Notre Dame’s Most Unforgivable Heisman Snub: The Greatest College Star Who Deserved the Trophy But Was Wrongly Denied Forever
In the illustrious history of college football, few programs can rival the tradition, legacy, and excellence of Notre Dame. From the “Four Horsemen” to modern gridiron greats, the Fighting Irish have long produced players of immense talent and character. But not every deserving Notre Dame star has received the accolades their play warranted. One such glaring omission from the sport’s most prestigious individual honor — the Heisman Trophy — stands out more than the rest. His name evokes awe among those familiar with college football’s golden era, and his performances made him a household name across the country. Yet, despite his brilliance on the field, his Heisman campaign came up just short — a moment still debated by historians and fans alike. That man is Johnny Lujack, the quarterback who returned from war to lead Notre Dame to greatness, embodying everything the Heisman claims to represent.
To clarify, Johnny Lujack did win the Heisman Trophy in 1947 — a deserved honor. But the injustice lies not with Lujack himself, but rather with his predecessor, Angelo Bertelli, who, despite unmatched brilliance and historic leadership, remains one of Notre Dame’s most overlooked Heisman snubs. In the pantheon of college football, Bertelli’s name should be as revered as any Heisman winner’s. But due to timing, war, and a voting system not equipped to evaluate his unique circumstance, Bertelli’s claim to the Heisman in 1942 or even more clearly in 1943 was unjustly denied.
Angelo Bertelli was the prototype of a modern quarterback before the game evolved to fully appreciate his style. Recruited by the legendary Frank Leahy, Bertelli quickly ascended to become the cornerstone of Notre Dame’s revolutionary T-formation offense. In a system designed to maximize speed, deception, and vertical passing, Bertelli was the perfect orchestrator. He was quick, smart, poised, and deadly accurate with the football — all rare traits in the early 1940s game that favored brute force over finesse. As a sophomore in 1941, Bertelli showed promise, but it was in 1942 that he broke out nationally. He passed for over 1,000 yards in an era when most teams didn’t even think of throwing the ball that often. His ability to command the offense with surgical precision made the Irish one of the most feared teams in the country.
Yet it was in 1943 that Bertelli had his most compelling Heisman campaign — and the most heartbreaking snub. That season, Notre Dame was poised for a national title run, and Bertelli was at the height of his powers. In the first six games of the season, he was near flawless, completing 69 percent of his passes and throwing 10 touchdowns in just 36 attempts. He was the runaway Heisman frontrunner, dominating headlines and leading the top-ranked team in the nation. However, World War II would intervene in dramatic fashion. Just six games into the season, Bertelli was called into active duty by the United States Marine Corps. He left campus for military service with Notre Dame still undefeated and ranked No. 1.
The story could’ve ended there, a patriotic sacrifice that would be honored in time. But what happened next made the Heisman snub truly unforgettable. Despite playing in only six games, Bertelli still won the actual Heisman Trophy in 1943. But what’s rarely discussed is that in 1942, the year when Bertelli arguably had a more complete season and more sustained excellence, he finished a distant sixth in the Heisman voting. The irony is stark — in the year he played more games and had more opportunities to showcase his talents, he was mostly ignored. And in the year he played less than half the season, voters rewarded him — perhaps retroactively acknowledging their mistake from the year before. The Heisman in 1942 was awarded to Frank Sinkwich of Georgia, a sensational player in his own right, but Bertelli’s performance that season — given the evolution of Notre Dame’s offense and his singular role in executing it — made a compelling case for at least a top-three finish, if not the outright trophy.
So why is this considered Notre Dame’s greatest Heisman snub? It’s not just about numbers or games played. It’s about what Bertelli represented and how his contribution to college football set the tone for generations to come. He was the quarterback who redefined what was possible under center. He wasn’t just a game manager; he was a game changer. In the early 1940s, no one moved the ball through the air quite like Bertelli. And more than that, he was a winner — he left the field every Saturday with Notre Dame closer to another national title, carrying the pride of a university and a country on his shoulders during wartime.
Moreover, his military service should have added to, not detracted from, his Heisman case. At a time when so many young men were being called to fight overseas, Bertelli’s willingness to step away from glory for the sake of duty should’ve elevated his stature even further. He was not just the best player in college football — he was the best man for what the award claimed to honor: integrity, leadership, athletic excellence, and service. The Heisman has always prided itself on being more than just about statistics. Bertelli was the complete package. His snub was not just a loss for him, but a missed opportunity for the Heisman to reflect the full spirit of the sport in one of its most defining eras.
The ripple effect of Bertelli’s brilliance was immediate and lasting. His successor, Johnny Lujack, would go on to win the Heisman and carry on the legacy of quarterback greatness at Notre Dame. But even Lujack acknowledged the impact Bertelli had on him and the program. In many ways, Notre Dame’s championship run in the mid-1940s was built on the foundation Bertelli laid before departing for war. Yet history rarely gives him his due. In the highlight reels, in the Heisman House commercials, in the bronze busts and award lists, Bertelli is often a footnote — when he should be front and center.
Notre Dame has had seven Heisman winners, more than nearly every other program in the country. Names like Paul Hornung, Tim Brown, and John Lujack are rightly celebrated. But Angelo Bertelli’s near-misses and delayed recognition represent the most significant injustice in that illustrious lineage. He is the forgotten bridge between the old-school grind of early football and the modern, dynamic, quarterback-led game we celebrate today. His snub is not just a blemish on the Heisman voting system; it’s a reminder of how circumstances beyond the field — war, timing, limited exposure — can shape the legacy of even the most deserving athletes.
In the end, perhaps no trophy can fully encapsulate what Bertelli meant to Notre Dame, to college football, and to a nation at war. But that doesn’t mean he should be forgotten in the annals of Heisman lore. On the contrary, his story should be told louder, more often, and with the reverence he earned every time he took the field — and every time he left it behind to serve something greater than the game. Notre Dame’s greatest Heisman snub is not a sad story of defeat; it’s a powerful chapter in the program’s heritage — one that reveals not just what was lost, but what still lives on in the heart of Irish tradition.
