Who Really Wants to Win the Heisman Trophy?

Every year as the college football season comes to an end, there is wide speculation as to who the Heisman Trophy winner is going to be.  The Trophy, which signals the most outstanding football player in NCAA, has helped launch many NFL careers.

Yet, recent history suggests that winning this award may not be anything to add to a resumé.

Since NFL Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders won the award in 1988, the winners have typically not produced in the NFL.

Not convinced?  Let’s take a look at every award winner since Sanders.

1989 Winner - QB Andre Ware, Houston.  After Jeff George went to the Colts, the Lions still managed to get the Heisman Trophy winner with the seventh overall pick in the draft.  Ware was expected to save a failing franchise to team up with previous year’s winner Barry Sanders to form an unstoppable running and passing game. 

He proved to be ineffective as he could not supplant Rodney Peete from the starting role.  Instead, he shared the duties with Ware and Erik Kramer.  He went to the Raiders in 1994 but failed to make the team as a back up.  Ware finished his career in Canada, America’s hat.

1990 Winner – QB Ty Detmer, BYU.  After being passed over multiple times in the draft due to scouts believing he was too small to play in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers finally selected him in the ninth round of the 1992 NFL Draft.  Unfortunately for Detmer, the Packers already had Don Majkowski, a Pro Bowl quarterback, and some guy named Brett Favre they just acquired from the Atlanta Falcons. 

Needless to say, Detmer was never poised to be any more than a back up quarterback for the Packers.  He then went on to Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit, and Atlanta before finally calling it a career.  He managed just over two dozen starts in his time with six NFL teams.

1991 Winner – WR Desmond Howard, Michigan.  A prolific career at Michigan had many people excited about Howard, especially when he was selected by the Washington Redskins who had just won the Super Bowl the year before.  Going to a Super Bowl contending team believed he was going to be the second coming of Jerry Rice.

His first season, however, he managed to get just three catches.  He would only tack on another 120 in the next eleven years of his career, moving to Jacksonville, Green Bay, Oakland, back to Green Bay, then finally Detroit.  His only notable effort was Super Bowl XXXI where he won the MVP award, but only as a kick returner.  He managed to get himself a lucrative deal from Detroit the next year, but never lived up to his expectations.

1992 Winner – QB Gino Torretta, Miami.  If you think you can not remember this guy, you are probably not alone.  He was not even picked until the seventh round in the 1993 NFL Draft.  He only threw sixteen passes in his NFL career, and that was in a game when he came off the bench against the Seahawks, completing only five.  If you blinked, you missed him.

1993 Winner – QB Charlie Ward, Florida St.  We will never know what this kid was able to do on an NFL field as he announced his intentions to play in the NBA after college.  It worked out pretty well for him, as he had a great basketball career.  A possible avoidance of the “Heisman Curse.”

1994 Winner – RB Rashaan Salaam, Colorado.  Salaam was the fifth running back taken in the draft, but was still a first round pick, twenty first overall.  Though he managed 1,000 yards his first season, he failed to live up to expectations as he managed only just over 600 yards in his next two years in Chicago.

A string of injuries led by Fumblitis led to only three seasons in Illinois.  He then went to Cleveland and Green Bay in 1999 before trying to launch a comeback in 2003 with San Francisco.  He spent one year in Canada.

1995 Winner – RB Eddie George, Ohio St.  George can be considered an exemption from the recent norm in Heisman Trophy Winners.  George amassed over 10,000 yards and earned four trips to the Pro Bowl in his career, albeit only eight years with the Oilers and one with the Cowboys.

However, George ended up losing a starting battle two years in a row, first with Chris Brown in Tennessee, then with Julius Jones in Dallas.  Most will argue, in contrast, that it was just his age catching up to him.  Nevertheless, George had a much more successful career than most recent winners.

1996 Winner – QB Danny Wuerffel, Florida.  Wuerffel’s most notable achievement was he was the first Heisman Trophy winner to be coached by a former Heisman Trophy Winner, coach Steve Spurrier, both at Florida and the Washington Redskins. 

Wuerffel did not amount to much, not even being drafted until the fourth round in the 1997 NFL Draft by New Orleans.  He was let go in favor of Jeff Blake and Aaron Brooks, two other quarterbacks who did not do much.  Wuerffel finished with only 350 pass attempts in his NFL career.

1997 Winner – CB Charles Woodson, Michigan.  Woodson, NCAA’s only defensive player to win the award, shocked many when he beat fellow contenders Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf for the award. 

Woodson managed to also break from the norm after going fourth overall to the Raiders.  Woodson has gone to five Pro Bowls and been named All-Pro four times.  Even though injuries have bothered him slightly in his career, Woodson has still managed to pull through.

1998 Winner – RB Ricky Williams, Texas.  Coming out of college, scouts were already making comparisons to Earl Campbell.  Most believed he would go first overall, or at the least, second.  New Orleans Saints head coach Mike “Hurricane” Ditka made it clear he was willing to trade all of his picks in the 1999 NFL Draft to move up to take Williams. 

Still, he was passed over by four teams before Washington traded down two spots with New Orleans for all of their picks.  New Orleans took Williams while Washington took cornerback Champ Bailey, who would become a perennial All-Pro selection. 

After hiring Master P as his agent, Williams’ tenure in New Orleans flashed promise, but also was plagued with injuries and fumbles.  He was traded to Miami after New Orleans selected Deuce McAllister in the draft.  While in Miami, Williams led the NFL in rushing yards his first year.  However, in July 2004, Williams suddenly retired.

  It was later revealed he had tested positive for marijuana and wanted to keep that hidden.  He has since returned to the Miami Dolphins after serving multiple suspensions and having a one year stint in the CFL.

1999 Winner – RB Ron Dayne, Wisconsin.  “Great” Dayne was given a shot his rookie year to become a starter in the NFL after being selected 11th overall by the New York Giants.  Rodney Hampton had just recently retired and the other starter was Tiki Barber, who had been Hampton’s back up.

Dayne and Barber formed “Thunder and Lightning”, Dayne being the powerful runner while Barber was known for his quickness.  Dayne’s role dropped after Jim Fassel condemned Dayne for not being willing to lose weight.  The Giants did not re-sign him, allowing him to sign with Denver for a one year stint that showed promise.

He was slated to be the starter the following season after Mike Anderson’s release, but was waived after injuries kept him on the sidelines throughout the preseason.  Dayne went to Houston where he seemingly has finished his career after spending 2008 out of football.

2000 Winner – QB Chris Weinke, Florida St.  Weinke made history by winning the Heisman Trophy at age 27.  However, most teams passed over him as they felt he was too old to become a “quarterback of the future.”  He was finally selected in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by Carolina. 

After Jake Delhomme arrived, Weinke was relegated to back-up duty.  He was let go in 2006 in favor of Delhomme.  San Francisco picked him for the month of December in 2007, but has since not returned to the NFL.

2001 Winner – QB Eric Crouch, Nebraska.  Dual-threat Crouch was deemed too short to play in the NFL as a quarterback, but his athleticism made scouts believe he could play wide receiver.  He was drafted in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft to play receiver, but allowed to compete at quarterback. 

However, a pre-season injury ended his tenure with St. Louis.  He then bounced around in Green Bay and Kansas City before eventually landing in the AAFL.

2002 Winner – QB Carson Palmer, USC.  Since the turn of the century, only Palmer has lived up to expectations as Heisman Trophy winner.  Palmer is a two time Pro Bowler for Cincinnati who even managed to come back after his knee injury in the 2005 playoffs.  However, 2008 saw Palmer miss the majority of the season.  Ignoring the few injuries, Palmer has joined the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.

2003 Winner – QB Jason White, Oklahoma.  Remember this guy?  Sometimes even NCAA gets it wrong.  White’s 2003 season was not very spectacular as previous winners.  Most people argue that his anointment was due to him being the quarterback of the National Champion Oklahoma Sooners. 

Disagree?  NFL scouts did not.  White was never drafted and only completed a handful of NFL workouts before “retiring”, citing damage to his knees.

2004 Winner – QB Matt Leinart, USC.  After backing up Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart got his chance to shine at USC and looked great doing it.  Leinart won the Heisman Trophy as a junior and opted to return to USC for one more year to make sure he was NFL ready.  Mature decision. 

That year saw him team up with 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush to destroy all of the competition before losing to Texas in the National Championship game against Vince Young’s Texas Longhorns.  This cost Leinart as Young was the first quarterback taken in the draft before Leinart was picked by Arizona at 10th.

Leinart was inserted in place of ineffective Kurt Warner and looked ready to take control of the franchise in 2006.  However, he began alternating series with Warner in 2007 where Warner would take the “no huddle” offense. 

Leinart broke his collarbone in October and would miss the rest of the season where Warner displayed great playmaking ability still.  This was enough for coach Ken Whisenhunt to declare there would be a competition for the starting quarterback spot which Warner would eventually win.

Leinart’s career is now in jeopardy after Warner led the Cardinals to the 2008 playoffs and to the Super Bowl.  Most believe that the Cardinals want to re-sign Warner, whose contract is up.  This has potential to kill Leinart’s career.

2005 Winner – RB Reggie Bush, USC.  As aforementioned, Bush teamed with previous winner Leinart at USC.  Bush’s early declaration for the draft was being sought after, as people had not been as excited for a player to come out of college football since Ricky Williams. 

Under pressure, Bush declared himself into the 2006 NFL Draft with all anticipations naming him being selected first overall by the Houston Texans.  Some suggested that Houston would select hometown hero quarterback Vince Young. 

However, Houston shocked everyone by selecting Mario Williams, defensive end from North Carolina St.  Bush fell into New Orleans’ lap, who eagerly drafted him, teaming him with Deuce McAllister. 

Bush has performed adequately.  2008 saw McAllister placed on injured reserve, ending his season, giving Bush the sole starting running back position.  However, Bush only gained 404 rushing yards and 440 receiving yards in nine starts.  He has only played one whole season, his rookie year.  Bush needs to rebound to keep himself from being just another Desmond Howard.

2006 Winner – QB Troy Smith, Ohio St.  Smith, like many others before him, had been deemed too short to play quarterback in the NFL.  He was not even selected until the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, backing up former bust Kyle Boller and the aging Steve McNair. 

2008 saw Steve McNair retire and the Ravens drafting Joe Flacco of Delaware in the first round.  New head coach John Harbaugh declared that there would be a competition between Boller, Smith, and Flacco for the starting job.  Smith was leading the competition after Boller went down with a season ending shoulder injury. 

However, Smith developed tonsillitis, thrusting Flacco into the starting lineup where he did not disappoint.  While it looks like Smith will be kept instead of Boller, he will only be a backup as Flacco has earned the role of “quarterback of the future”.  Smith can only hope for Flacco to have a season-ending injury early next year and get traded somewhere to avoid being another Heisman Trophy disappointment.

So, there you have it.  Recent history shows that it is not always better to win.

Now we can ask 2007 winner Tim Tebow and 2008 winner Sam Bradford:  Are you worried?