Heisman Legends
No one more thoroughly studied the dynamics of football, nor witnessed more closely the game's evolution, nor personally knew more immortals of the gridiron, nor effected more change in the game's development, than John W. Heisman. In his coaching career, Heisman changed the face of the game that became America's passion. What he considered his greatest contribution, the forward pass, became legalized in 1906. Much of the official rule book in the day adopted Heisman's suggestions word for word.
The idea of an award to the most outstanding college football player was originally conceived by members of the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan. Renowned for its devotion to sports, members of the Downtown Athletic Club appointed a Club Trophy Committee charged with conducting the first award presentation at the conclusion of the 1935 football season.
Although the Heisman Trophy Award is not the only award honoring the best player in college football, it is considered the most prestigious.
| YEAR | NAME | SCHOOL | POSITION | CLASS | POINTS |
| 1935 | Jay Berwanger | Chicago | RB | Sr. | 84 |
| 1936 | Larry Kelley | Yale | END | Sr. | 219 |
| 1937 | Clint Frank | Yale | QB | Sr. | 524 |
| 1938 | Davey O'Brien | TCU | QB | Sr. | 519 |
| 1939 | Nile Kinnick | Iowa | RB | Sr. | 651 |
| 1940 | Tom Harmon | Michigan | RB | Sr. | 1,303 |
| 1941 | Bruce Smith | Minnesota | RB | Sr. | 554 |
| 1942 | Frank Sinkwich | Georgia | RB | Sr. | 1,059 |
| 1943 | Angelo Bertelli | Notre Dame | QB | Sr. | 648 |
| 1944 | Les Horvath | Ohio State | QB | Sr. | 412 |
| 1945 | Doc Blanchard | Army | FB | Jr. | 860 |
| 1946 | Glenn Davis | Army | RB | Sr. | 792 |
| 1947 | John Lujack | Notre Dame | QB | Sr. | 742 |
| 1948 | Doak Walker | Southern Methodist | RB | Jr. | 778 |
| 1949 | Leon Hart | Notre Dame | E | Sr. | 995 |
| 1950 | Vic Janowicz | Ohio State | RB | Jr. | 633 |
| 1951 | Dick Kazmaier | Princeton | RB | Sr. | 1,777 |
| 1952 | Billy Vessels | Oklahoma | RB | Sr. | 525 |
| 1953 | John Lattner | Notre Dame | RB | Sr. | 1,850 |
| 1954 | Alan Ameche | Wisconsin | FB | Sr. | 1,068 |
| 1955 | Howard Cassady | Ohio State | RB | Sr. | 2,219 |
| 1956 | Paul Hornung | Notre Dame | QB | Sr. | 1,066 |
| 1957 | John David Crow | Texas A&M | RB | Sr. | 1,183 |
| 1958 | Pete Dawkins | Army | RB | Sr. | 1,394 |
| 1959 | Billy Cannon | Louisiana State | RB | Sr. | 1,929 |
| 1960 | Joe Bellino | Navy | RB | Sr. | 1,793 |
| 1961 | Ernie Davis | Syracuse | RB | Sr. | 824 |
| 1962 | Terry Baker | Oregon State | QB | Sr. | 707 |
| 1963 | Roger Staubach | Navy | QB | Jr. | 1,860 |
| 1964 | John Huarte | Notre Dame | QB | Sr. | 1,026 |
| 1965 | Mike Garrett | USC | RB | Sr. | 926 |
| 1966 | Steve Spurrier | Florida | QB | Sr. | 1,679 |
| 1967 | Gary Beban | UCLA | QB | Sr. | 1,968 |
| 1968 | O.J. Simpson | USC | RB | Sr. | 2,853 |
| 1969 | Steve Owens | Oklahoma | FB | Sr. | 1,488 |
| 1970 | Jim Plunkett | Stanford | QB | Sr. | 2,229 |
| 1971 | Pat Sullivan | Auburn | QB | Sr. | 1,597 |
| 1972 | Johnny Rodgers | Nebraska | RB | Sr. | 1,310 |
| 1973 | John Cappelletti | Penn State | RB | Sr. | 1,057 |
| 1974 | Archie Griffin | Ohio State | RB | Jr. | 1,920 |
| 1975 | Archie Griffin | Ohio State | RB | Sr. | 1,800 |
| 1976 | Tony Dorsett | Pittsburgh | RB | Sr. | 2,357 |
| 1977 | Earl Campbell | Texas | RB | Sr. | 1,547 |
| 1978 | Billy Sims | Oklahoma | RB | Jr. | 827 |
| 1979 | Charles White | USC | RB | Sr. | 1,695 |
| 1980 | George Rogers | South Carolina | RB | Sr. | 1,128 |
| 1981 | Marcus Allen | USC | RB | Sr. | 1,797 |
| 1982 | Herschel Walker | Georgia | RB | Jr. | 1,926 |
| 1983 | Mike Rozier | Nebraska | RB | Sr. | 1,801 |
| 1984 | Doug Flutie | Boston College | QB | Sr. | 2,240 |
| 1985 | Bo Jackson | Auburn | RB | Sr. | 1,509 |
| 1986 | Vinny Testaverde | Miami (Fla) | QB | Sr. | 2,213 |
| 1987 | Tim Brown | Notre Dame | WR | Sr. | 1,442 |
| 1988 | Barry Sanders | Oklahoma State | RB | Jr. | 1,878 |
| 1989 | Andre Ware | Houston | QB | Jr. | 1,073 |
| 1990 | Ty Detmer | Brigham Young | QB | Jr. | 1,482 |
| 1991 | Desmond Howard | Michigan | WR | Jr. | 2,077 |
| 1992 | Gino Torretta | Miami (Fla) | QB | Sr. | 1,400 |
| 1993 | Charlie Ward | Florida State | QB | Sr. | 2,310 |
| 1994 | Rashaan Salaam | Colorado | RB | Jr. | 1,743 |
| 1995 | Eddie George | Ohio State | RB | Sr. | 1,460 |
| 1996 | Danny Wuerffel | Florida | QB | Sr. | 1,363 |
| 1997 | Charles Woodson | Michigan | CB | Jr. | 1,815 |
| 1998 | Ricky Williams | Texas | RB | Sr. | 2,355 |
| 1999 | Ron Dayne | Wisconsin | RB | Sr. | 2,042 |
| 2000 | Chris Weinke | Florida State | QB | Sr. | 1,628 |
| 2001 | Eric Crouch | Nebraska | QB | Sr. | 770 |
| 2002 | Carson Palmer | USC | QB | Sr. | 1,328 |
| 2003 | Jason White | Oklahoma | QB | Jr. | 1,481 |
| 2004 | Matt Leinart | USC | QB | Jr. | 1,325 |
| 2005 | Reggie Bush | USC | RB | Jr. | 2,541 |
| 2006 | Troy Smith | Ohio State | QB | Sr. | 2,540 |
| 2007 | Tim Tebow | Florida | QB | Soph. | 1,957 |
| 2008 | Sam Bradford | Oklahoma | QB | Soph. | 1,726 |