Winners Archive - Heisman

Jay Berwanger

webapps — Fri, 19 Apr 1935 22:36:59 +0000

The University of Chicago’s great Jay Berwanger was the first recipient of the “Downtown Athletic Club Trophy,” later dubbed the Heisman Memorial Trophy. Born in 1914 in Dubuque, Iowa, Berwanger excelled at wrestling and track as well as football, winning renown as an all-state halfback at Dubuque High. After graduation, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Purdue […]

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Larry Kelley

webapps — Mon, 20 Apr 1936 14:33:14 +0000

Yale’s outstanding end, Larry Kelley, was the first player to be awarded the Heisman Memorial Trophy under that name and the first to do so primarily as a pass catcher when playing offense. He was also the first of two Yale players to win the trophy. Kelley, a native of Ohio, played high school football […]

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Clinton Frank

webapps — Tue, 20 Apr 1937 15:35:03 +0000

Frank joined his former teammate Larry Kelley as Yale’s second Heisman winner, marking the first of three times that a school would win the trophy in back-to-back seasons. Though born in St. Louis, Frank attended Evanston Township High in Evanston, Ill., where he obtained notoriety as a superb football player. However, he had a shoulder […]

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Davey O’Brien

webapps — Wed, 20 Apr 1938 15:36:00 +0000

O’Brien won TCU’s first Heisman while leading his team to an undefeated season. He is the smallest player to win the Heisman at 5-7, 151 pounds and the first Heisman winner from the Southwest Conference. O’Brien was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and played high school football at Woodrow Wilson High (later attended by […]

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Nile Kinnick

webapps — Thu, 20 Apr 1939 15:36:37 +0000

Kinnick won Iowa’s first Heisman while leading his team to a 6-1-1 record. Born in Adel, Iowa, Kinnick was the grandson of a governor and a star athlete in football and basketball at Adel High for three years before the family moved to Omaha, Neb., after his junior year. Kinnick grew to be 5-8 and […]

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Tom Harmon

webapps — Sat, 20 Apr 1940 15:37:21 +0000

Harmon is the first Michigan player to win the Heisman and the first of six players to also finish as runner up in the Heisman vote. Born in Rensselaer, Indiana, Harmon was an outstanding athlete at Horace Mann High. In addition to 14 varsity letters, he was twice named all-state quarterback, captain of the basketball […]

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Bruce Smith

webapps — Sun, 20 Apr 1941 15:38:19 +0000

Smith won Minnesota’s first Heisman while helping the Gophers win back-to-back national championships. He received his Heisman two days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Born in Faribault, Minnesota, Smith excelled at Faribault High. He chose to attend Minnesota, where his father had starred back in 1911. The marquis triple-threat tailback of his era, Smith […]

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Frank Sinkwich

webapps — Mon, 20 Apr 1942 14:39:41 +0000

Sinkwich is the first Georgia Bulldog to win the Heisman and the first Heisman winner to be born outside the United States. Born Oct. 10, 1920, in Zagreb, Croatia, Sinkwich was an outstanding high school star at Cheney High School in Youngstown, Ohio. He came to Georgia and led the freshman team of 1939 to […]

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Angelo Bertelli

webapps — Tue, 20 Apr 1943 14:42:12 +0000

Bertelli won Notre Dame’s first Heisman in 1943, the first T-formation quarterback to do so. He is one of six Heisman winners to also finish as a Heisman runner up. Born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, Bertelli matriculated at Springfield’s Cathedral High and was All State in football, baseball and hockey, while finding time to be […]

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Les Horvath

webapps — Thu, 20 Apr 1944 14:43:17 +0000

Horvath won Ohio State’s first Heisman. He’s one of two Heisman winners who later went on to become dentists. Born in South Bend, Indiana, Horvath spent most of his youth in Parma, Ohio. He played on the track, basketball and football teams for Parma until the 11th grade, but decided to switch schools as a […]

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Felix “Doc” Blanchard

webapps — Fri, 20 Apr 1945 14:44:09 +0000

Blanchard won Army’s first Heisman after helping lead the Knights to their second-straight national title. He is the first junior to win the Heisman. Blanchard was born in McColl, South Carolina. His family moved from McColl to Dexter, Iowa in 1929 and then to Bishopville, South Carolina two years later. Blanchard, nicknamed “Doc” due to […]

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Glenn Davis

webapps — Sat, 20 Apr 1946 15:44:45 +0000

One of the all-time college football greats, Davis won Army’s second Heisman while leading the Knights to a 9-0-1 finish and a No. 2 national finish. Davis was born and raised in Southern California, the son of a bank manager. Glenn and his twin brother Ralph played high school football at Bonita High in La […]

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John Lujack

webapps — Sun, 20 Apr 1947 15:45:31 +0000

Johnny Lujack won Notre Dame’s second Heisman while leading the Irish to a 9-0 record and national title in 1947. Born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, the youngest of four sons and fifth child in a family of six children, Lujack starred for the Connellsville High football team from 1939 to 1941, and was also senior class […]

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Doak Walker

webapps — Tue, 20 Apr 1948 15:46:13 +0000

Walker captured SMU’s first Heisman in 1948 while leading the Mustangs to a 9-1-1 record and a 10th-place poll finish. He is the second junior to win the award. Born in Dallas, Texas, Ewell Doak Walker lettered in five sports at Highland Park High. He competed in basketball, swimming, track, baseball, and football, but his […]

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Leon Hart

webapps — Wed, 20 Apr 1949 15:46:58 +0000

Hart was Notre Dame’s third Heisman winner and the last of two ends to win the award. He is also the largest Heisman winner in history at 6-5, 260 pounds. Born in Pittsburgh, Penn., Hart grew up in Turtle Creek, a suburb of the Steel City. Leon quickly became the best player on Turtle Creek […]

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