Who are the 10 best Heisman Trophy snubs of all time?

It takes a special season to win the Heisman Trophy, and sometimes the most special season doesn’t even make it.

The Heisman is supposed to go to the most outstanding college football player each year, but that’s how voters cast their ballots. Some may remember the controversial choice of Reggie Bush over Vince Young during the 2005 season as one of the most recent examples.

However, aside from 2005, who are the most infamous Heisman snubs in college football history?

Here are the 10 biggest snubs of all time, courtesy of Fox Sports Research.

10. Eddie George won over Tommie Frazier (1995)

George was incredible in 1995. As a senior, the star halfback rushed for a nation-leading 1,826 yards along with 23 touchdowns. Those numbers jump off the page, and George was a big reason Ohio State went 11-2.

However, Frazier was better! He threw for 1,362 yards and 17 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He also ran for 604 yards on 6.2 yards per carry with 14 more touchdowns. If voters have taught us anything, it’s that the Heisman is a team award and a player award. Nebraska and Frazier posted a pristine 12-0 record in 1995, were ranked No. 1 at the end of the year, and were national champions for the second consecutive season after their Fiesta Bowl victory. It’s hard to go against that success.

A defensive player? For the Heisman? Yes, you read that right. RG3 put on a show in 2011, throwing for 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns. Those are big numbers. He also coached a Baylor team that had a history of struggling to a 10-3 record and a 13th ranking in the final poll.

Despite that, Mathieu was special in 2011. He was all over the field for LSU, recording 76 tackles, 1.5 sacks, nine passes defended and an SEC-leading six forced fumbles. On top of that, he had two fumble return touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns. Almost literally he did all For the Tigers, they spent a good portion of the year ranked No. 1 and put together a season that should make any defender a Heisman favorite.

8. George Rogers won over Herschel Walker (1980)

This race came down to one of the best returnees in the country against a dominant new freshman. In the 1980s, there was a feeling that a freshman could never win the Heisman. That undoubtedly factored into the decision, but the numbers were very close. Rogers rushed for 1,781 yards, Walker rushed for 1,616 yards. Walker had 15 rushing touchdowns, and Rogers had 14. There wasn’t much separating the two dominant backs.

As close as those numbers were, there was one thing that gave Walker what should have been a clear advantage. He showed up in the biggest games, rushing for 219 yards against South Carolina and then 238 yards a week later against Florida; 457 yards over two weeks is the stuff of legends.

7. Archie Griffin won over Chuck Muncie (1975)

Grifin had a great year, but struggled to find the end zone at the level he was in his previous season (also a Heisman-winning campaign). Griffin finished with a touchdown on just four of his carries. He was able to rush for 1,357 yards, and normally, that would seem like a very deserving year. However, not this year.

Muncie came in with 1,460 rushing yards and nine more rushing touchdowns than Griffin, finishing with 13 for the season. He would also add two more receiving touchdowns, helping him lead the nation in scrimmage touchdowns with 15. However, the big difference between the two was that Griffin played for 11-1 Ohio State, while Muncie played for 8-3 Cal.

6. Chris Weinke won over the Ladainian Tomlinson (2000)

Weinke had a very good season, leading Florida State to the BCS championship game and leading the FBS in passing yards while being second in passing touchdowns. That seemed to tip the balance in his favor with the narrative of running a top team.

Tomlinson, on the other hand, was playing for a team that had no history of success. TCU ultimately finished with its first 10-win season since 1938, but LT was, if not the only reason, one of the two main reasons. He led the FBS in rushing for the second consecutive season and had multiple games with over 200 yards rushing to go along with multiple rushing touchdowns. In the end, Tomlinson totaled 369 rushes, more than double the total number of passes the team threw that season.

5. Reggie Bush won over Vince Young (2005)

Everyone knows USC was a powerhouse in the early 2000s. Matt Leinart won the Heisman in 2004, with Bush finishing a distant fifth. After that, Bush helped lead USC back to the title game in 2005, leading the FBS with 8.7 yards per rush attempt. Overall, he rushed for 1,740 yards, third best in the nation, while leading the nation in yards from scrimmage.

Young, however, had a magical season. He finished second in Heisman voting behind his dominant season, where he finished with 3,026 passing yards along with 26 passing touchdowns, 1,050 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores. Simply put, he was a one-man wrecking crew. The magical season, of course, was capped with a national title for Texas against Bush and USC.

4. Gino Torretta won over Marshall Faulk (1992)

Torretta was an absolute stud in 1991, throwing for 3,095 yards to lead the country. However, in 1992, he had 3,065 passing yards but did not lead the nation in any major categories. Miami (Florida) did not win the title either. It was a very solid season, but this felt like an award that was given because of previous success, not because of what was done at the time.

The real star of the 1992 season, and the real winner, should have been Faulk. The Do-It throwback led the nation with 24 touchdowns from scrimmage, combining that with an FBS-leading 300 carries and 1,530 rushing yards. The only mark that likely sunk his candidacy was the fact that San Diego State was only 6-6 and therefore never propelled him into the national spotlight.

White had a great year for Oklahoma in 2003. No one disputes how dominant he was. White threw 40 touchdowns and had 3,846 passing yards. Those numbers are incredible, but none of those numbers led the nation. He didn’t even post the best numbers at his position.

That season pales in comparison to the outstanding numbers Fitzgerald put up for Pitt. The future NFL Hall of Famer won the receiving triple crown in 2003, hauling in 92 balls to go along with 1,672 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns, or nearly two touchdowns. per game. White was really good, but Fitzgerald was next level good.

2. Gary Beban won over OJ Simpson (1967)

In 1967, Beban won the Heisman due to his success on the air. He finished the season leading the nation in completions (87), passing attempts (156), completion percentage (55.8), passing yards (1,359) and passing touchdowns (8). Those numbers don’t surprise you now, but that was a different era.

Even with that, however, Simpson simply had a better year. He led the nation with 266 rushing attempts, 1,415 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He even led the nation with 276 plays from scrimmage, making him the most impactful player in the entire country. He would make up for the snub with a Heisman victory the next season.

1. Paul Hornung won over Jim Brown, Johnny Majors and Tommy McDonald (1956)

Hornung winning the Heisman was a surprising event. He passed for less than 1,000 yards and rushed for less than 500 yards, while throwing just three touchdowns to 13 interceptions. Those aren’t numbers you’d expect from a Heisman winner, and you’ll even know it was a different era offensively.

What makes it more surprising is the fact that Majors, McDonald and Brown all had really solid years. They had seven, 12 and 13 rushing touchdowns, respectively. On top of that, McDonald and Brown nearly eclipsed 1,000 yards. Brown checked in with 986 rushing yards, while McDonald was a little behind with 853 yards. Any of those three would have been better choices for the sport’s biggest prize.

Honorable mentions:

• 1964 John Huarte on Jerry Rhome
• 1980 George Rogers on Herschel Walker
• 1990 Ty Detmer Ove Eric Bienny
• 2004: Matt Leinart Over Adrian Peterson

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