Heisman Trophy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heisman Trophy |
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| Sport | College football |
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| History | |
| First winner | RB Jay Berwanger, 1935 |
| Most recent | CB/WR Travis Hunter, 2024 |
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (pronounced HYZE-mən) is a super important award in college football. It's given out every year since 1935 to the best player in the sport. Many people think it's the most famous award in college football. The Heisman Trophy Trust presents it in December, after the regular season ends. The most recent player to win this amazing award is Travis Hunter, who played for the Colorado Buffaloes.
The award was first created by the Downtown Athletic Club. They wanted to honor "the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi." The very first winner was Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. In 1936, the award was named after John Heisman, who was the athletic director of the club and had passed away. After that, players from all over the country, not just the East, could win it.
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Who Wins the Heisman Trophy?
Some colleges have had many Heisman winners. USC has won the most, with eight trophies. Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame each have seven winners. Ohio State has had six different players win the award, which is a lot!
The closest vote ever for the Heisman was in 2009. Mark Ingram II from Alabama won, just barely beating Toby Gerhart from Stanford.
Many Heisman winners go on to become professional football stars. Ten Heisman Trophy winners are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also, four winners have been named the Most Valuable Player in a Super Bowl. Some winners even played other professional sports. For example, Bo Jackson played baseball, and Charlie Ward played basketball.
A few winners chose not to play professional sports at all. Pete Dawkins had a career in the United States Army and became a high-ranking officer. Dick Kazmaier went to business school and started a company.
The Heisman Trophy Itself
The Heisman Trophy is a cool statue designed by a sculptor named Frank Eliscu. It looks like Ed Smith, who was a great football player for New York University in 1934. The trophy is made from cast bronze. It stands about 13.5 inches (34 cm) tall and weighs about 45 pounds (20 kg).
Ed Smith didn't even know the statue was based on him until 1982! The Downtown Athletic Club gave him his own Heisman Trophy in 1985. For many years, different companies have made the trophies. Today, MTM Recognition in Oklahoma makes them.
How is the Heisman Winner Chosen?
At first, only players east of the Mississippi River could win. But since 1936, any college football player in the country can be considered. Most winners come from big schools in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.
There are three main groups of people who get to vote for the Heisman winner:
- Sports Journalists: These are reporters and writers who know a lot about sports. There are 870 media voters from six different regions across the country.
- Former Heisman Winners: All past Heisman winners get to vote. There are currently 57 former winners who can cast a vote.
- Fans: You can even help choose the winner! A fan survey is held online, and all the fan votes together count as one official Heisman vote.
When people vote, they pick their top three players. Their first choice gets three points, their second choice gets two points, and their third choice gets one point. Voters must pick three different players. A company called Deloitte counts all the votes. Most voting is done online now.
What Positions Win the Heisman?
Most Heisman winners are either running backs or quarterbacks. It's pretty rare for players from other positions to win.
Only four wide receivers have won: Tim Brown (1987), Desmond Howard (1991), DeVonta Smith (2020), and Travis Hunter (2024). Two tight ends have also won: Larry Kelley (1936) and Leon Hart (1949).
Only two players who mainly play defense have won the award: Charles Woodson (1997) and Travis Hunter (2024). Both were defensive backs. No player who plays on the offensive or defensive line has ever won the Heisman.
Age and College Year of Winners
For a long time, most Heisman winners were college seniors. But that has changed!
- In 2012, Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M became the first freshman to win.
- The next year, Jameis Winston from Florida State also won as a freshman.
- However, both of them had been "redshirted" in their first year. This means they attended college but didn't play in games, so they were technically in their second year of college when they won. No "true" freshman (someone in their very first year of college) has won yet.
- The first sophomore to win was Tim Tebow in 2007. Since then, a few other sophomores have won, including Lamar Jackson in 2016. Lamar Jackson is also the youngest Heisman winner ever!
- The oldest Heisman winner was Chris Weinke, who was 28 years old when he won in 2000. He had played baseball professionally before going to college.
Some players have been close to winning the Heisman more than once. For example, Glenn Davis finished second twice before winning in 1946.
Heisman History
The award was first given out in 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) in New York City. It was first called the DAC Trophy. The first winner, Jay Berwanger, was drafted by a professional team but decided not to play.
In 1936, the trophy was renamed the Heisman Trophy to honor John Heisman. Larry Kelley was the second winner, and the first to win it as the "Heisman Trophy."
The first African American player to win the Heisman was Ernie Davis from Syracuse. Sadly, he never played in the NFL.
In 1966, Steve Spurrier gave his Heisman Trophy to his university so that all the students could see it. Because of this kind gesture, the Downtown Athletic Club started giving two trophies to winners: one for the player and a copy for their college.
Some Heisman trophies have been sold over the years. There's a rule that trophies awarded since 1999 cannot be sold. But older ones can be. For example, Larry Kelley's 1936 Heisman was sold for over $328,000. The most expensive Heisman ever sold was Bruce Smith's 1941 trophy, which went for over $395,000!
Where the Award is Given Out
The Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony has been held in many different places in New York City over the years.
| Venue | Years |
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| Downtown Athletic Club (New York, New York) |
1935–2000 |
| New York Marriott Marquis (New York, New York) |
2001; 2017 |
| The Yale Club of New York City (New York, New York) |
2002–2003 |
| Hilton New York (New York, New York) |
2004 |
| Palladium Times Square (New York, New York) |
2005–2016; 2018–2019 |
| ESPN headquarters (Bristol, Connecticut) |
2020 |
| Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York, New York) |
2021–present |
After the events of 9/11, the 2001 ceremony had to move from the Downtown Athletic Club to the New York Marriott Marquis. Later, the Yale Club hosted it for a couple of years. Since 2021, the ceremony has been held at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held virtually. All the participants appeared from their homes or other locations through video calls.
Watching the Heisman on TV
For many years, the Heisman presentation was just a small part of a college football game broadcast. But since 1977, it has been its own special TV show.
Many different TV channels have shown the Heisman ceremony:
The most-watched Heisman ceremony ever was in 2009. That's when Mark Ingram won, with Toby Gerhart and Colt McCoy as runners-up.
See also
In Spanish: Trofeo Heisman para niños
