Former Chicago Bears and Notre Dame quarterback Johnny Lujack has passed away at the age of 98, according to the Associated Press.
Lujack’s passing was verified by his granddaughter Amy Schiller.
“He was not only a legend in Notre Dame football and the sports world,” Schiller said, via the AP, “he was a legend as a father and grandfather and great grandfather.”
Lujack died on Tuesday, July 25 in Florida following a brief bout with an undisclosed illness. The former quarterback was reportedly in good health when he was entered into hospice care a couple of weeks ago.
A first-round pick of the Bears, Lujack played four seasons in Chicago. He was an All-Pro (1950) and two-time Pro Bowler (1950, 1951) with the Bears, completing 404 passes for 6,295 yards (10th most in franchise history) and 41 touchdowns. Lujack also led the team in scoring each season before retiring at age 26.
Lujack is a former Heisman trophy winner, who led Notre Dame to three national championships (1943, 1946, 1947).
