The Heisman Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. It is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust in early December before the postseason bowl games.
Anthony Drew Dorsett Sr. is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos.
Roger Thomas Staubach, nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he won the 1963 Heisman Trophy playing for the Midshipmen. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy, including a tour of duty in Vietnam.
James William Plunkett is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He achieved his greatest success during his final eight seasons with the Raiders franchise, whom he led to two Super Bowl wins.
Archie Mason Griffin is an American former football running back who played for seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, he is considered one of the greatest college football players of all time. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Buckeyes and was the first player ever to start in four Rose Bowls. He also played professionally for the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League (USFL).
Marcus LeMarr Allen is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Raiders. Considered one of the greatest goal line and short-yard runners in NFL history, he was selected 10th overall by the Raiders in the 1982 NFL draft, following a successful college football career with the USC Trojans. He was a member of the Raiders for 11 seasons and spent his last five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
John David Crow Sr. was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1957 as a halfback playing for the Texas A&M Aggies. After college, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago / St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers from 1958 to 1968.
Eric Eugene Crouch is an American former college football player who was a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, and Davey O'Brien Award in 2001. Running Nebraska's option offense that year, he completed 105 of 189 passes for 1,510 yards and seven touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns. He had brief stints playing professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and United Football League (UFL).
Ronald Dayne is an American former football running back who played for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, where he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy. He was selected by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans.
Desmond Kevin Howard is an American former football wide receiver and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was a two-time All-American, including a unanimous All-American selection in 1991, winning the Heisman Trophy. He was selected fourth overall in the 1992 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. Howard spent most of his career on special teams as a return specialist and holds the NFL single season record for punt return yardage. With the Green Bay Packers, Howard was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXI after setting an NFL record for punt return yards and returning a kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown, the longest return in Super Bowl history at the time. To date, he is the only special teams player to receive the award. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Billy Ray Sims is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons from 1980 to 1984. Sims played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 1978. He was the first overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft, selected by the Detroit Lions.
Gary Joseph Beban is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons with the Washington Redskins. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, where he won both the Maxwell Award and the Heisman Trophy in 1967. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.
Patrick Joseph Sullivan was an American professional football player and college coach. An All-America quarterback for the Auburn Tigers, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1971 and then played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. Sullivan was a head football coach at Samford University, a position he held from 2007 to 2014. He was previously the head football coach at Texas Christian University (TCU) from 1992 to 1997 and the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) from 1999 to 2006. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1991.
George Washington Rogers Jr. is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons from 1981 to 1987. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, earned All-American honors, and won the 1980 Heisman Trophy. He was the first overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft, and he played for the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins.
Felix Anthony "Doc" Blanchard was an American football player and serviceman who became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, and was the first football player to win the James E. Sullivan Award, all in 1945. He played football for the Army Cadets, where he was known as "Mr. Inside".
Troy Davis is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones, finishing as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Davis twice earned consensus All-American honors and was the first and one of only two NCAA Division I-A running backs to rush for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. In 2016, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He played professionally for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, and was a member of the Eskimos' Grey Cup championship team in 2005.
Jerry Pettibone is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Northern Illinois University from 1985 to 1990 and Oregon State University from 1991 to 1996. compiling a career college football record of 46–84–2 (.356).
Floyd Burdette Schwartzwalder was a Hall of Fame football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained future National Football League stars such as Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy.
Charles Raymond White was an American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons from 1980 to 1988. He played college football for the USC Trojans, where he was a twice unanimous All-American and the winner of the Heisman Trophy. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft. He also played for the Los Angeles Rams.
The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United States.
