Dec

5 Random Things About the Heisman Trophy

By Tamahome Jenkins · December 14, 2009

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John Capelletti's 1973 Heisman Trophy <em>Image courtesy Robert J. La Verghetta</em>

John Capelletti's 1973 Heisman Trophy (Image by Robert J. La Verghetta)

This past weekend, Mark Ingram became the first University of Alabama player in history to win the Heisman Trophy. He won in the closest Heisman race in history, with the difference between first and second place being a mere 28 votes. Ingram’s acceptance speech, as well as the history that was made on that day, has compelled me to list 5 random things about the most prestigious trophy in college football.

The first Heisman trophy was awarded in 1935 to Jay Berwanger, a running back for the University of Chicago. Back then, it wasn’t called the Heisman Trophy, though. It was simply called the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, after the club that sponsored the award.
The Heisman Trophy is named after legendary coach and player John Heisman, who died in 1936. At the time of his death, Heisman was the athletics director of the Downtown Athletic Club. The award was renamed in his honor two months later.
The Heisman Trophy is modeled after NYU running back Ed Smith, who happened to have a breakout season in 1934, the year before the first trophy was awarded. Smith only played in 10 games in the NFL and compared to others, was only an average collegiate player. This was simply a case of being in the right place at the right time; the Downtown Athletic Club was located in Manhattan.
For the first 72 years of its existence, the Heisman Trophy was only awarded to upperclassmen. However, in 2007, Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Florida Gators, became the first sophomore to win the award. The winners of the 2008 and 2009 Heisman awards, Sam Bradford and Mark Ingram, were also sophomores.
Winning the Heisman Trophy does not guarantee future success. Of the 75 Heisman Trophy recipients, only 8 of them are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bonus 1a: Steve Spurrier is the only college head football coach to win a Heisman Trophy and go on to coach a Heisman Trophy winner. Spurrier won the 1966 Heisman Trophy, and was head coach at the University of Florida when Danny Wuerffel won the 1996 Heisman Trophy.
Bonus 1b: Upon winning the Heisman, Steve Spurrier immediately gave it to the University of Florida. The UF student government raised funds to purchase a new trophy for Spurrier, and as a result the Downtown Athletic Club began presenting two trophies per year.

Bonus 2: Back in 1968, when O.J. Simpson had a reputation, he won the Heisman Trophy. He’s also one of those eight winners to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.