 Hart at the1953 NFL Championship | |||||||||||||
| No. 82 | |||||||||||||
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| Positions | End Fullback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1928-11-02)November 2, 1928 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | September 24, 2002(2002-09-24) (aged 73) South Bend, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 257 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Turtle Creek (Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||
| College | Notre Dame (1946–1949) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1950: 1st round,1st overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Leon Joseph Hart (November 2, 1928 – September 24, 2002) was an Americanfootball player. He playedcollege football for theNotre Dame Fighting Irish, winning theHeisman Trophy andMaxwell Award in 1949. He also receivedAll-American honors in three consecutive years from 1947 to 1949. In his four years at Notre Dame, he helped the team to a 36–0–2 record with national championships in1946,1947, and1949. He also played professional football for eight seasons, from 1950 to 1957, with theDetroit Lions of theNational Football League (NFL).
Hart is the only lineman to win threecollege football national championships and threeNFL championships. He is the most recent of only two linemen ever to win the Heisman Trophy. Also, he is one of four players, along withAngelo Bertelli,Cam Newton, andJoe Burrow to win the Heisman Trophy, a national championship, and be thefirst overall pick in the NFL draft all in the same one-year span.
Hart was a pioneer for NFL player benefits, risking his pro career and initiating union talks targeting support for a reasonable standard of living for all players during the 1954 season, well before the eventual formulation of the NFLPA. He also spearheaded an initiative for the inclusion of players who retired prior to the 1959 season in the NFL pension plan.
Hart was born inPittsburgh in 1928 raised in nearbyTurtle Creek, Pennsylvania, and attendedTurtle Creek High School.[1] He won varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball while in high school.[2]
Hart attended theUniversity of Notre Dame where he playedcollege football at theend position, both offense and defense, forFrank Leahy'sFighting Irish football teams from 1946 to 1949. He received first-team All-American honors three times, from theFootball Writers Association of America (FWAA) in 1947 and as a consensus first-team selection in 1948 and 1949. During his four years at Notre Dame, Hart caught 49 passes for 701 yards and 15 touchdowns, at that time a collegiate record.[3] The Fighting Irish compiled a 46–0–2 record and won three national championships while Hart was a player.
Hart began playing for Notre Dame as a 17-year-old freshman in 1946.[2][4]
Hart was the captain of the1949 Notre Dame team that compiled a perfect 10–0 record, outscored their opponents 360–86, and was recognized in the finalAP Poll as the 1949 national champion. At the end of the 1949 season, Hart won both theHeisman Trophy and theMaxwell Award. He was also voted as theAssociated Press Athlete of the Year award with 104 points, edging professional baseball playerJackie Robinson (55 points).[5]
Hart graduated from Notre Dame in 1950 with a degree in mechanical engineering.[6]
Hart was selected by theDetroit Lions with the first overall pick in the1950 NFL draft.[1] He signed a three-year contract with the Lions in February 1950 for a salary reported to be close to $20,000.[3] He played for the Lions from 1950 to 1957, appeared in 92 games, and was a member of NFL championship teams in1952,1953, and1957. During his eight-year NFL career, Hart gained 3,111 yards from scrimmage, caught 174 passes for 2,499 yards, and scored 32 touchdowns and 192 points.[1]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theNFL championship | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1950 | DET | 12 | 12 | 31 | 505 | 16.3 | 66 | 1 |
| 1951 | DET | 12 | 12 | 35 | 544 | 15.5 | 33 | 12 |
| 1952 | DET | 11 | 10 | 32 | 376 | 11.8 | 24 | 4 |
| 1953 | DET | 12 | 12 | 25 | 472 | 18.9 | 49 | 7 |
| 1954 | DET | 12 | 10 | 24 | 377 | 15.7 | 40 | 0 |
| 1955 | DET | 11 | 8 | 9 | 54 | 6.0 | 14 | 1 |
| 1956 | DET | 11 | 7 | 14 | 116 | 8.3 | 29 | 1 |
| 1957 | DET | 11 | 0 | 4 | 55 | 13.8 | 22 | 0 |
| 92 | 71 | 174 | 2,499 | 14.4 | 66 | 26 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1952 | DET | 2 | 2 | 6 | 101 | 16.8 | 24 | 1 |
| 1953 | DET | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | DET | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 19 | 0 |
| 1957 | DET | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 3 | 7 | 120 | 17.1 | 24 | 1 | ||
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 inBirmingham, Michigan. He operated a business that manufactured equipment to balance tires.[8]
Hart was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1973.[9] He died in 2002 at St. Joseph Medical Center inSouth Bend, Indiana, at age 73.[6] He was buried in theCedar Grove Cemetery inNotre Dame, Indiana.
