The All-Time Heisman Rankings
The Winners from No. 26 to 50
By
Pete Fiutak
What If The Heisman Voting Was Done After
The Bowls?
- 2000 to 2011 |
1990 to
1999 |
1980 to
1989 |
1970 to
1979
Ranking the All-Time Winners
-
The 25 Greatest Heisman
Winners |
No. 26
to 50 |
No. 51
to 78
Heisman Winners -
Top 5
Races, Player to Not Win, and More
-
2010 to Present |
2000 to 2009 |
1990 to
1999 |
1980 to
1989
- 1970 to
1979 |
1960 to 1969 |
1950 to
1959 |
1940 to
1949 |
1930 to
1935
26. 1941 Bruce Smith, HB Minnesota
runner-up: Angelo
Bertelli, QB Notre Dame
The superstar of the unbeaten Gophers, Smith wasn't going to play
against Iowa due to a knee injury. In what would be the national
title game, Smith forced his way into the game and set up three TDs
on the way to a 34-13 win and the championship.
27. 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. 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.
28. 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 throwing for 638 yards and 11 touchdowns on only
31 passes and ran for 374 yards.
29. 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. He was also a top runner and punter.
30. 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.
31.1995 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. The one game of the year he didn't run for
100 he ran for 99.
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 and the epic showdown
over No. 2 Michigan.
33.
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
leading the Trojans to the national title.
34.
1965 Mike Garrett, RB USC
runner-up: Howard Twilley,
WR Tulsa
The first of the superstar Trojan running backs, Garrett ran for
1,440 yards and 13 touchdowns in his Heisman winning season.
35. 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.
36. 1942 Frank Sinkwich, HB Georgia
runner-up: Paul
Governali, QB Columbia
Sinkwich ran for an incredible-for-the-time 17 touchdowns and threw for ten
scores leading Georgia to an 11-1 record.
37. 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.
38. 1993 Charlie Ward, QB Florida State
runner-up: Heath
Shuler, QB Tennessee
Ward led the high-octane Seminoles to the national championship
completing more than 70% of his passes. However, the title was
controversial thanks to a loss to Notre Dame.
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.
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.
41. 2006 Reggie Bush, RB USC
runner-up: Vince Young, QB
Texas
Of course, this season didn't exist ... yes, people,
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.
42. 1970 Jim Plunkett, QB Stanford
runner-up: Joe
Theismann, QB Notre Dame
Plunkett set several NCAA passing records while at Stanford 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.
43. 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.
44. 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.
45. 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.
46. 1985 Bo Jackson, RB Auburn
runner-up: Chuck Long,
QB Iowa
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
47. 1973 John Cappelletti,
RB Penn State
runner-up: John Hicks, OT Ohio State
Known more for his tear-jerking acceptance speech honoring his
leukemia-stricken brother than for his fantastic season, Cappelletti ran
for 1,522 yards as the workhorse of the 12-0 Nittany Lions.
48. 1980 George Rogers, RB South Carolina
runner-up: Hugh
Green, DE Pittsburgh
Unfortunately for Rogers, the world only really remembers 1980 as
the year Georgia freshman RB Herschel Walker took the college
football world by storm. As good as Walker was, Rogers led the
nation with 1,781 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.
49. 1954 Alan Ameche, FB Wisconsin
runner-up: Kurt
Burris, LB-C Oklahoma
Ameche was the "Iron Horse" playing almost the entire
game, every game as a top touchdown scoring fullback and a bruising
linebacker.
50. 1950 Vic Janowicz, RB Ohio State
runner-up: Kyle
Rote, RB SMU
Not just a great running back, Janowicz was one of the nation's best
defensive backs and kickers. He threw four touchdown passes, ran for
two scores and kicked ten extra points in a 83-21 win over Iowa.