How Johnny Lujack's 'incredible journey' still inspires at Notre Dame football

South Bend Tribune
SOUTH BEND — Johnny Lujack’s recent death at age 98 gave another son of Western Pennsylvania a chance to brag about the Notre Dame football legend.
Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, who grew up southeast of Pittsburgh in Belle Vernon, Pa., about 19 miles from Lujack’s hometown of Connellsville, took a few minutes out of position meetings last week to read from Lujack’s remarkable obituary.
Rather than assign one of his young linemen to do the research and address the group, which Rudolph tends to do when a famous football reference is met with blank stares, the veteran coach and former NFL offensive lineman handled the report himself.
“I shared it with the guys,” Rudolph said. “I presented. You read his story about three national championships, a Heisman Trophy (in 1947). Yeah, and by the way, in the middle, he was in the Navy and fought in World War II.
“When you think of things that you have to overcome and adversity and things that might happen, I would say that is an incredible journey of a story.”
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Rudolph never met Lujack, but from his maternal grandfather he would hear stories about the former Irish and Chicago Bears quarterback. Daniel “Boots” Salotti spent more than half a century refereeing high school football in Pennsylvania, including some of Lujack’s high school games.
After a game at Notre Dame Stadium, Rudolph’s grandfather saw Lujack at a distance and tried to get his attention by — what else? — whistling.
“(Lujack) came over and said hello,” Rudolph said. “My grandfather was just so impressed that he remembered him and would take the time to do that after a game. It just speaks to the quality of kid here and the person that Johnny Lujack most likely was.”