A look back at Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung winning Heisman Trophy over Johnny Majors

The 1956 Heisman Memorial Trophy was awarded to Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung.

Notre Dame finished 2-8 during the 1956 season.

Hornung played quarterback, halfback and placekicker for the Fighting Irish.

During the 1956 campaign, Hornung led Notre Dame in punt returns, kickoff returns, scoring, passing and rushing. He was a two-time All-America performer.

The Heisman Memorial Trophy runner-up in 1956 was Tennessee’s Johnny Majors.

Majors was a triple-threat tailback in head coach Bowden Wyatt’s offense. He was also a punter and return specialist for the Vols.

Majors, a two-time All-American, was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1956. He rushed for 549 yards and seven touchdowns, while recording a career-high 552 passing yards. Majors recorded a 43-yard punting average.

In this Dec. 12, 1956 photo, Notre Dame quarterback Paul Hornung imitates the posture of the Heisman Trophy that he received at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York. The Notre Dame hype machine has produced a few unworthy Heisman winners but none more so than Hornung. He was a great player, but the Fighting Irish went 2-8. Any of the next four players in the voting – Johnny Majors from Tennessee, Tom McDonald and Jerry Tubbs from Oklahoma or Syracuse’s Jim Brown, who finished fifth would have been more deserving. (AP Photo/File)

Majors led Tennessee to a 10-1 (6-0 SEC) record, yet finished second to Hornung, who is the only Heisman Memorial Trophy winner to play for a team with a losing record.

Hornung received 1,066 votes to Majors’ 994 in the Heisman Memorial Trophy voting.

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