Heisman Winners Who Couldn't Hack the NFL

The 2009 Heisman Trophy will be awarded to the most outstanding NCAA college football player by the Downtown Athletic Club at an annual ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on December 12.

In recognition of college football’s greatest individual accolade, I decided to rank the five Heisman winners who ultimately had the smallest impact playing in the National Football League (NFL) over the course of the past 25 years.

1) Jason White - White, 29, won the Heisman Trophy in 2003 as a quarterback for the University of Oklahoma Sooners.

White finished his collegiate career as the Sooners all-time leader in passing yards (8,012) and touchdown passes (81).

Despite his stellar achievements in Norman, White garnered very little interest from the professional ranks and he was not selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.

To compound the frustration of not being selected, White was further disrespected when he was not even invited to tryout for any NFL squad after he was snubbed in the draft.

The Tennessee Titans eventually threw White a bone and signed the former superstar Sooner as an undrafted free agent before the start of the 2005 season.

White’s stint as a Tennessean was extremely brief and he prudently decided to quit football altogether because of his balky knees.

2) Gino Torretta - Torretta, 39, was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 1992 because of his stellar play at the quarterback position for the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Torretta, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame this past year, played on the Canes National Championship teams of 1989 and 1991.

Although Torretta consistently ignited the “Sunshine State” with his brilliant performances in South Beach, scouts did not believe that his quarterbacking skills would translate well into the professional ranks.

As a result, Torretta was not selected until the Minnesota Vikings finally rescued him in the seventh round of the 1993 NFL Draft.

Torretta was employed in the NFL from 1993 until 1997 by the Vikings, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts.

Torretta’s lone action in the NFL occurred in 1996 when he actually abandoned the pine and tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass that helped lead the Seahawks to a victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Torretta permanently stashed his pads and called it a career after the conclusion of the 1997 season.

3) Eric Crouch - Crouch, 31, flourished under center as a dual threat for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers and he rightfully won the Heisman Trophy in 2001.

Crouch, one of only three quarterbacks in Division 1-A history to rush for 3,000 and pass for 4,000 yards in a career, is the Huskers all-time leader in total offense.

Still, professional scouts remained largely unimpressed by the diminutive Crouch. 

In fact, many onlookers anticipated that Crouch would need to utilize his athleticism and transition to wide receiver to have an opportunity to play on the next level.

Somewhat predictably, Crouch was drafted by the St. Louis Rams as a receiver.

Crouch begrudgingly accepted his newfound role with the Rams.

Nevertheless, he swore that he ultimately would fulfill his dream to play quarterback in the NFL.

Sadly, Crouch suffered a serious injury in a preseason contest and he never accomplished his goal of becoming a starting professional quarterback.

Crouch was out of the NFL entirely by the end of the 2004 season and he is currently waiting to make his debut for the postponed All-American Football League (AAFL).

4) Andre Ware - Ware, 41, became the first black quarterback to ever win the Heisman Trophy in 1989 when he starred for the University of Houston Cougars.

Ware, who in 2004 was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, was eventually picked by the Detroit Lions with the seventh overall selection in the 1990 NFL Draft where he teamed with fellow Heisman winner Barry Sanders.

Ware played porously as a Lion and his tenure in Motown was extinguished by the end of the 1993 season.

Ware tried to revitalize his dormant career in 1994 when he signed with the Oakland Raiders as a practice squad member.

The legendary male Cougar finished his NFL career with a measly five touchdown passes, in comparison to eight interceptions, and a paltry 63.5 quarterback rating.

Subsequently, Ware roamed aimlessly for years throughout Canada and Europe hoping that he could again shine on the gridiron like he once did in the “Lone Star State.”

Once he finally realized he didn’t have the ability to play football professionally, Ware officially retired from the sport in 1999.

5) Rashaan Salaam - Salaam, 35, was a spectacular running back in college who won the Heisman Trophy in 1994 as a junior at the University of Colorado.

That autumn, Salaam rushed for a school-record 2,055 yards and 24 touchdowns.

More importantly, he helped lead the Buffaloes to an 11-1 record and a No. 3 finish in the final Associated Press poll.

The Chicago Bears picked Salaam with the 21^st overall selection in the 1995 draft.

Initially, Salaam excelled in the “Windy City” as he rushed for over 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns as a rookie.

Unfortunately, Salaam’s strong inaugural campaign proved to be an aberration.

BY 2001, Salaam was employed by the now-defunct XFL where a colleague of his went by the moniker “He Hate Me.”

After the rasslin’ football league inevitably folded, Salaam unsuccessfully tried to secure work with both the 49ers and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

Salaam ingloriously walked off the gridiron as a player for the final time in 2004.

Needless to say, this is an article based on my opinions.

I genuinely look forward to the thoughts of my readers.