Heisman Trophy 2015: Winner, Voting Results and Highlights from Award Ceremony

The 81st annual Heisman Trophy was handed out Saturday night in New York City, and Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry carved out a place in college football's most elite fraternity by taking home the hardware over Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey.

Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples relayed the final voting results, which had McCaffrey second and Watson third:

Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman put the tallies in perspective:

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Henry joined former Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram as the only players in school history to be named Heisman winners. 

Henry—who also won the Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award—was the most heavily used running back in the country, and he parlayed that status into some of the gaudiest numbers the SEC has ever seen.

Over the course of the 2015 season, Henry led all FBS rushers with 339 carries for 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns. The junior's yardage total also shattered Herschel Walker's longstanding single-season SEC rushing record.

And while Henry didn't emerge as a Heisman front-runner until the final month of the Crimson Tide's season, his closing statements against stout SEC competition were too staggering to ignore. 

Henry kicked off November with a 210-yard, three-touchdown effort against LSU and early Heisman contender Leonard Fournette. From there, he proceeded to pile up 204 yards and two touchdowns against Mississippi State before closing out the season in style.

In the Iron Bowl, Henry ran all over Auburn's defense to the tune of 271 yards and a score on a season-high 46 carries. Then, in the SEC Championship Game, Henry paced Alabama's offense with 44 carries for 189 yards and a score as the Tide locked up the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff.

Pro Football Focus provided a game-by-game chart of Henry's performances:

All told, Henry ran for at least 200 yards in three of his final five appearances while crossing that gaudy threshold four times in 13 games, per ESPN Stats & Info:

As it turns out, Henry's bruising and relentless rushing style has helped define an Alabama team that has become renowned for its toughness and competitive spirit.

"He's definitely a relentless competitor," Alabama's Jonathan Allen said, per ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough. "He won't take no for an answer. We feel like that's a big part of his success here, along with the team. We've all kind of adopted that mentality that we won't be denied what we want."

A tone-setter of the highest caliber, Henry helped work Alabama's offense into a groove and open up the passing game on a consistent basis. And thanks to his prowess, the Crimson Tide are two wins away from another national championship.

McCaffrey and Watson both pieced together superb seasons, but Henry shouldered the biggest load for his side in arguably the country's most difficult conference.