"Veni Vidi Vici"

. . . he could hear their feet pounding hard and fast behind as he ran for his life on that open field.  He knew they'd show him no mercy, knew they'd be more angry than moments before when they had their chance to take him down, but his 6 foot, 200 pound athletic body was too strong and slippery for them and they felt humiliated by his speed, wanting revenge.

"Get him . . !  Get him . . !" he heard men and women screaming,  children echoing them.  He'd been running less than ten seconds from them, but he already knew they'd never catch him.  He began feeling triumphant, as if his body was beginning to smile.  That was when to the corner of his right eye, coming like a bullet across the field, sprang this image of a man.  And he knew instantly that he couldn' outdistance him, the man was coming too hard and fast, would cut him off.  He'd have to try a sudden slow-'n'-go on the man.  He timed it, did the quick cut of speed, then accelerated, and he and that man made that historic crash.

It was 1946, the Army-Notre Dame "game of the century."  "Doc" Blanchard was at top speed, guaranteed to score a touchdown for Army, when Johnny Lujack, also at top speed, sacrificed his body, slamming head-first into "Doc" Blanchard, electrifying over 75,000 spectators packed into Yankee Stadium and thousands across the country listening to that tackle by radio.

Johnny Lujack, an All-American quarterback after playing offense and defense -- passing for touchdowns, running for touchdowns, punting, kicking fieldgoals, tackling -- for Notre Dame was already "Mr. Football," taking Notre Dame to National Championships in 1946 and 1947.  But when he tackled "Doc" Blanchard in that 1946 championship game -- which ended with neither team scoring -- he was en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and becoming the legend he is today in 2012.

Notre Dame is up again.  January 7, 2013, it'll be Notre Dame against "Roll, 'Bama" . . . gonna be rough, rough, rough for the "Fighting Irish," but "Go, Notre Dame!  Give it a 'Veni Vidi Vici' like Johnny Lujack!