The Heisman Trophy: The Best in College Football

With the Football season just around the corner, I wanted to make a point of one of Colleges most prestigious accolades. The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding Footballer at a Collegiate Level in the United States.

Recognising players who show great ability, diligence, perseverance and hard work within the college football system. This award commemorates John Heisman, who was a player at the college level, coached football, basketball and baseball. Further into his career he was also the director of Athletics for a variety of colleges. The award was originally eligible to students east of the Mississippi but was later made a national award in 1936.

One of the most recognisable trophies to be awarded to student athletes, the stiff arm pose has featured in many touchdown celebrations and is a classic footballing pose. The Heisman Trophy is open to all College Football players but is usually awarded to those representing division one colleges. Players are selected by three categories of eligible voters, consisting of Sports Journalists, Previous Winners and Fans.

Previous winners of the Heisman Trophy include Superbowl 50 Quaterback Cam Newton and current NFL MVP. Marcus Mariota, first round draft pick for the Tennessee Titans. Barry Sanders one of the greatest running backs to play the game. OJ Simpson a devastating NFL running back in his prime, and Charles Woodson, the only player to not be a quarterback or running back to win the award.

The award rewards excellence at the college level, yet sometimes this excellence does not transition into the NFL. A few examples of this can be seen in Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford, two players who were exceptional at the college level, yet that did not transition into success in the NFL.

A Full List of Heisman Trophy winners can be found on the Heisman website as well as a full history of John W. Heisman and how the trophy design was created.

www.heisman.com