OrangeHoof
12-13-2008, 08:55 PM
Take a trip down memory lane and go back through the five least-deserving winners of the Heisman Trophy:
5) John Huarte - QB - Notre Dame, 1964. Led a 9-1 Notre Dame team, edging out the more deserving Tulsa QB Jerry Rhome who was setting collegiate passing records and Illinois LB Dick Butkus who was probably the best athlete in that year's class. Rhome and Butkus both had more distinguished pro careers as well.
4) Charlie Ward - QB - Florida St, 1993. Such a good quarterback he chose to become an NBA point guard instead of playing in the NFL. It was a good career move because the 190-lber would have never been a QB in the NFL. A guy by the name of Marshall Faulk finished fourth.
3) John Cappelletti - RB - Penn St, 1973. Nobody can figure out how a slow white guy could take the award but at least he gave a great speech about his leukemia-stricken brother. Three Ohio State players essentially cancelled each other out, finishing second, fifth and sixth respectively - possibly costing Archie Griffin a potential third Heisman Trophy.
2) Paul Hornung - RB - Notre Dame, 1956. Hornung was a "golden boy" star both in college and with the Packers as a pro. But his Irish team went 2-8. No, that's not a typo. 2-and-8! Kind of a slap in the face to every top collegian who led their teams to winning records, isn't it? Irish-haters list this among their reasons for hating the Domers. Syracuse's Jim Brown finished fifth incidentally.
1) Eric Crouch - QB - Nebraska, 2001. How does a quarterback manage to win the award for best football player in the nation when he throws more picks that TDs? Crouch narrowly edged fellow quarterbacks Rex Grossman, Ken Dorsey and Joey Harrington who were all far more impressive statistically. And, as pitiful as those three were as NFL signal-callers, Crouch didn't even get a look in the NFL except as a safety.
But, for balance's sake, here's the Five Most Deserving Heisman Winners:
1) Nile Kinnick - RB - Iowa, 1939. Many thought he'd someday be President of the United States he was so academically and athletically gifted yet he lost his life serving his country in WWII.
2) Ernie Davis - RB - Syracuse, 1961. He broke the color barrier among Heisman Trophy winners and presented himself with class and humility during a difficult time for black athletes. He would lose his life to leukemia before being able to leave a mark in the NFL.
3) Charles Woodson - DB - Michigan, 1997. The only Heisman winner who wasn't a quarterback, running back or receiver since 1949, Woodson did catch some passes but made his reputation primarily as a kick returner and shutdown corner.
4) Roger Staubach - QB - Navy, 1963. The last of the glamour players from one of the military academies, Staubach served his five-year military commitment and still had the talent to star in the NFL for over a decade.
5) Archie Griffin - RB - Ohio St., 1974, 1975. He might be nicknamed "Mr. Heisman" as the award's only two-time winner. As a sophomore, he finished fifth in the balloting then took the award the next two years.
5) John Huarte - QB - Notre Dame, 1964. Led a 9-1 Notre Dame team, edging out the more deserving Tulsa QB Jerry Rhome who was setting collegiate passing records and Illinois LB Dick Butkus who was probably the best athlete in that year's class. Rhome and Butkus both had more distinguished pro careers as well.
4) Charlie Ward - QB - Florida St, 1993. Such a good quarterback he chose to become an NBA point guard instead of playing in the NFL. It was a good career move because the 190-lber would have never been a QB in the NFL. A guy by the name of Marshall Faulk finished fourth.
3) John Cappelletti - RB - Penn St, 1973. Nobody can figure out how a slow white guy could take the award but at least he gave a great speech about his leukemia-stricken brother. Three Ohio State players essentially cancelled each other out, finishing second, fifth and sixth respectively - possibly costing Archie Griffin a potential third Heisman Trophy.
2) Paul Hornung - RB - Notre Dame, 1956. Hornung was a "golden boy" star both in college and with the Packers as a pro. But his Irish team went 2-8. No, that's not a typo. 2-and-8! Kind of a slap in the face to every top collegian who led their teams to winning records, isn't it? Irish-haters list this among their reasons for hating the Domers. Syracuse's Jim Brown finished fifth incidentally.
1) Eric Crouch - QB - Nebraska, 2001. How does a quarterback manage to win the award for best football player in the nation when he throws more picks that TDs? Crouch narrowly edged fellow quarterbacks Rex Grossman, Ken Dorsey and Joey Harrington who were all far more impressive statistically. And, as pitiful as those three were as NFL signal-callers, Crouch didn't even get a look in the NFL except as a safety.
But, for balance's sake, here's the Five Most Deserving Heisman Winners:
1) Nile Kinnick - RB - Iowa, 1939. Many thought he'd someday be President of the United States he was so academically and athletically gifted yet he lost his life serving his country in WWII.
2) Ernie Davis - RB - Syracuse, 1961. He broke the color barrier among Heisman Trophy winners and presented himself with class and humility during a difficult time for black athletes. He would lose his life to leukemia before being able to leave a mark in the NFL.
3) Charles Woodson - DB - Michigan, 1997. The only Heisman winner who wasn't a quarterback, running back or receiver since 1949, Woodson did catch some passes but made his reputation primarily as a kick returner and shutdown corner.
4) Roger Staubach - QB - Navy, 1963. The last of the glamour players from one of the military academies, Staubach served his five-year military commitment and still had the talent to star in the NFL for over a decade.
5) Archie Griffin - RB - Ohio St., 1974, 1975. He might be nicknamed "Mr. Heisman" as the award's only two-time winner. As a sophomore, he finished fifth in the balloting then took the award the next two years.