1985 - 51st Award
Vincent 'Bo' Jackson
Auburn Back

The 51st winner of the Heisman Trophy, Auburn's great running back Bo Jackson, is such a remarkable all-round athlete that, if there were Heisman awards in baseball and track, he would almost certainly have won them, too. As the nation's premier ball carrier, Jackson was the spearhead of Auburn's return to football prominence. Under the inspired direction of Coach Pat Dye, the school has produced the best teams since the national championship days of 1957, when the revered Ralph "Shug" Jordan coached the Tigers to first place in the Associated Press poll. Jackson was the second Auburn football star to win the Heisman Trophy. In 1971, quarterback Pat Sullivan took the prize. In his freshman year Bo averaged 6.4 yards per rush, sprinted a 6.18 second-yard dash for the track team, and hit .279 as the starting centerfielder in baseball. In 1985, Jackson led the nation in all four main categories of ball-carrying as late as the eighth week of the season. At that point, he was tops in total rushing yardage, average per carry, touchdowns scored, and yards-per-game. Bo retired from baseball in 1995 and is pursuing an acting career.

Elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Voting

This was the closest of all Heisman Trophy votes as only 45 points separated the winners, Auburn running back Bo Jackson, from the runner-up, Iowa quarterback Chuck Long. Each player won three sections and finished second in the section he did not win.

No. of registered electors: 1,050
Date of announcement: December 7, 1985
Date of dinner: December 12, 1985

The positions within each region are as follows:

Runners-up
Chuck Long - Iowa
Robbie Bosco - Brigham Young
Lorenzo White - Michigan State
Vinny Testaverde - Miami