Leon Hart Wins Heisman Trophy

Leon Hart, the second lineman to win the Heisman Memorial Trophy was the co-captain of Notre Dame's 1949 National Championship team.

Considered by some experts to be the greatest all-time All-American end, Hart played both offense and defense. Hart was a savage blocker and tackler, ran the end-around play and from fullback with devastating effect. Hart received every major football award in 1949 including Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press. He was also voted on All-American teams for three of his four years, during which Notre Dame never lost a game. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a"Bonus Choice" of the Detroit Lions in 1950. In 1951, he was voted "All-Pro" on offense and defense. In Hart's eight seasons with Detroit they won four divisional titles and three world championships. He and his beloved late wife Lois are parents of five sons and one daughter. They have fourteen grandchildren. Leon passed away September 24, 2002.

Leon was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1973.

Hart, considered a giant at the time at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, was the second and last lineman to win the Heisman as he won all five sections and captured the Heisman by a more than 700-point margin. Notre Dame's powerful team placed three players among the top eight finishers. Doak Walker, the 1948 winner, was hampered by injuries as a senior and was unable to duplicate his junior year heroics.

Leon Joseph Hart (November 2, 1928–September 24, 2002) was an American football tight end and defensive end. He was raised in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award whilst at the University of Notre Dame in 1949 and played in the National Football League for eight seasons, all with the Detroit Lions.
He holds the distinction of being the only lineman to win three National Titles in both college and the pros. He was the last and one of only two lineman ever to win the Heisman Trophy. Also, he is the last player to win the Heisman Trophy, a consensus national championship, and become the number 1 pick in the NFL draft all in the same one-year span.