archives of various kinds, talking to local Green Bay folks, etc. You can see his work at the link below, including an article titled "Yes, Curly Lambeau fathered a second son".
though I linked a different article below...can't find Christi's
The Packers put up a statue to honor ND's John Vainisi awhile back.
It was Vainisi who drafted all the great Packer players in the 1950s that Lombardi had on his '60s Championship teams...Vainisi also (without any authorization to do so) was the first to contact NY Giants assistant Lombardi about becoming Green Bay head coach.
John Vainisi was a HS football star (tackle) at Chicago St George...he was recruited to ND by Interim Irish HC Hugh Devore in the 1945 recruiting class.
Vainisi was drafted off the ND campus & assigned overseas...where he contracted Rheumatic fever...he was discharged and returned to ND to get his degree...but his football playing days were over.
Vainisi got a job with the Packers after graduation-the linked article tells the rest......Vainisi died young (age 33)-never seeing Lombardi's great success with all of the players that he had scouted & drafted.....Vainisi's younger brother was later the GM of the Super Bowl champ Chicago Bears.
As stated yesterday, another Huuraah, Olson!
My two favorites, paraphrased because it's been a while since I've read them and can't even remember who to cite as a source (I'll guess Jack Connor or Bonifer/Weaver).
1. Equipment manager Blackjack McAllister was reportedly....ornery. If a player complained or asked for something he'd snap back, "what should it matter? You probably won't make the team anyway!" So Leon was given ill-fitting shoes. Either they were too tight or both were for left feet I don't remember, but something crazy like that. Leon was afraid to tell McAllister about it so he learned to play in them.
2. Coach Leahy saw Leon after practice and asked how he felt. Leon said he was a little tired. Coach said he's obviously out of shape, take ten laps. The next time Leahy asks him again how he feels. "Great coach!" Well obviously he wasn't trying hard enough in practice. Take ten laps. A third time after practice Leahy asks Leon how he feels. Leon paused and then asked, "how do you want me to feel, coach?" No laps were required.
I sometimes work with a guy who years ago worked with Leon Hart to produce the video highlights for the 1946-1949 seasons. He said Hart was great and the experience was a lot of fun. I can imagine.
After the 2000 Nebraska game, we got back to the car and Leon had parked at the same property off Bulla. I introduced myself to him, exchanged pleasantries etc. Unfortunately, I was also half in the bag and asked him "Mr. Hart, do you suppose Coach Leahy would have gone for a tie?"
He grabbed my shoulder, looked me in the eye and said: "Kid, Frank Leahy only knew how to do one thing: win"
well after the 1946 game against Army, when Coach Leahy supposedly out of the blue looked up to the heavens and cried out, "why didn't I kick a field goal?!?"
Coach Devine might've asked the same question after the 1978 Missouri game.
Another great Irish personnel story with related developments. Nice stuff, sir.