Top 50 All-Time Heisman Winners
50. 1985 Bo Jackson, RB Auburn
runner-up: Chuck Long, QB Iowa
In honor of Heisman week, here's a look back at some of Bo Jackson's best runs from 1985. #WarEagle #BoKnows #HeismanTrophyWinner #Legend pic.twitter.com/m6Svj3c3rn
— The Auburn Vault (@AuburnVault) December 7, 2017
How can you possibly argue with a 1,786-yard, 17-touchdown season from one of college football’s most legendary players? Simple, in the biggest games, he wasn’t able play the entire game and it cost Auburn. He suffered a bruised thigh in the second quarter against Florida in a 14-10 loss and was knocked out with a knee injury in the third quarter in a 38-20 loss to Tennessee.
49. 2014 Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon
runner-up: Melvin Gordon, RB Wisconsin
It might have been a nip-and-tuck Heisman race until the final weekend, but it was a blowout after a special performance in the Pac-12 championship win over Arizona with 313 yards and two scores, and with three rushing touchdowns. Mariota was the nearly flawless leader on the way to playing for the first College Football Playoff national title, throwing 38 touchdown passes and just two interceptions to go along with 669 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
48. 1990 Ty Detmer, QB BYU
runner-up: Rocket Ismail, WR Notre Dame
Detmer started off the season beating the number one, defending national champion Miami Hurricanes and finished with 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns … with 28 interceptions.
47. 2011 Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor
runner-up: Andrew Luck, QB Stanford
Griffin’s passer rating of 192.31 was the greatest single-season pre-bowl mark in NCAA history. He was brilliant in the opening week win over TCU and the season-changing victory over Oklahoma, but the three losses drop him down the list. His late pick against Kansas State – despite throwing five scoring passes – ended up costing the Bears the game, and while he threw for over 855 yards in the losses to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, they were losses.
46. 1935 Jay Berwanger, RB Chicago
runner-up: Monk Meyer, HB Army
The first Heisman winner racked up 1,839 total yards and was the nation’s best defensive back. In his last game he single-handedly beat Illinois with less than a minute to play as he returned a punt 49-yards going in, over and around the defenders down to the one. On the next play, he popped in for the touchdown, then hit the extra point for a 7-6 win.
45. 1944 Les Horvath, QB Ohio State
runner-up: Glenn Davis, RB Army
This is a tough one because Glenn Davis probably deserved the award more, averaging 11.1 yards per carry with 120 points, but the Army star was only a sophomore. But this is a list about the great seasons the Heisman winners had, and Horvath was tremendous, rushing for 924 yards carrying the Buckeyes to an unbeaten record. He was also a superior defensive player as one of the team’s top tacklers.
44. 2022 Bryce Young, QB Alabama
runner-up: Aidan Hutchinson, DE Michigan
There wasn’t much happening in the 2022 Heisman race, and then Young took Alabama for a drive for the ages, keeping the national title hopes alive with a scoring pass in the final moments to force overtime in a win over Auburn. He sealed the award throwing for 421 yards and three touchdowns in the SEC Championship win over unbeaten Georgia.
43. 1993 Charlie Ward, QB Florida State
runner-up: Heath Shuler, QB Tennessee
Ward led the high-octane Seminoles to the national championship, completing close to 70% of his passes for 3,032 yards and 27 touchdowns with just four picks, an ran for 339 yards and four touchdowns.
42. 1961 Ernie Davis, RB Syracuse
runner-up: Bob Ferguson, FB Ohio State
Davis was a big back with tremendous hands, he broke all of Jim Brown’s rushing records. He ran for more yards per carry in his two previous seasons, but he had his best scoring year in 1961 rushing for 823 yards and 12 touchdowns.
41. 1970 Jim Plunkett, QB Stanford
runner-up: Joe Theismann, QB Notre Dame
Plunkett set several NCAA passing records while at Stanford – throwing for 2,980 yards and 19 touchdowns with 19 picks while rushing for three scores – leading the Indians to the Rose Bowl and one of the stunning upsets in the game’s history beating 9-0 Ohio State 27-17.
40. 1945 Doc Blanchard, RB Army
runner-up: Glenn Davis, RB Army
The first junior to win the Heisman, “Mr. Inside” was a bruising, but lightning fast fullback. He led the Cadets with 115 total points scoring 19 touchdowns with one extra point.
39. 2000 Chris Weinke, QB Florida State
runner-up: Josh Heupel, QB Oklahoma
Had Weinke been 22 instead of 28-years-old, he probably would’ve been a runaway winner instead of squeaking past Oklahoma’s Josh Heupel. Weinke obliterated every Florida State passing record finishing his career by throwing for 4,441 yards and 34 touchdowns as he led the team to a national championship appearance – and lost to Heupel and Oklahoma.
38. 2020 DeVonta Smith, WR Alabama
runner-up: Trevor Lawrence, QB Clemson
Was he the best player on his own team? QB Mac Jones (3) and RB Najee Harris (5) each finished in the top five in the Heisman race. Was he the best wide receiver on his own team? That might have been Jaylen Waddle before getting hurt. But that’s not how this is done. Smith took over the season in the second half with five 100-yard games including a 15-catch, 184-yard, two-touchdown day against Florida in the SEC Championship. After the voting, it took it up another level with 19 catches for 345 yards and six touchdowns in the two College Football Playoff games.
37. 2004 Matt Leinart, QB USC
runner-up: Adrian Peterson, RB Oklahoma
In one of the best Heisman fields ever, Leinart stood out throwing for 2,990 yards and 28 touchdowns – 3,322 yards and 33 touchdowns after the Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma – with only six interceptions as he led the Trojans to the national title.
36. 1939 Nile Kinnick, RB Iowa
runner-up: Tom Harmon, RB Michigan
The Iron Man of the Iron Man team played 402 consecutive minutes before getting knocked out of the Northwestern game with a separated shoulder. Kinnick was the star of the show all year long, throwing for 638 yards and 11 touchdowns on only 31 passes, and he ran for 374 yards.
35. 1940 Tom Harmon, RB Michigan
runner-up: John Kimbrough, RB Texas A&M
He combined for 3,438 yards in his senior season. In the 40-0 win over Ohio State, Harmon completed 11-of-12 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 139 yards and two TDs, kicked four extra points and intercepted three passes in the game. He finished the year with 852 rushing yards and 15 scores
34. 2005 Reggie Bush, RB USC
runner-up: Vince Young, QB Texas
Of course, this season didn’t exist – yes, Reggie Bush did win the Heisman Trophy. Unfortunately, Vince Young’s Rose Bowl performance beating USC for the national championship forced a collective “oops” from the Heisman voters.
From the “Bush Push” to help beat Notre Dame, to his 23-carry, 294-yard day against Fresno State, the electrifying Bush was the signature player of the season before the trip to Pasadena. It’s not like he was shut down by the Longhorns, running for 82 yards and a score and catching six passes for 95 yards. On the year he ran for 1,740 yards and 16 scores, caught 37 passes for 478 yards and two scores, and was deadly as a kick and punt returner, too.
33. 1995 Eddie George, RB Ohio State
runner-up: Tommie Frazier, QB Nebraska
George averaged 152 yards per game and scored 23 touchdowns, highlighted by a 314-yard day against Illinois. Extremely consistent, he hit the 100-yard mark in 11 straight games. In the one game of the year he didn’t run for 100, he ran for 99, finishing the season with 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns with a 47 catches for 417 yards and a score.
32. 2006 Troy Smith, QB Ohio State
runner-up: Darren McFadden, RB Arkansas
Smith won in one of the biggest Heisman blowouts of all-time, throwing 30 touchdown passes, five interceptions, and 2,507 yards while running for five scores. Most importantly, he was at his best in the biggest games in road wins over Texas and Iowa, along with the Heisman-sealing performance in the epic showdown over No. 2 Michigan.
31. 1938 Davey O’Brien, QB TCU
runner-up: Marshall Goldberg, RB Pittsburgh
O’Brien led the Horned Frogs to an unbeaten season throwing a touchdown pass in every game, finishing with 1,509 yards and 19 touchdowns and just four picks, and running for 466 yards and three scores. He was a star punter, too.
30. 1951 Dick Kazmaier, RB Princeton
runner-up: Hank Lauricella, RB Tennessee
Kazmaier led the nation in total offense out of the single wing instead of the more fashionable T formation. He was a deadly accurate passer highlighted by a 15-of-17, 236-yard, three touchdown performance against Cornell. He also ran for 124 yards and two scores in the big win, finishing the season with – remember the era – 861 yards and nine scores while completing 63% of his passes for 966 yards and 13 scores with five picks.
29. 1963 Roger Staubach, QB Navy
runner-up: Billy Lothridge, QB Georgia Tech
Always making clutch plays as the leader of one of the nation’s best teams, Staubach only threw nine touchdown passes, but he led the nation in passing accuracy and threw for 237 yards in the key game against Michigan. He got 517 first place votes, while runner-up Billy Lothridge of Georgia Tech got a total of 504 points.
28. 1997 Charles Woodson, CB Michigan
runner-up: Peyton Manning, QB Tennessee
Woodson was the difference maker in Michigan’s national championship season, doing it all from returning punts and playing receiver along with his duties as the nation’s best defensive player. Take Manning away from Tennessee and there’s no SEC title. Take Woodson away from Michigan and there’s no national title.
27. 1979 Charles White, RB USC
runner-up: Billy Sims, RB Oklahoma
The ultimate workhorse, White averaged 194 yards per game – carrying the ball 332 times for 2,050 yards and 19 scores – leading USC to the Rose Bowl and a 10-0-1 record. He carried the ball 44 times for 261 yards in the 42-23 win over Notre Dame.
26. 2015 Derrick Henry, RB Alabama
runner-up: Christian McCaffrey, RB Stanford
Henry wasn’t really a top candidate until halfway through the season, but he ran for close to 2,000 yards, carried the ball 90 times in the final two games to get to the SEC title game, and then won the conference title game – it was the stuff of legend. The 210-yard, three score day against LSU – when all the world was watching Leonard Fournette – was an all-timer of a performance. It wasn’t flashy, but it was special an effective. That was his Heisman season.
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