Leon Hart, 73; Won 1949 Heisman Trophy

Leon Hart, the rugged two-way end who won the 1949 Heisman Trophy as college football’s top player and helped Notre Dame win three national titles, died Tuesday. He was 73.

Hart died of complications from a perforated duodenal ulcer at St. Joseph Medical Center in South Bend, Ind., the home of Notre Dame, which he affectionately called Mecca. He had suffered from health problems in recent years, undergoing a quadruple heart bypass and battling prostate cancer.

Though Hart was a member of three National Football League championship teams with the Detroit Lions in the 1950s, he is best remembered for playing on the great Notre Dame teams of the late 1940s that were coached by Frank Leahy.

The Fighting Irish never lost a game during Hart’s four seasons, compiling a record of 36-0-2 and winning national championships in 1946, 1947 and 1949. They finished No. 2 in 1948.

Considered a giant for his era, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Hart was a devastating blocker and monstrous defender. He played offensive and defensive end in the days before two-platoon football turned the game into one of specialization, and also played fullback in short-yardage running situations.

“[Tackle] Jim Martin and I were co-captains in ‘49, and we just stayed on the field until the score allowed us to leave,” Hart recalled in an interview with The Times in 1987. “I remember Leahy saying, ‘Leon, don’t get hurt because you gotta play anyhow.’ ”

Hart never caught more than 19 passes in a season, a reflection of the run-oriented offenses of the time, but his receptions frequently resulted in big plays. One of the biggest came during Hart’s junior season in 1948, when he caught a short pass from quarterback Frank Tripucka and broke several tackles on his way to a 35-yard touchdown in a 14-14 tie with USC at the Coliseum.

“Tackling Hart was like trying to bulldog a full-grown Brahma bull,” said author Cameron Applegate.

Hart learned by telegram that he had won the Heisman Trophy after the 1949 season. Although teammate Johnny Lujack had won the award two years earlier, Hart didn’t realize the magnitude of the honor and brought the telegram to his position coach, John Druze.

“He told me it was a big deal out of New York and I probably ought to go,” Hart said.

Hart and Yale end Larry Kelley, the 1936 winner, are the only linemen to win the Heisman.

“It’s a badge you wear the rest of your life,” said Hart, who was voted male athlete of the year by the Associated Press in 1949, beating out Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers and pro golfer Sam Snead.

Although he cherished the Heisman, Hart auctioned off the trophy two years ago so he wouldn’t have to decide which of his six children should get it.

“It’s easier to do it this way than to flip a coin and make five of them unhappy,” he said. “It’s easier to split revenue than to split the trophy.”

Hart served as senior class president at Notre Dame before graduating in 1950 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL in 1950, and helped transform the Detroit Lions from losers into winners. He played eight seasons and helped the Lions win titles in 1952, 1953 and 1957. He earned All-Pro honors in 1951.

After retiring from football, the Turtle Creek, Pa. native owned a car dealership in Detroit and later became a market analyst.

In 1965, he formed a manufacturing company, Tire Tru, makers of wheel-balancing material, in Birmingham, Mich, where he lived.

Hart is survived by six children and eight grandchildren. One of his grandsons, Brendan Hart, is a walk-on tight end for Notre Dame. Hart’s wife of 48 years, Lois, died in 1998.