Son of Hulk Flexes Muscles on Football Field

With apologies to Spiderman, Batman and Superman, the favorite superhero among the football staff at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks is the Incredible Hulk.

He’s the scary green dude who is so strong that he could lift Coach Kevin Rooney’s Honda Civic with one finger.

Lou Ferrigno played “The Incredible Hulk” in a television series by the same name from 1978-82 and his son, 16-year-old Lou Jr., tries to transform himself into a football version of the Hulk as a starting offensive tackle and defensive end for the Knights.

“I don’t want to make him mad because he might turn green on me,” assistant coach Joe McNab said. “He’s big, strong, fast and aggressive.”

Lou Jr. hasn’t been as invincible as the son of the Incredible Hulk should be.

As a sophomore, he missed half of the season because his appendix burst. As a junior, on the first day in pads, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, forcing him to have surgery and be sidelined for eight months.

“I guess I’m not made of the right steel,” he said.

Not that he doesn’t possess the pain threshold of a superhero. Lou Jr. slept most of the night with his infected appendix before finally going to the hospital at 9 a.m. And he continued to practice on his torn ACL before tests revealed the extent of his injury.

“I really don’t show pain well,” he said.

Lou Jr. does inflict pain. He had six pancake blocks in Notre Dame’s season-opening victory over Lynwood and followed with four more against Saugus last week.

Football is the ideal sport for the 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior because it allows him to release his energy in a constructive manner.

“I have a pretty short temper,” he said. “I couldn’t really play any other sport. In baseball, whenever I struck out, I threw the bat. In football, whenever I get beat on a block, I just come back and kick the guy’s butt the next play. I utilize my anger.”

Lou Jr. is the only member of his family who is not into acting. His father and mother are actors. His sister is studying acting, and his 11-year-old brother just filmed his first television commercial.

Lou Jr. has embraced his father’s love for weight training. His time away from football last season helped him understand that when football ends, he’ll need something else to appreciate.

“I used to weightlift because of football, but I realized I stay healthier and feel better when I lift for myself,” he said. “Until I’m 90 and can’t even walk, I’ll be lifting. It’s going to be with me and a part of me.”

But as hard as Lou Jr. works, he still can’t outlift his father, a renowned body builder who turns 50 in November.

“He’s getting older,” Lou Jr. said. “One of these days, we’ll have a little competition.”

Lou Sr.’s muscular physique made him perfect for the role of a scientist who was exposed to an accidental overdose of gamma radiation. The scientist turned into a green monster whenever he became enraged.

Growing up, few people identified Lou Jr. as the son of the Incredible Hulk. All that changed in high school. Teammates clamor for vintage T-shirts. An assistant coach gushes, “I used to watch your dad every week. He’s my idol.”

Lou Jr. smiles and plays along, but no one’s getting his T-shirts.

“Some guys offer to pay for them,” he said, “but they’re antiques and I have to wear them.”

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When you want to challenge a sports rule in court, it helps to have a father who’s an attorney. Not only does he work for free, but he truly believes in the client.

Palisades tight end Eric Beegun was allowed to play last week against San Fernando after his father, Norman, convinced Santa Monica Superior Court Judge John Reid to issue a stay to prevent the City Section from forcing Eric to sit out a game for being ejected in the season opener against Cleveland.

“I think it’s a lesson in democracy, due process and standing up for what you believe is right,” Norman said.

The decision forces the City Section rules committee to hear an appeal from Beegun on Oct. 2 before enforcing a one-game suspension for the ejection. It could be a precedent-setting action. Before, there was little room to appeal a judgment call by an official. Now, others ejected would have the right to delay their suspension pending a hearing before the rules committee.

Beegun was ejected for coming onto the field when a fight broke out near the Palisades sideline. He’s not accused of throwing punches but said he did try to break it up. Beegun claims he was legitimately on the field because he was going to play defense after a kickoff.

It’s not good when parents go to court to challenge sports rules, but in this case, Beegun deserves the chance to prove his case.

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Attention football coaches: Take this recommendation from a lowly sportswriter. You’d better start devoting more time in practice to kickoff coverage. There were at least 11 kickoffs returned for touchdowns last week in Southern California high school games. A.J. Martinez of Huntington Beach Edison had the longest--97 yards.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com