Heisman Trophy Events

1935 Jay Berwanger wins Heisman Trophy
There wasn’t great fanfare when Jay Berwanger won the first Heisman Trophy presented by the New York Downtown Athletic Club in 1935. Instead of an arsenal of cameras highlighting his f...
1936 Larry Kelley Wins Heisman Trophy Award
Lawrence Morgan "Larry" Kelley (May 30, 1915 – June 27, 2000) was an American football player born in Conneaut, Ohio. He played end, for Yale University. While at Yale he was a member of ...
1937 Clint Frank Wins Heisman Trophy
Clinton E. Frank (September 13, 1915 - July 7, 1992) was an American football player. He played halfback for Yale University. Frank attended Yale University and graduated with a degree...
1938 Dec 6 Davey O'Brien Wins Heisman Trophy
This 5'7" 150-pounder sparked Texas Christian to an undefeated season his senior year. In his last season, he threw 194 passes, completed 110 for 1,733 yards and 19 touchdowns. One of the...
1939 Dec 6 Nile Kinnick Wins Heisman Trophy
Nile Kinnick is the Hawkeyes' greatest football player of all time. In his football career, he gained 1,674 yards. In his senior year, he completed 31 passes for 638 yards and 11 touchdow...
1940 Dec 9 Tom Harmon Wins Heisman Trophy
In his three seasons, old ninety-eight scored 33 touchdowns, kicked two field goals and kicked 33 points after touchdowns for 237 points, and threw 16 touchdown passes. He gained 3,438 ya...
1941 Dec 9 Bruce Smith Wins Heisman Trophy
The handsome Minnesota halfback, who received his Heisman Trophy two days after Pearl Harbor, was voted the best college player in the All-Star game that year at Chicago. The spearhead of...
1942 Dec 8 Frank Sinkwich Wins Heisman Trophy
Frank was in a Marine uniform when he accepted his Trophy. He still holds the Orange Bowl total offense record-382 yards rushing and passing. He also passed for 2,331 yards during his col...
1943 Dec 12 Angelo Bertelli Wins Heisman Trophy
He made the T-Formation click for the Fighting Irish until his entry into the Marine Corps in 1943. Bertelli completed 169 of 324 passes in 26 games accounting for 2,582 yards. Twenty-nin...
1944 Dec 5 Les Horvath Wins Heisman Trophy
Les hit his peak in his senior year, gaining 924 yards on 163 carries for 5.7 yards per carry. He scored 12 touchdowns in 1944, and completed 14 of 32 passes for 344 yards. 6 of the 14 pa...
1946 Jan 5 Felix 'Doc' Blanchard Wins Heisman Trophy
An All-American for three years, the 6-foot, 205 pound "Mr. Inside" scored 38 touchdowns and gained 1,908 yards on three powerhouse West Point teams that were unbeatable during the World ...
1946 Dec 14 Glenn Davis Wins Heisman Trophy
He was the "Mr. Outside" of the famed Davis-Blanchard duo. Glenn scored 59 touchdowns in his career and gained an amazing 4,129 yards from rishing and passing for the Black Knights. He ho...
1947 Dec 10 John Lujack Wins Heisman Trophy
Lujack was considered one of the greatest T-formation collegiate quarterbacks of all times. Filling in for Angelo Bertelli, who went into the Marines in 1943, he quarterbacked a 26-0 vict...
1948 Dec 7 Doak Walker Wins Heisman Trophy
Walker, often considered the greatest player to come out of the Southwest Conference, was a junior when he won the Heisman Trophy. For three years he was an All-American at Southern Metho...
1949 Dec 7 Leon Hart Wins Heisman Trophy
Leon Hart, the second lineman to win the Heisman Memorial Trophy was the co-captain of Notre Dame's 1949 National Championship team. Considered by some experts to be the greatest all-time...
1950 Dec 12 Vic Janowicz Wins Heisman Trophy
Invaluable as a defensive player, he was the key factor in the Buckeyes' success in 1950. He was the third junior to win the Heisman Trophy. The late Woody Hayes, the venerable Ohio State...
1951 Dec 11 Richard Kazmaier Wins Heisman Trophy
His team was the best in the East in 1951, and was sixth ranked nationally. He was the nation's total offense leader in his senior year and the most accurate passer in the country. Curren...
1952 Dec 2 Billy Vessels Wins Heisman Trophy
A great star on a star-studded Sooner team, Vessels scored 18 touchdowns, gained over 1,000 yards rushing and caught eight passes for 200 yards. In his senior year he threw 18 passes and ...
1953 Dec 8 John Lattner Wins Heisman Trophy
Lattner scored 20 touchdowns and 120 points for the Irish. He gained 3,095 yards rushing, catching passes, returning punts and kickoffs and intercepting passes. Notre Dame lost only three...
1954 Dec 9 Alan Ameche Wins Heisman Trophy
This stampeding fullback in 37 games in four years scored 25 touchdowns gained 3,345 scrimmage yards and was mainly responsible for the Badgers' 26 victories during 1951-54. His ability t...
1955 Dec 8 Howard Cassady Wins Heisman Trophy
"Hop along" was one of Ohio State's best ever, scoring 37 touchdowns in 36 games for 222 points. He gained 2,466 yards rushing for an average of 5.6 per try. A player's player, his 964 ya...
1956 Dec 12 Paul Hornung Wins Heisman Trophy
The blond, 220-pound Golden Boy, despite a mediocre Notre Dame team, carried the ball 94 times his senior year for 420 yards for an average of 4.5 yards per try. He completed 59 of 111 pa...
1957 Dec 11 John Crow Wins Heisman Trophy
Crow, despite suffering some early season injuries in 1957 that cause him to appear in only 7 games, carried the ball 129 times for 562 yards during his senior campaign. He scored six tou...
1958 Dec 10 Peter Dawkins Wins Heisman Trophy
Pete Dawkins, the 69th Army football captain and a polio victim, posed a double threat as a runner and a left-handed passer. In three years, he rushed for 1,123 yards, threw 16 passes, se...
1959 Dec 9 Billy Cannon Wins Heisman Trophy
William Abb "Billy" Cannon (born August 2, 1937) is an All-American, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner and 2008 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame from Louisiana State University in...
1960 Dec 8 Joseph Bellino Wins Heisman Trophy
Joe Bellino, at 5'9" and 181 pounds, in Navy's 1960 season (9-1), gained 834 yards, over half his team's total of 1,650 yards. He competed five of 14 passes, two for touchdowns, caught 15...
1961 Dec 6 Ernie Davis Wins Heisman Trophy
Ernie Davis of Syracuse, a big, rugged 6'2", 212-pounder, played left halfback and was his team's leading ground-gainer for three seasons. He completed with 16 catches for 157 yards. He b...
1962 Dec 5 Terry Baker Wins Heisman Trophy
Terry Baker, Oregon State's quarterback, established an amazing record in total offense, running and passing for 4,980 yards, including 15 touchdown passes. In including 15 touchdown pass...
1963 Dec 4 Roger Staubach Wins Heisman Trophy
Roger Staubach was hailed by Navy coach Wayne Hardin as "the greatest quarterback Navy ever had." In 1963, he completed more than 115 passes, nine for touchdowns, and as a sophomore compl...
1964 Dec 3 John Huarte Wins Heisman Trophy
The grim-jawed side-arm passer led Notre Dame to a brilliant season of nine victories in 10 games. Although he played only five minutes as a sophomore and 45 minutes as a junior, he estab...
1965 Dec 2 Mike Garrett Wins Heisman Trophy
In three years with the Trojan teams, he gained 4,876 yards in rushing, passing, receiving, punt returns and kickoff returns. This is approximately 2.7 miles. Garrett's rushing record of ...
1966 Dec 1 Steve Spurrier Wins Heisman Trophy
“Super Steve” Spurrier, University of Florida quarterback 6’2, 203 pounds, broke many Florida and South eastern Conference records. This brilliant field general had a tremendous gridiron ...
1967 Dec 7 Gary Beban Wins Heisman Trophy
Gary Beban quarterbacked UCLA to 23 victories against five losses and two ties in his three-year reign with the Bruins. He completed 1,280 yards passing, rushed for 35 TD’s, and made two ...
1968 Dec 5 O.J. Simpson Wins Heisman Trophy
O.J. Simpson piled up a monumental record in two seasons at USC. In 18 games he gained 3,187 yards, scored 21 touchdowns in 1968 and 13 in 1967. His 40 carries in the UCLA game his senior...
1969 Dec 4 Steve Owens Wins Heisman Trophy
While playing football at the University of Oklahoma, Steve Owens was All-American for two years; All Big Eight conference in 1967, 1968 and 1969; and Big 8 Player of the Year in 1968 and...
1970 Dec 3 Jim Plunkett Wins Heisman Trophy
In three seasons with the Indians his total offensive records included most pass attempts, 962; most pass completions, 530; most net yards passing, 7,544; most touchdown passes, 52; most ...
1971 Dec 3 Pat Sullivan Wins Heisman Trophy
Pat Sullivan, a three-season starter at Auburn was the first Heisman winner from one of John Heisman's old schools. As quarterback, Sullivan led his team to 25 victories in 30 games. With...
1972 Dec 14 Johnny Rodgers Wins Heisman Trophy
Leading the nation's number one team, Rodgers proved himself as one of the most versatile backs in Cornhusker history. Operating as a punt returner, pass receiver, blocker, and runner, he...
1973 Dec 13 John Cappelletti Wins Heisman Trophy
John Cappelletti had the third best year in Penn State history when he gained 1,117 yards rushing in 1972. In 1973, he had the second best year in Penn State history rushing for 1,522 yar...
1974 Dec 12 Archie Griffin Wins Heisman Trophy
As a junior at Ohio State Archie was named to every All-American team and was called "the greatest football player I've ever coached" by Woody Hayes. Combining power, speed and an uncanny...
1975 Dec 11 Archie Griffin Wins Heisman Trophy
As a junior at Ohio State Archie was named to every All-American team and was called "the greatest football player I've ever coached" by Woody Hayes. Combining power, speed and an uncanny...
1976 Dec 9 Tony Dorsett Wins Heisman Trophy
In his fabulous four-year career at Pittsburgh, Dorsett established so many NCAA records that he deserves his own record book. Just to skim the surface Tony has most yards gained, most se...
1977 Dec 8 Earl Campbell Wins Heisman Trophy
Campbell has an affinity for the number 4…Four times he was All Southwest running back, the first time in that conference’s history one man earned such an honor…His college career in rush...
1978 Dec 7 Billy Sims Wins Heisman Trophy
Billy Sims of The University of Oklahoma became the sixth junior to win the coveted Heisman Memorial Trophy Award. Sims was the nation's leading rusher and scorer for 1978, averaging 160....
1979 Dec 12 Charles White Wins Heisman Trophy
Coach John Robinson stated, "Charlie is simply the most competitive athlete I've ever seen." Incredibly, as USC's all-purpose back, White averaged 30 to 40 carries a game. Against Notre D...
1980 Dec 11 George Rogers Wins Heisman Trophy
Ball carriers can get pigeonholed as musclers or runabouts, not Rogers. S.C. backfield coach Bob Brown called him the ideal mix of bigness and quickness. New Orleans Saints coach Bum Phil...
1981 Dec 10 Marcus Allen Wins Heisman Trophy
The fourth running back from the University of Southern California to win the Heisman Trophy, Marcus Allen did it by being the first rusher to cover more than 2,000 yards in one season. H...
1982 Dec 9 Herschel Walker Wins Heisman Trophy
The seventh junior to win the Heisman Trophy - the 6'1", 222 lb. versatile athlete amassed an unbelievable 5,097 yards rushing (an NCAA record for yards rushing in three seasons). He expl...
1983 Dec 8 Mike Rozier Wins Heisman Trophy
Mike owns both the Nebraska all-time rushing and scoring records, yet it is possible that he might never have gone west to Lincoln had not Nebraska assistant Frank Solich been such a keen...
1984 Dec 6 Doug Flutie Wins Heisman Trophy
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie (born October 23, 1962) is a retired American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally ...