It seems like everything Leon Hart touched turned to gold. He never lost a game in high school or at Notre Dame and once he reached the NFL, his Detroit Lions became one of the premier dynasties of the era. To top it off, he was the last defensive lineman to win the Heisman Trophy. This is his story.
The Fightin' Irish
Leon Hart was born on November 2, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He attended nearby Turtle Creek High School where he lettered in basketball and baseball while never losing a game in football. After high school, Hart accepted a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.
Led by coach Frank Leahy, the Fightin' Irish had most recently won a national championship three years earlier and with quarterback Johnny Lujack under center and a slew of veterans returning from World War II, they were primed to return to prominence in a flash. Although the Fightin' Irish tied top ranked Army 0-0 in the middle of the year, they managed to win out and claim their second national title under Leahy.
Led by Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack and future Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker George Connor, Notre Dame went 9-0 the following year while winning their second straight national championship. They were well on their way to winning a third consecutive title in 1948, but were upset in a 14-14 tie to unranked arch-rival USC in the last game of the season. No second place team has ever felt lower as Leon Hart and his Notre Dame comrades were forced to watch as the Associated Press named Michigan the national champion.
Leon Hart was all over the field as a senior. While catching 19 passes for 257 yards and five touchdowns as an offensive end, he also served as a terrific blocking fullback and as the defensive signal-caller while having his hands in the dirt as a defensive lineman. He did all of this while crushing his mechanical engineering classes. Indeed, it was a very full senior campaign, one that saw him beat North Carolina's famed running back Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice for the Heisman Trophy.
At season's end, not only was he officially recognized as the nation's best player, but his team won the national championship by outscoring opponents 320-93 on their way to an undefeated season. He was drafted first overall in the 1950 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.
Another Dynasty
Entering 1950, the Detroit Lions hadn't won a championship in 15 years and had finished the previous year 4-8 under second-year coach Bo McMillan. but despite their bleak finish, the Lions had reloaded in a flurry, adding quarterback Bobby Layne, running back Doak Walker and Heisman Trophy winner Leon Hart to the roster.
Hart performed well as rookie, catching 31 passes for 505 yards and a touchdown. Still, a lot of work needed to be done if the Lions were to realize their potential. After finishing 1950 6-6, coach McMillan was fired and in stepped Buddy Parker, a fullback on the Lions' last title team in 1935.
As a first-time head coach, Parker was somewhat of a wunderkind, instantly sparking the Lions to a 7-4-1 finish in 1951, a second place finish in the National Conference behind the Los Angeles Rams. Leon Hart flourished under the new coach too, earning his only All-Pro honor and Pro Bowl invitation while catching 35 passes for 544 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Emboldened by their still-somewhat new coach, the Lions went on to win the next two NFL championships. Hart began his time in the postseason hot, catching five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in a 31-21 first-round win over the Rams. He caught a single pass for 15 yards in the Lions' 17-7 triumph over the Browns the next week. It was the Lions' first championship in 17 years.
It was Leon Hart's last true impact in the postseason. While he would continue to add crucial catches, yards and touchdowns to the Lions' regular season dominance, Leon Hart was hardly a factor in any of their playoff games, save 1952. Not that he ever complained as the Lions managed to win three world championships between 1952-1957. After the Lions beat the Browns 59-14 in the 1957 NFL Championship Game, Leon Hart retired.
Later Life
After retiring from the game that he loved, Leon Hart founded Leon Hart Industries, a major producer for products for the commercial trucking industry. While running his company, he managed to find the time to serve as President of the Notre Dame National Monogram Club in the late 1970's. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973 and passed away on September 24, 2002 in South Bend, Indiana, where his star first rose to national prominence.
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