The Ohio State University

Troy Smith became Ohio State's seventh Heisman winner after leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular season in 2006.

Heisman Winner

Troy Smith

QB | RS Senior | The Ohio State University

Troy Smith became Ohio State’s seventh Heisman winner after leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular season in 2006. He joined Les Horvath (’44), Vic Janowicz (’50), Howard Cassady (’55), two-time winner Archie Griffin (’74-’75), and Eddie George (’95) as Buckeye Heisman recipients.

Smith was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland. Smith played his first two years at St. Edward High in Lakewood, Ohio, but later transferred to Glenville High, where he finished out his prep career.

A fine athlete, but a diamond-in-the-rough at quarterback, Smith didn’t garner much recruiting attention after throwing for 969 yards and 12 touchdowns as a 2001 senior. But he did garner a scholarship offer from Ohio State, where he enrolled the following fall.

After redshirting in 2002, Smith got on the field in 2003 as a running back and kick returner for the Buckeyes, compiling 14 yards rushing and 83 return yards.

He entered his sophomore season as the backup quarterback but took over as the starter halfway through the 2004 season. Smith won four of the five games he started and finished the season with 896 passing yards and 8 touchdowns to go with 339 rushing yards and two scores.

Smith took over the staring quarterback spot in 2005, leading the Buckeyes to a Fiesta Bowl win while throwing for 2,282 yards and 16 scores and rushing for 611 yards and 11 touchdowns.

It was in 2006 that Smith came into his own, completing 67 percent of his passes for 2,507 yards and 30 touchdowns with just five interceptions while leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular season. He capped the year by receiving 86.7 percent of the Heisman vote, the second highest percentage in the history of the award.

While things did not go so well for Ohio State in the 2007 BCS title game, Smith will probably most be known by Buckeye fans for his performances against archrival Michigan. In three games against the Wolverines, Smith totaled 1,151 yards of total offense, two rushing touchdowns, and seven passing touchdowns. The Buckeyes won all three games, making Smith the first Ohio State quarterback since Tippy Dye (1934–1936) to quarterback in three victories over Michigan, and the first to win three straight games against Michigan as a starter.

Smith graduated from Ohio State with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL draft (174th overall) by the Baltimore Ravens. He later played for the 49ers, the Steelers and in the CFL.

More Articles About Troy Smith

Heisman Voting Results

Number of electors: 924 - Announced: December 9, 2006.

 PlayerClassPositionSchool1st2nd3rdTotal Points
1Troy SmithRS SRQBOhio State80162132540
2Darren McFaddenSORBArkansas45298147878
3Brady QuinnSRQBNotre Dame13276191782
4Steve SlatonSORBWest Virginia65194214
5Mike HartJRRBMichigan55879210
6Colt BrennanRS JRQBHawaii64496202
7Ray RiceSORBRutgers1164479
8Ian JohnsonRS SORBBoise State1134473
9Dwayne JarrettJRWRUSC1112247
10Calvin JohnsonJRWRGeorgia Tech182443

Three points are awarded for first place on a ballot, with two points for second place and one point for third place.

Heisman Voting By Region

Heisman voters are spread out across six regions, with roughly 145 per region.

South

 PlayerPoints
1Troy Smith409
2Darren McFadden227
3Brady Quinn96

Northeast

 PlayerPoints
1Troy Smith431
2Brady Quinn171
3Darren McFadden107

Mid-Atlantic

 PlayerPoints
1Troy Smith413
2Darren McFadden117
3Brady Quinn112

Midwest

 PlayerPoints
1Troy Smith451
2Brady Quinn151
3Darren McFadden120

Southwest

 PlayerPoints
1Troy Smith447
2Darren McFadden209
3Brady Quinn119

Far West

 PlayerPoints
1Troy Smith389
2Brady Quinn133
3Darren McFadden98

Statistics

DateOpponentResultAttCompPctYardsYPATDIntRatingRush AttYardsYPCTDPlaysTotal OffYPPTotal TDs
09/02/06Northern IllinoisW 35-12251872.029711.8830211.391-1-1.0002629611.383
09/09/06at #13 TexasW 24-7261765.426910.3520177.687-13-1.860332567.762
09/16/06CincinnatiW 37-7302170.02036.7720148.84400.000342035.972
09/23/06#24 Penn StW 28-6221254.51155.231295.273186.000251335.321
09/30/06at IowaW 38-17251664.01867.4440179.307202.860322066.444
10/07/06Bowling GreenW 35-7201785.01919.5530214.727547.710272459.073
10/14/06at Michigan StateW 38-7221568.223410.6420187.533103.330252449.762
10/21/06IndianaW 44-3231565.22209.5740202.964389.500272589.564
10/28/06MinnesotaW 44-0211466.71838.7110155.586437.171272268.372
11/04/06at IllinioisW 17-10231356.51084.700187.2711373.360341454.260
11/11/06at NorthwesternW 54-10191263.21859.7441203.895153.000242008.334
11/18/06#8 MichiganW 42-39412970.73167.7141162.794123.000453287.294
Heisman StatsBCS #1, AP #112-029719967.025078.44305167.87622333.76135927407.6331
01/08/07+ #1 FloridaL 14-4114428.6352.500135.2910-29-2.9002460.250
TotalsBCS #2, AP #212-131120365.325428.17306161.91722042.83138327467.1731

(+) Neutral site

Media

Ohio State University Heisman winner Troy Smith 2006
Troy Smith with Heisman Trophy Award