The All-Time Heisman Rankings
The 25 Greatest Winners
By
Pete Fiutak
What If The Heisman Voting Was Done After
The Bowls?
- 2000
to 2009 |
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 77
Heisman Winners -
Top 5
Races, Player to Not Win, and More
- 2000
to 2009 |
1990 to
1999 |
1980 to
1989 |
1970 to
1979
- 1960 to 1969 |
1950 to
1959 |
1940 to
1949 |
1930 to
1935
What would happen if
you took all of the Heisman winners and tried to figure out which
ones had the best of the best seasons? After all, the Heisman is
supposed to go to the player who had the best year, so throwing out everything else
you know about many
of the greatest college football players ever and only going by
their Heisman winning years (and NOT taking into account how they
did in the pros), here’s how they’d stack up. This isn’t a ranking of the best players of all-time, just
their particular seasons.
One thing to remember is that the information out there now
is night-and-day better than it was even back in the 1980s. With the
Internet, ESPN, on-demand stats, better television coverage, better
direct marketing campaigns, and more sophisticated sports information
departments, the Heisman voting is generally better than it was in the old days when you needed to either play on the east coast or
for Notre Dame to be considered for the award. That’s why many of the older
winners are further down the list. However, that didn’t stop a few
major mistakes in recent seasons.
There are several things to remember about these rankings. First,
the Heisman ends up almost always going to junior or senior offensive skill players, so many
deserving freshman and sophomores since 1936 have missed out, and
many, talented, deserving non-skill players haven’t been included
in the fun.
Second, don’t
forget the race factor before 1961 when Syracuse’s Ernie Davis
won. Several African-Americans were deserving before Davis, but didn’t win.
Third, don’t just go by statistics. Different eras meant different
things to the numbers.
And finally, several players on this list had
better seasons than their Heisman winning years, but they don’t
count. For example, Army’s Glenn Davis would've probably ended
up in the top three
if either of the two seasons before his Heisman winning year were included.
Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers was better in 1971 than he was in 1972
when he won the Heisman. Only the Heisman winning seasons count.
1. 1988 Barry Sanders, RB Oklahoma State
runner-up: Rodney Peete, QB USC
Sanders' 1988 season ranks among the most dominant
in the history of sports alongside Babe Ruth's
60-home run 1927 campaign, Wayne Gretzky's 92-goal
season of 1981-1982 (and maybe his 215 point year in
1985-1986) and Jerry Rice's 1987 season when he
caught 22 touchdowns passes in 12 games. The backup
to Thurman Thomas and an All-America kickoff
returner the year before, Sanders exploded for 2,628
yards and 39 touchdowns. Throw in the bowl game
stats, like the NCAA does now, and Sanders ran for
2,850 yards and scored 44 times. By himself, Sanders
would've finished 14th in rushing among all 2010
teams.
2. 1976 Tony Dorsett, RB Pittsburgh
runner-up: Ricky Bell, RB USC
Dorsett didn’t just put up big numbers on the way to becoming the
NCAA’s all-time rushing leader, he was clutch leading the Pitt
Panthers to the national championship averaging 215 yards per game
over the final seven and finishing with 1,948 yards and 23
touchdowns. During the streak he
tore off a 224-yard day against Penn State before closing out with a record
202-yard performance in the Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
3. 1981 Marcus Allen, RB USC
runner-up: Herschel Walker, RB Georgia
It had to be a really, really good season to be better than
Herschel Walker’s best year. Allen was college football’s first
2,000-yard rusher with 2,427 yards (2,342 before the bowl) and 22
touchdowns in his tremendous senior season. He set 14 NCAA records
and tied two others including most 200-yard games in a row with
five. He also led the Trojans in receptions with 34 for 256 yards
and a score.
4. 2010 Cam Newton, QB Auburn
runner-up: Andrew Luck, QB Stanford
Tim Tebow won the Heisman in 2007 as the first
player to ever run for 20 touchdowns and throw for
20 scores in the same season, but Florida didn't
play for the national title. Newton led the nation
in passing efficiency, ran for 20 touchdowns, threw
for 28 scores, with just six interceptions, and
finished first in the SEC and 15th in the nation in
rushing with 1,409 yards ... and he took Auburn to
the BCS Championship. Beyond the stats, the size,
the speed, and the cool play under fire, rallying
Auburn back from a 24-0 deficit against Alabama
being the signature moment, make this among the
greatest seasons in college football history.
However, his all-timer of a year will always be
attached to the controversy regarding his father and
an alleged pay-for-play solicitation from
Mississippi State.
5. 1982 Herschel Walker, RB Georgia
runner-up: John Elway, QB Stanford
Walker actually had a better season in 1981, but there was no way he
was getting past USC’s Marcus Allen. In 1982, Walker ran for 1,752
yards and 17 touchdowns carrying Georgia to an SEC title and a shot
at the national title. What’s more amazing is that he amassed
those totals after running for just 20 yards in the season opener
against Clemson hurt by a broken thumb. Even
though he was playing in a cast, he ran for 124 yards against BYU
and 143 against South Carolina. The cast came off and Walker went
nuts averaging 183 yards per game over his final eight.
6. 1968 O.J. Simpson, RB USC
runner-up: Leroy Keyes, RB Purdue
Simpson should’ve been accepting his second Heisman after getting
shafted in 1967, but his 1968 season was still worthy of being among
the best of all-time rushing for 1,880 yards (1,709 before the bowl)
and 23 touchdowns while catching 26 passes for 211 yards. His
Heisman victory was the most one-sided in college football
history beating Purdue’s Leroy Keyes 2,853 points to 1,103.
7. 2007 Tim Tebow, QB Florida
runner-up: Darren McFadden, RB
Arkansas
With an all-timer of a statistical season, being the first quarterback to run for 20 touchdowns and throw for 20, the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman became the culmination of everything the spread offense could become. He finished with 838 yards and 22 touchdowns and was second in the nation in passing efficiency completing 217-of-317 passes for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns with six interceptions.
8. 1996 Danny Wuerffel, QB Florida
runner-up: Troy
Davis, RB Iowa State
The 1996 national title team played the nation's toughest schedule
having to face No. 2 Tennessee, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 16 Auburn, No.
2 Florida State twice and No. 11 Alabama. Even so,
Wuerffel had one of the best years in college football history
leading the offense to 46.6 points per game and 76 touchdowns. He was deadly accurate throwing for 39 scores and finishing
with a pass efficiency rating of 170.6.
9. 1983 Mike Rozier, RB Nebraska
runner-up: Steve Young, QB BYU
Rozier was the unstoppable force on the Big Red Machine of 1983
rushing for 2,148 yards and 29 touchdowns averaging a whopping 7.8
yards per carry and breaking the 100-yard mark in all 11 regular
season games. He set the NCAA rushing record for yards in a season
and broke or tied several other marks.
10. 1991 Desmond Howard, WR Michigan
runner-up: Casey Weldon, QB Florida State
Howard was the first receiver in Big Ten history to lead the
conference in scoring and set or tied five NCAA records with 23
total touchdowns. He actually caught more passes for more yards in
1990, but his acrobatic touchdown making ability and punt return
prowess made his 1991 season legendary. His margin over Florida
State’s Casey Weldon was the second largest in Heisman history.
11. 1955 Howard Cassady, RB Ohio State
runner-up: Jim Swink, HB TCU
Remember, players back in the day didn’t put up the astronomical
statistics they do now. Hopalong’s 1955 season was something truly
special rushing for 958 yards and 15 touchdowns closing out the
season with 439 yards and six touchdowns during the crucial
Big Ten stretch run with 146 yards and a touchdown over No. 6
Michigan to win the title. Cassady was also an All-America
caliber defensive back.
12. 1998 Ricky Williams, RB Texas
runner-up: Michael Bishop, QB Kansas State
Williams had a flair for the dramatic to go along with his
consistent 1998 season. He was held to 43 yards by Kansas State
(which is the only reason his Heisman season isn’t in the top five), but
he finished the year, counting the bowl performance against
Mississippi State, with 30 touchdowns and 2,427 yards along with the NCAA
all-time rushing record (broken the year after by Wisconsin’s Ron
Dayne).
13. 1978 Billy Sims, RB Oklahoma
runner-up: Chuck Fusina, QB Penn State
Other Heisman-winning running backs amassed more yards and
scored more touchdowns, but few hit the home-run like Sims did
during his 1978 season. As a junior, Sims averaged a ridiculous 7.6
yards per carry rushing for 17,62 yards and 20 touchdowns carrying
the Sooners to the Big Eight title and the Orange Bowl.
14. 1984 Doug Flutie, QB Boston College
runner-up: Keith
Byars, RB Ohio State
Flutie had it won even before the pass against Miami. He completed 233-of-386 passes for 3,454 yards and 27 touchdowns. But
it was one magical, rainy day in Miami that made him a college
football legend.
15. 1977 Earl Campbell, RB Texas
runner-up: Terry
Miller, RB Oklahoma State
Campbell led the Longhorns to a spot in the national title game
ripping off 1,744 yards (a 6.5 yard per carry average) and 18
rushing touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 111 yards and a
score.
16. 2008 Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma
runner-up: Colt McCoy, QB Texas
The Sooner star became the second sophomore to win the award after leading the offense to the most points ever scored by a D-I/FBS team. He led the way to five straight 60+ points per game to close out the regular season and finished with 4,464 yards and 48 touchdowns with six interceptions and five touchdown runs. However, he didn't get the most first place votes, finishing second to
Florida's Tim Tebow.
17. 1999 Ron Dayne, RB Wisconsin
runner-up: Joe
Hamilton, QB Georgia Tech
With a bull's-eye on his back all season long, Dayne still became
the NCAA's all-time leading rusher rushing for 1,834 yards leading
the Badgers to the Rose Bowl. Extremely consistent, he ran for over
200 yards four times including in three of the final
four games when the team needed him the most. Throw
in the 200-yard Rose Bowl day and he finished with
2,034 yards.
18. 1974 Archie Griffin, RB Ohio State
runner-up: Anthony
Davis, RB USC
Griffin ran for 1,695 yards and 12 touchdowns averaging 6.6 yards
per carry rushing for more than 111 yards in every game before the
Rose Bowl. His first Heisman win was one of the most dominant
landslides ever, beating USC's Anthony Davis by over
1,100 points.
19. 1960 Joe Bellino, RB Navy
runner-up: Tom Brown, G
Minnesota
Bellino was a touchdown machine scoring 18 times leading Navy to the
Orange Bowl. Only 5-9 and 181 pounds, he was small, but he was a
tough, do-it-all playmaker with three touchdown
catches and two touchdown passes while also serving
as a punt returner. Navy went 9-1 with a win over
Army before losing to Missouri in the Orange Bowl.
20. 1952 Billy Vessels, RB Oklahoma
runner-up: Jack
Scarbath, QB Maryland
Vessels did it all scoring 18 touchdowns and rushing for 1,078
yards with seven 100-yard running days in the 8-1-1 season. The star
of Bud Wilkinson's team was the first of the big-time OU star offensive players.
21. 1986 Vinny Testaverde, QB Miami
runner-up: Paul
Palmer, RB Temple
Testaverde led the Canes to the Fiesta Bowl where they lost to Penn
State. He lit up number one Oklahoma for four touchdown passes and
threw for 2,557 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a
165.8 passer rating. Remember, Heismans are decided before bowl
games.
22. 1979 Charles White, RB USC
runner-up: Billy Sims,
RB Oklahoma
The ultimate workhorse, White averaged 194 yards per game 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.
23.
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.
24. 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 against Michigan. He got 517
first place votes, while the runner-up, Georgia
Tech's Billy Lothridge, got a total of 504 points.
25. 1946 Glenn Davis, RB Army
runner-up: Charlie Trippi,
HB Georgia
"Mr. Outside" was better in his sophomore and junior
seasons, but he was still great with the workload all to himself
playing 58 minutes per game. A two-way player, he only missed an
average of two minutes per game and was the ultimate
home run hitter scoring a touchdown every nine
touches.
Ranking the All-Time Winners
-
No. 26
to 50 |
No. 51
to 77