At the end of each college football season, an award is given to the nation’s top college football player as voted for by a panel of 941 media members and past winners. This award is called the Heisman Memorial Trophy Award. While this award is highly publicized by the media and soccer fans around the world, here are some interesting facts that you may not know.
History
The Heisman Award was originally started by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City in 1935. It is named after John W Heisman, who was a member of the club. The actual trophy is modeled after former New York University football player Ed Smith in 1934.
The award had always been presented at the Downtown Athletic Club until 2002. The club was located near the site of the World Trade Center towers that were destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. The club was forced to close due in part to financial difficulties resulting from 9/11.
voting process
The voting process for soccer’s Heisman Award is regional. The country is divided into 6 separate regions with a leading member of the media in charge of each region. This member then chooses a select group of other voters who are football writers, reporters, or television personalities to also cast votes.
Dividing the country into 6 regions helps ensure that there will be no regional bias for any player. There are currently 941 members casting votes. The award is given in December of each year.
award winners
Heisman Football Award winners include mostly quarterbacks and running backs. In fact, 41 of the 71 Heisman Award winners are running backs and 23 have been quarterbacks.
Michigan’s Charles Woodson has been the only defensive player to win the award. He did it in 1997. Although he also returned kickoffs and punts, he was primarily a defensive back.
Archie Griffin has the distinction of being the only player in Heisman Award history to win the trophy twice. He did it in 1974 and 1975 while playing for Ohio State.
Two schools are tied for the most Heisman Award winners. Both USC and Notre Dame have had 7 previous Heisman football trophy winners, though Notre Dame has only had one winner in the last 40 years. Ohio State has had 6 Heisman Award winners.
What happened to some previous winners?
While there have been many past Heisman Award winners who have had Hall of Fame careers in the NFL, for many others the opposite has been true.
Jason White, the 2003 winner, has never played a down in the NFL. Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner of the award, had a dismal football career in Cincinnati. Andre Ware, the 1989 winner, sat on the bench for 4 years and then retired.
Eric Crouch, the 2001 winner out of Nebraska, has never played in an NFL game. Rashaan Salaam, the 1994 winner, had several suspensions for drug abuse in a very short and unpleasant career. Perhaps the most infamous Heisman Award winner of all time is OJ Simpson. After having a very illustrious career with the Buffalo Bills, he will always be remembered for his famous trial for the murder of his and Ronald Goldman’s wife.
Soccer fans around the world love the Heisman soccer trophy. Everyone has their own opinion on who should be the winner. It has become an annual tradition that continues to grow each year.
