One of the four finalists will be named the best college football player in the country at the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Saturday, but the winners of one of the most prestigious awards in college football have an inconsistent history at the professional level.
Heisman Successes
Barry Sanders – Won the Heisman Trophy in 1988 and this was the beginning of a long list of achievements that were still to come for this running back who was selected for 10 Pro Bowls during his career with the Detroit Lions, was the Offensive Player of the Year in 1989, and won the NFL MVP award in 1997.
Roger Staubach – The “Captain Comeback” played 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, won Super Bowl titles, and was selected for six Pro Bowls after winning the Heisman Trophy in 1962 as the quarterback for the United States Naval Academy. He also served a tour in Vietnam between his college career and professional football career.
Marcus Allen – After winning the Heisman Trophy in 1981 and becoming the first player in the NCAA to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season, this Heisman-winning running back became the only player to win a Heisman Trophy, a national college championship, a Super Bowl, and was named MVP of the league and Super Bowl during his time with the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.
Charles Woodson – The first defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy (1997), he continued to play for 18 seasons in the NFL in two different positions, where he made nine Pro Bowl selections and eight All-Pro selections, won a Super Bowl, and received both the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and NFL Rookie of the Year award.
Joe Burrow – Played for both Ohio State and LSU by the time he won the Heisman Trophy in 2020, and since then has led the Bengals to playoff victories (the first time since 1990) and a Super Bowl appearance; he also won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2021.
Least Successful Heisman Winners
Danny Wuerffel – The first quarterback for the University of Florida (1993-1996) on the first-team All-Southeastern Conference and first-team All-Americans in the late 1990s before being drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft and ending a five-year professional career after having fewer yards than he completed in his first year in college, according to a Bleacher Report article.
Jason White – The quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners (1999-2004) was the third Heisman winner who was not selected in the NFL Draft and the only one who attempted and failed to play professional football (other players who were undrafted eventually chose different career paths). White bested Eli Manning and Larry Fitzgerald for the Heisman Trophy.
Johnny Manziel – All eyes were on Manziel when he led Texas A&M (2011-2013) to a thrilling victory over Alabama in 2012, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy, but his career was ultimately derailed by off-field behaviors that led to his release from the Cleveland Browns after 22 months of being drafted as their presumed franchise quarterback in the first round.
Troy Smith – Smith had a career filled with wins, MVP selections, and a Heisman Trophy win during his time at Ohio State (2002-2006), but he was only selected in the fifth round of the draft by the Baltimore Ravens – he played just 20 games and threw eight touchdown passes during his four-year career in the NFL.
Gary
Bibaan – A decorated college career at the University of California, Los Angeles (1965-1967) ended with just one pass in the National Football League, where he served as a backup quarterback for the Washington Redskins for two years before his career ended.
Interesting Facts
Florida State University quarterback Charlie Ward, who led the team to its first National College Championship victory in 1993, pledged that he would only play professional football if selected in the first round. This did not happen, and six months after winning the Heisman Trophy, he was picked in the first round of the NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He played as a point guard from 1994 to 2005 and turned down an offer at one point to become a backup for Joe Montana.
Main Background
The first “Outstanding College Football Player” award was given in 1935 and was meant to honor the best player “east of the Mississippi,” but the death of Downtown Athletic Club director John Heisman in 1936 led to its renaming and expansion to include players on both sides of the country. It is the oldest award in college football, and although it is not technically designated only for offensive players, it has been awarded to only one key defensive player in history. The winner is selected through a secret ballot of former Heisman winners and sports journalists, along with a fan vote chosen through an ESPN and Nissan poll.
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