Leon Hart
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Leon Joseph Hart (November 2, 1928 – September 24, 2002) was an American football end and fullback who played for eight seasons, from 1950 to 1957, with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award playing college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 1949.
Hart is the only lineman to win three
Early years
Hart was born in
Notre Dame
Hart attended the
Hart began playing for Notre Dame as a 17-year-old freshman in 1946.[2][4]
Hart was the captain of the
Hart graduated from Notre Dame in 1950 with a degree in mechanical engineering.[6]
Detroit Lions
Hart was selected by the
Family and later years
In February 1950, Hart married Lois Newyahr, his high school girlfriend, at St. Colman's Roman Catholic Church in Turtle Creek.[7] After retiring from football, he lived in Birmingham, Michigan. He operated a business that manufactured equipment to balance tires.[8]
Hart was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.[9] He died in 2002 at St. Joseph Medical Center in South Bend, Indiana, at age 73.[6] He was buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Notre Dame, Indiana.
References
- ^ a b c "Leon Hart". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ^ a b "Turtle Creek's Leon Hart Making Good With Irish: 6-Foot-4, 225-Pound End Hits Stride In Notre Dame's Game With Pitt". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 7, 1946. p. 14.
- ^ a b Bob Latshaw (February 12, 1950). "Hart 'Happy' To Cast Lot With Lions as He Signs for 3 Seasons: McMillin To Keep Star at End; Yearly Salary Put at Near $20,000". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ Jack Hernon (December 3, 1946). "Leon Hart Makes Good With Irish: Turtle Creek Youth Praised by Druze, Team's End Coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 14.
- ^ "Hart Voted Year's Top Athlete". Detroit Free Press. January 15, 1950. p. 24.
- ^ a b Richard Golstein (September 25, 2002). "Leon Hart, 73, Massive End And Heisman Trophy Winner". The New York Times.
- ^ "Leon Hart Weds Lois Newyahr". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. February 19, 1950. p. 12.
- ^ "Notre Dame's 1949 Heisman winner, Leon Hart, dies at 73". The Daily Chronicle (DeKalb, Illinois). September 25, 2002. p. 10.
- ^ "Hart, 10 Others Elected To College Hall of Fame". The Decatur (IL) Herald. February 25, 1973. p. 20.
External links
- Leon Hart at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Leon Hart at Heisman.com
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Leon Hart at Find a Grave