Introduced in 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan, the Heisman Trophy is presented to the best player in college football.
Well, that’s the idea behind it. But plenty of fans across the country would roll their eyes and nitpick the voting every year.
According to the Heisman Trophy website, the trophy is awarded for “outstanding performance which best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.” It goes on to add that “winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance and hard work.”
Those metrics aren’t exactly quantifiable, but most of the time the correct player gets the award at the end of the season.
Just 18 FBS schools have had multiple Heisman Trophy winners—but among those a few schools have won a seemingly disproportionate number of winners—which just shows the level of talent that usually those programs bring in.
Which College Holds the Record for the Most Heisman Trophies?
The USC Trojans lead the all-time Heisman race, with eight winners dating back to 1965. The most recent was quarterback Caleb Williams in 2022.
Notre Dame has seven Heisman winners, with most coming in the 1940s and 1950s. The latest was wide receiver Tim Brown in 1987.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are tied with Notre Dame with seven. The Buckeyes have the only back-to-back winner in Archie Griffin (who won in 1974 and 1975). The program’s most recent winner was Troy Smith in 2006.
The Oklahoma Sooners also have seven Heisman winners, dating all the way back to 1952 (Billy Vessels). Quarterback Kyler Murray is the latest Sooner to win the award, doing so in 2018.
Alabama finds itself in a distant third place with four Heisman winners. Despite the program’s rich history, the Crimson Tide’s four winners all came in the last 15 years.
Full List of Colleges With the Most Heisman Trophy Winners
USC Trojans (8): Caleb Williams (2022), Reggie Bush (2005), Matt Leinart (2004), Carson Palmer (2002), Marcus Allen (1981), Charles White (1979), O.J. Simpson (1968), Mike Garrett (1965)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7): Tim Brown (1987), John Huarte (1964), Paul Hornung (1956), John Lattner (1953), Leon Hart (1949), John Lujack (1947), Angelo Bertelli (1943)
Ohio State Buckeyes (7): Troy Smith (2006), Eddie George (1995), Archie Griffin (1975), Archie Griffin (1974), Howard Cassady (1955), Vic Janowicz (1950), Les Horvath (1944)
Oklahoma Sooners (7): Kyler Murray (2018), Baker Mayfield (2017), Sam Bradford (2008), Jason White (2003), Billy Sims (1978), Steve Owens (1969), Billy Vessels (1952)
Alabama Crimson Tide (4): Bryce Young (2021), DeVonta Smith (2020), Derrick Henry (2015), Mark Ingram (2009).
USC: a Legacy of Heisman Trophy Winners
The Trojans have had five dominant running backs (and three quarterbacks) take home the Heisman. It all began with Mike Garrett in 1965, a player who was set to join UCLA before a last-minute scholarship offer. Garrett rushed for 1,440 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.
OJ Simpson, nearly 30 years before his infamous murder trial, ran for 1,880 yards and 23 touchdowns during his Heisman Trophy-winning season.
Charles White was a tough, nasty runner who was as gritty as any player to buckle up their chinstrap. White rushed for 200 yards four times during his final season, leading USC to three Rose Bowl wins during his collegiate career.
Marcus Allen came to USC as a defensive back before switching to fullback and watching Charles White win his Heisman Trophy. Once Allen became the starting tailback, he became the first player to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.
Reggie Bush’s 2005 season provided some one-of-a-kind highlights. His explosiveness was well documented as he averaged 7.3 yards per carry during his USC career, scoring 40 total touchdowns.
Carson Palmer was the first quarterback to win a Heisman Trophy at USC—a school once known for its “Student Body Left, Student Body Right” offensive mentality. The Trojans were in the midst of a down stretch before Palmer threw for nearly 4,000 yards during his Heisman season.
Matt Leinart played behind Palmer before earning the starting quarterback spot in 2003. As a junior he led the Trojans to an undefeated national championship season, throwing 33 touchdowns and winning the Heisman.
Caleb Williams is the most recent USC player to take home the award, doing so in 2022 as a sophomore after scoring 52 total touchdowns and throwing just five interceptions.
Notre Dame’s Heisman Dominance in College Football History
Angelo Bertelli played in just six games during the 1943 season before being called into active duty during World War II. However, he made those games count. Bertelli threw for 512 yards and 10 touchdowns, becoming the first Fighting Irish player to win the award.
Johnny Lujack lost just one game during his college career—a career which was split by two years of naval service during World War II. He led Notre Dame to a 9-0 record and threw for 777 yards and nine touchdowns during his Heisman season in 1947.
Leon Hart is just the second tight end to ever win the Heisman, doing so in 1949 after catching 19 passes and five touchdowns. Hart finished with two ties, but never lost a game during his collegiate career.
Johnny Lattner is an interesting case, as he didn’t lead Notre Dame in rushing or passing in 1953. But he did a bit of everything, amassing 855 total yards and leading the Irish to a 9-0-1 record.
Paul Hornung is the only player to win a Heisman during a losing season. Notre Dame went just 2–8 in 1956, but the “Golden Boy” threw for 917 yards and three touchdowns, adding 420 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He is regarded as one of the best players in the history of Notre Dame football.
John Huarte barely saw the field during a horrendous 2–7 season for the Fighting Irish in 1963, but everything changed one year later. Huarte threw for nearly 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns en route to a 9–1 turnaround season.
There was only one way to describe Tim Brown: electric. The explosive wide receiver caught three touchdowns, ran in another and returned three punts for touchdowns during his 1987 Heisman-winning season.
Oklahoma: a Modern Heisman Factory
Billy Vessels won the 1952 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first player to win the award after rushing for 1,000 yards. This season was a bit of a redemption for Vessels, who broke his leg the previous year and missed most of the season.
Steve Owens was the program’s second Heisman winner, hoisting the trophy after a 1969 season that saw him score 23 touchdowns and run for 1,523 yards. This was Owens’ second 1,500-yard season.
Billy Sims won the Heisman in 1978 after an injury-plagued season in 1977. Sims ran for 1,762 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. Sims finished first in the voting ahead of Penn State’s Chuck Fusina, despite having fewer first place votes.
Jason White threw for 3,744 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2003, leading the Sooners to the BCS national championship. White and Oklahoma fell just short to LSU, but after tearing both ACLs during his playing career, White epitomized determination.
Sam Bradford put up a whopping 53 touchdowns in 2008, beating out Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow to win the Heisman. The Sooners had the highest-scoring offense in NCAA history that season, but fell just short of the national championship.
Baker Mayfield became the first Heisman winner to begin his career as a walk-on (at least since scholarships became a thing in 1950). Mayfield threw for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2017, leading Oklahoma to a 12–1 record. He was the first senior to win the award since 2006.
Kyler Murray gave the Sooners back-to-back Heismans in 2018—just the fourth time in history a program had two consecutive winners. Murray posted nearly 5,000 yards of total offense and scored 51 touchdowns.
Ohio State: Producing Heisman Legends
Les Horvath was the first Ohio State player to take home the Heisman, rushing for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1944. The Buckeyes were undefeated that season, but finished No. 2 behind Army, prompting fans to call themselves the “Civilian National Champions.”
Vic Janowicz’s 27-yard field goal against Michigan in the Snow Bowl, with the wind whipping and practically zero visibility, was called “one of the greatest feats in American sports” by a panel of sportswriters. But that might not have been his most impressive performance during the 1950 season. That came against Iowa, where he scored an 11-yard touchdown run, a 61-yard punt return touchdown and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass … all in the first five minutes of the game. Oh, he also recovered two fumbles during that five-minute run.
In 1955, Howard "Hopalong" Cassady won the Heisman by the largest margin of any player up to that point. He ran for 958 yards and scored 14 touchdowns that season and finished his career as the Buckeyes leader in rushing yards, all-purpose yards and scoring.
Archie Griffin remains the only player to win back-to-back Heismans, doing so in 1974 and 1975. Griffin ran for 2,977 yards and 16 touchdowns over those two seasons, leading the Buckeyes to a 21-3 record.
Eddie George led the Buckeyes to a then-record 11 wins and rushed for 1,826 yards and 23 touchdowns. The menacing running back rushed for 100+ yards in each of his final 12 games. When he left, George was second in OSU history with 3,768 career rushing yards.
In 2006, Troy Smith won Ohio State’s seventh Heisman Trophy. The Buckeyes went undefeated that season, thanks in large part to Smith’s stellar play. He completed 65% of his passes for 2,542 yards and 30 touchdowns.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Which College Has Won the Most Heisman Trophies?.
