By John Brice
Special Contributor
Before Josh Lugg had co-founded a business with his younger brother, Jake, and before the revenues from said business had helped replenish the shelves in an area food bank in his native Pittsburgh, Lugg had learned the selflessness of serving others in a church parking lot.
Lugg’s father, Eric, had insisted as much – rain, shine or otherwise.
“It’s absolutely a parents’ thing,” said Notre Dame’s graduate-student starting right guard, earlier this week named a semifinalist for the prestigious Campbell Trophy given annually to a college football player who excels in the classroom, community and on the field. “Growing up, my dad would drag my brother and I to church to do parking, and I hated it. Sundays, I wanted to sleep in a little bit. And we wouldn’t go to the 11 a.m. service, he would have us there at 9 parking cars.
“He was one of the leaders of the parking team and he’s done that almost the entire time I’ve been in Pittsburgh. It’s that selfless commitment to helping others, whether it’s your church or food bank or homeless shelter. I have a great family, my mom (Karen), all of them; very fortunate that they encourage helping others and being a man of God.”
Thus was Lugg’s backdrop 30 months ago, when the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered academia, athletics and society writ large. Back home in Pittsburgh, and admittedly not latched to electronics, Josh Lugg teamed with brother Jake to work their full-time start-up business but with a part-time approach to revenue distribution.
The Luggs’ lawn-service quite literally serviced their neighbors’ needs and filled the community’s empty pantries.
“Early Covid, I was back at home and I didn’t want to be a guy who was just sitting at home,” said Lugg, now with 52 career games and 24 starts in his five years appearing in games for the Fighting Irish. “I’m not a video-gamer. So my brother and I started up a lawn company. We would go mow other neighborhood lawns, and we decided to give 75% of profits to the food bank in our hometown, Pittsburgh.
“He continued when I came back, but I think while I was there during Covid we ended up raising enough money for 8,700 meals in the Pittsburgh community. I think it started with there, and I had a pretty good appreciation for giving back and helping others. I love being active in the community; I’ve been here (at Notre Dame) now for six years, it’s time for me to do my part. I do some mentorships on the side, helping high schools in the area with SAT prep, ACT prep, college prep; identifying what do you really want to do and what are you passionate about.”
Lugg’s teammates know well the rigors of life at Notre Dame, with academic demands every bit as challenging as the football program’s coast-to-coast gauntlet of games.
“I mean for anybody willing to come into a college program and stay for six years in such a challenging environment, I think that speaks a lot to Josh,” said senior linebacker Bo Bauer. “The guy is super-gritty, and he’s a leader. When I look at him, I see a leader, someone who sacrifices a lot for the good of the team. If you’re going to be willing to come back for a sixth year and put your mind and your body through this, he really loves the boys and the team and he just wants to us to do the best that we can.
“I can tell you from experience that if you’re able to do any extracurriculars out of football and school, that is a huge sacrifice. So Josh, he does a lot of things outside of this and I don’t think people can understand how great a sacrifice that is and how great a person he is to be able to do those things.”
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees knows better than most the student-athlete demands after his own decorated career as an Irish quarterback a decade ago. In Lugg he sees the essence of what Notre Dame seeks from its on-field ambassadors, particularly as Lugg works to help anchor the right side of the Irish offensive line and also continues to flourish in working with Three Leaf Partners, the business development company of former Irish men’s basketball star and current Milwaukee Bucks standout Pat Connaughton.
“Great person, like does everything the way it’s supposed to be done when it’s supposed to be done and how it’s supposed to be done; his character is through the roof,” Rees said. “He’s really led some of the charge off the field to get involved in the community, get involved in giving back.
“Helped a lot of the young players find their role and has a tremendous amount of respect in the locker room; he’s a typical Notre Dame man.”
Starting on the offensive line while continuing to represent the Irish in the community, Lugg also is further evolving as a leader within the Notre Dame program.
His perspective is particularly necessary early in this 2022 campaign, with first-year coach Marcus Freeman imprinting his DNA atop the Irish and a pair of season-opening setbacks mandating the Irish draw together.
“I think I got a lot of my leadership principles from Hunter Bivin, Mike McGlinchey, Quinton Nelson when I was looking at them for leadership early on; Alex Bars, Sam Mustipher,” Lugg said. “Just trying to be the same guy every day, and if we’re going to be an O-line and D-line driven program, and help drive this team, I can’t be driving (all over the road). I have to help keep the ship steady. Don’t show weakness if I’m having a bad day; don’t let anybody know.
“It’s not going to help Notre Dame win if people are like, ‘Oh, Lugg’s tired today.’ That doesn’t help. It’s about how can I be a resource, especially for the younger guys.”
It’s an approach coaches know they can rely on from Lugg, just as they know he’ll show up to work each day at practice and Saturdays on the game field.
“The consistency in staying who he is,” Rees said. “That, to me, in times that it’s hard to be able to say that guy is consistent and dependable and he’s somebody we know is going to act this way, no matter the circumstances, that speaks louder than anything else.
“So when guys can look to Josh and see that, it’s critical for young players. (To say) It’s going to be all right, we’ll stay ourselves, let’s not change, let’s not panic.”
In other words, Lugg ensures the Irish are parked exactly where they need to be.