Some Encouragement for Green

It doesn’t look good for Gaston Green, but Mike Garrett is living proof that you can survive a bummer on national TV and still win the Heisman Trophy.

In the 1965 USC-Notre Dame game at South Bend, the Irish held Garrett to 43 yards in 16 carries. Meanwhile, Notre Dame fullback Larry Conjar racked up 110 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Irish won, 28-7.

The worst day for a Heisman winner? That would take some research, but the most memorable day was Nov. 9, 1946, when Army faced Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium. Featured were Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis of Army and Johnny Lujack of Notre Dame, winners of the Heisman Trophy in 1945-46-47. Here’s how they did in the 0-0 tie:

--Davis gained 30 yards in 17 carries and completed 2 of 6 passes for 30 yards with 2 interceptions.

--Blanchard gained 50 yards in 18 carries, 21 yards coming on 1 carry.

--Lujack completed 6 of 17 passes for 52 yards, with 3 interceptions, and gained 9 yards in 8 carries.

All three interceptions of Lujack were made by Army’s Arnold Tucker. Afterward, Notre Dame Coach Frank Leahy asked Lujack why he kept throwing to Tucker.

“He was the only guy open,” Lujack said.

Trivia Time: Who was the first West Coast player to win the Heisman Trophy? (Answer below.)

Papal Power?: While Pope John Paul II was touring the nation over the weekend, football upsets were scored by Notre Dame, the New Orleans Saints and the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals Manager Whitey Herzog, revealing how he used to supplement his income when playing in the minor leagues, said he once worked in a mortuary where he was a triple threat.

“I got $4 for digging a grave, $5 for driving the hearse and $2 for covering it up,” he told Murray Chass of the New York Times. “I could dig a grave in two hours.”

He also worked as an official in the American Basketball League.

“I had six checks from the league in my pocket one day when I was driving to my construction job,” he said. “I’m listening to the radio and I hear that the ABL has folded. I saw a bank sign and I slammed the brakes on. I went in and cashed the checks, and every one went through.”

Wait a Minute: Said Seattle Seahawks Coach Chuck Knox after Sunday’s 40-17 loss to Denver: “I’ve never had 40 points scored on me before. I’m used to it going the other way.”

In 1978, when he was the coach at Buffalo, the Bills lost to Cleveland, 41-20, and to the New York Jets, 45-14.

From Michigan State Coach George Perles, on how his program has grown: “The first year we played 12 true freshmen, then 6, then 2, and last year we played only 1. The day I’m waiting for is when we have a dozen redshirt seniors and most of them are on the offensive and defensive lines, guys who have been lifting weights for five years and have to shave twice a day.”

Trivia Answer: Terry Baker of Oregon State in 1962.

Quotebook

Denver quarterback John Elway, asked what Seattle linebacker Brian Bosworth said to him after their first collision Sunday: “Aaaaarrggghhh!”