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 | Jay Berwanger RB, 1935 |
| Most recent | Jayden Daniels QB, 2023 |
The Heisman Trophy is a famous award in college football. It is given each year to the best player in the country. This player shows great skill, hard work, and a desire to be excellent. The Heisman Trophy Trust presents the award in early December. This happens before the big postseason bowl games.
The award started in 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club. It was first meant for the best college football player east of the Mississippi River. Jay Berwanger was the first winner. In 1936, the club's athletic director, John Heisman, passed away. The award was then named in his honor. It was also opened up to players from all over the United States. John Heisman was a very important person in college sports. He played football, coached many sports, and was an athletic director.
The Heisman is the oldest major award in college football. Other awards include the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award. The Heisman honors the most outstanding player. The most recent winner is Jayden Daniels, a quarterback for the LSU Tigers.
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The Heisman Trophy Design
The Heisman Trophy itself is a cool statue. A sculptor named Frank Eliscu designed it. He modeled it after Ed Smith, a football player from New York University. The trophy is made from bronze. It stands about 13.5 inches (34.3 cm) tall. It weighs 45 pounds (20.4 kg), which is pretty heavy!
Ed Smith didn't know for many years that he was the model for the trophy. In 1985, the Downtown Athletic Club gave him his own Heisman Trophy. For many years, different companies have made the statues. Since 2005, MTM Recognition in Oklahoma has been making them.
How Heisman Winners Are Chosen
At first, only players east of the Mississippi River could win. But since 1936, players from all over the country can be chosen. Most winners come from big Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
Three main groups of people vote for the Heisman winner:
- Sports Journalists: These are writers and reporters who know a lot about sports. There are 870 media voters from six different regions.
- Previous Heisman Winners: Former Heisman winners also get to vote. There are currently 57 past winners who can cast a vote.
- Fans: Fans get one special vote! This comes from an online survey.
Most voters pick their top three players. A first-place choice gets three points. A second-place choice gets two points. A third-place choice gets one point. All three choices must be different players. The accounting firm Deloitte counts all the votes. Most of the voting is now done online.
Memorable Heisman Moments
Many exciting things have happened in the history of the Heisman Trophy. Here are some of them:
- Larry Kelley and Clint Frank from Yale were the first teammates to win. They won in 1936 and 1937.
- Nile Kinnick of Iowa (1939) is special. A college stadium is named after him. He also passed away while serving in the military in 1943.
- Doc Blanchard from Army was the first junior (third-year student) to win in 1945.
- The 1946 Army vs. Notre Dame game was famous. Four future Heisman winners played in it!
- Paul Hornung (1956) is the only player to win while playing for a team with a losing record. His Notre Dame team finished 2 wins and 8 losses.
- Ernie Davis of Syracuse was the first Black player to win in 1961.
- Terry Baker of Oregon State (1962–63) is unique. He won the Heisman and played in the Final Four basketball tournament in the same school year!
- Steve Spurrier (1966) was the first Heisman winner to later coach a Heisman winner. He coached Danny Wuerffel in 1996, both at Florida.
- Archie Griffin of Ohio State is the only player to win the award twice. He won in 1974 and 1975.
- Andre Ware of the University of Houston was the first Black quarterback to win in 1989.
- Charles Woodson of the University of Michigan (1997) is the only player who mainly played defense to win. He beat out quarterback Peyton Manning.
- Chris Weinke (2000) was the oldest winner at 28 years old. He played for Florida State.
- Tim Tebow (2007) from Florida was the first sophomore (second-year student) to win.
- Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M (2012) was the first redshirt freshman to win.
- Lamar Jackson of the University of Louisville (2016) became the youngest winner. He was 19 years old.
- Baker Mayfield (2017) of Oklahoma was the first "walk-on" player to win. A walk-on is a player who joins the team without a scholarship.
- Kyler Murray (2018) won the year after Mayfield. They were the first quarterbacks from the same school to win in back-to-back years.
- Joe Burrow of LSU (2019) set many voting records. He received the highest percentage of first-place votes ever.
As of 2022, USC has the most Heisman trophies with eight. Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame each have seven.
The closest vote ever was in 2009. Mark Ingram II of Alabama won by a very small margin over Toby Gerhart.
Many Heisman winners have gone on to play professional sports. Some have even played in other sports, like Bo Jackson in baseball.
Team Success and the Heisman
A team's success often plays a big part in who wins the Heisman. Winners usually come from teams that had a great season. These teams are often competing for a national championship.
Only a few players from smaller college divisions have come close to winning. Gordie Lockbaum (1987) and Steve McNair (1993) both finished third in the voting.
Besides Archie Griffin winning twice, five other schools have had players win the Heisman in back-to-back years. These include Yale (1936–37) and Oklahoma (2017–18).
Only three high schools have produced multiple Heisman winners. Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas, is the only public high school to do so.
Player Age and Position Winners
For most of its history, older players (seniors) won the Heisman. But in recent years, younger players have started winning too.
Johnny Manziel (2012) was the first freshman to win. He was a "redshirt" freshman, meaning he had been at college for a year but didn't play in games. Jameis Winston (2013) became the youngest winner at that time.
No sophomore won for the first 72 years. Then, three sophomores won in a row: Tim Tebow (2007), Sam Bradford, and Mark Ingram II. Lamar Jackson (2016) also won as a sophomore and became the youngest winner ever.
The Heisman is usually given to a running back or a quarterback. Very few players from other positions have won.
- Three wide receivers have won: Tim Brown (1987), Desmond Howard (1991), and DeVonta Smith (2020).
- Two tight ends have won: Larry Kelley (1936) and Leon Hart (1949).
- Charles Woodson (1997) is the only player who mainly played defense to win. He was a defensive back.
No interior lineman (like a center or guard) has ever won the award. However, some have finished very high in the voting.
Heisman Ceremony Locations
| Venue | Years |
|---|---|
| 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/remote (Bristol, Connecticut) |
2020 |
| Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York, New York) |
2021—present |
The Heisman Trophy ceremony has been held in different places over the years. For a long time, it was at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City. After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the ceremony moved. The Downtown Athletic Club later closed.
Since then, the ceremony has been held at various locations in New York City. These include the New York Marriott Marquis and the Yale Club. From 2005 to 2019, it was often at the Palladium Times Square. In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held virtually. Players and presenters appeared from different locations. Since 2021, the ceremony has been at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
History of the Heisman Trophy
The award began in 1935. It was first called the DAC Trophy. The first winner, Jay Berwanger, never played professional football. In 1936, the trophy was renamed the Heisman Trophy. Larry Kelley was the first person to win it under the new name.
Ernie Davis was the first African American player to win in 1961. Sadly, he was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away in 1963. He never got to play in the NFL.
In 1966, Steve Spurrier gave his Heisman Trophy to his university. He wanted all the students to be able to see it. Because of this kind gesture, the Downtown Athletic Club started giving two trophies. One goes to the player, and a copy goes to their college.
Some Heisman trophies have been sold over the years. For example, Charles White's 1979 trophy was sold. However, trophies awarded since 1999 cannot be sold. The most money paid for a Heisman Trophy was for Bruce Smith's 1941 award. It sold for over $395,000.
Watching the Heisman Ceremony on TV
The Heisman Trophy presentation was not shown on television until 1977. Before that, it was just a short part of a college football game broadcast.
On December 8, 1977, CBS aired a special one-hour show. It celebrated the award being given to Earl Campbell. Since then, many TV networks have shown the ceremony. These include CBS, ABC, and NBC. Since 1994, ESPN has been broadcasting the Heisman Trophy presentation every year. The most-watched ceremony was in 2009. That year, Mark Ingram II won.
Winners
See also
In Spanish: Trofeo Heisman para niños
