Sporting News College Football Player of the Year

Beginning in 1942 The Sporting News, now known as Sporting News, awarded the top collegiate football player its own award. The publication picked players that often were not seriously considered by the Downtown Athletic Club

Downtown Athletic Club

The Downtown Athletic Club was a private social club and athletic club in a 35-story building located at 19 West Street, in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA.-History:...

, who voted on the Heisman Trophy

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

, such as underclassman or defensive players.

Winners

Year	Winner	School
1942	Frank Sinkwich Frank Sinkwich Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. won the 1942 Heisman Trophy as a player for the University of Georgia, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conference. In the course of a brief but celebrated career in professional football, Sinkwich was selected for the National Football League Most...	Georgia
1943	Angelo Bertelli Angelo Bertelli Angelo Bortolo Bertelli was an American football player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1943 playing as a quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.-Early life:...	Notre Dame
1944	Les Horvath Les Horvath Leslie "Les" Horvath was the 1944 Heisman Trophy winner, who played quarterback and halfback for the Ohio State University.- Early life :He was born in South Bend, Indiana, and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area....	Ohio State
1945	Felix Blanchard	Army
1946	Glenn Davis	Army
1947	John Lujack	Notre Dame
1948	Doak Walker Doak Walker Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. was an American football player who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a teammate of Bobby Layne in high school and the NFL.-Early life:...	SMU
1949	Leon Hart Leon Hart Leon Joseph Hart was an American football tight end and defensive end. He was raised in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh....	Notre Dame
1950	Vic Janowicz Vic Janowicz Victor Felix "Vic" Janowicz was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Ohio State University and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1952 NFL Draft...	Ohio State
1951	Dick Kazmaier Dick Kazmaier Richard Kazmaier was an American football player for Princeton University from 1949 through 1951 and winner of the 1951 Heisman Trophy. As a halfback, kicker and quarterback, he ended his career third all time in Princeton history with over 4000 yards of offense and 55 touchdowns...	Princeton
1952	Billy Vessels Billy Vessels Billy Vessels was a standout football player in his hometown of Cleveland, Oklahoma, where he was known as "Curly." He went on to play college football for the University of Oklahoma and win the 1952 Heisman trophy. He was the first Oklahoman to win the award, which is given to the nation's top...	Oklahoma
1953	John Lattner	Notre Dame
1954	Howard Cassady	Ohio State
1955	Howard Cassady	Ohio State
1956	Tommy McDonald	Oklahoma
1957	John David Crow John David Crow John David Crow was the Heisman Trophy winner and halfback from Texas A&M University in 1957...	Texas A&M
1958	Billy Cannon Billy Cannon William Abb "Billy" Cannon is an All-American, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner and 2008 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and one of the American Football League's most celebrated players.He was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and moved...	Louisiana State
1959	Billy Cannon	Louisiana State
1960	Joe Bellino Joe Bellino Joseph Michael Bellino is a former American football halfback in the American Football League for the Boston Patriots. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1960.-Early life:...	Navy
1961	Bob Ferguson Bob Ferguson (American football) Robert E. "Bob" Ferguson was an American football running back and member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He is considered by many to be the greatest fullback in the history of the Ohio State University Buckeyes.Ferguson attended Troy High School in Troy, Ohio.Ferguson's first year of...	Ohio State
1962	Terry Baker Terry Baker For the Canadian football player of the same name see Terry Baker .Terry Wayne Baker is a former quarterback for the Oregon State University football team. He played for them through the 1960-1962 seasons. He is most notable for winning the 1962 Heisman Trophy and playing the Final Four in the...	Oregon State
1963	Roger Staubach Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...	Navy
1964	Dick Butkus Dick Butkus Richard Marvin "Dick" Butkus is a former American football player for the Chicago Bears. He was drafted in 1965 and he is also widely regarded as one of the best and most durable linebackers of all time. Butkus starred as a football player for the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears. He...	Illinois
1965	Donny Anderson Donny Anderson Garry Don "Donny" Anderson is a former professional American football player who played nine years in the National Football League...	Texas Tech
1965	Jim Grabowski Jim Grabowski James S.Grabowski is a former American football player and broadcaster. Grabowski played collegiately at the University of Illinois and professionally for the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, and served as an analyst on University of Illinois football radio broadcasts for nearly 30 years,...	Illinois
1966	Steve Spurrier Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...	Florida
1967	Gary Beban Gary Beban Gary Joseph Beban is a former American football player. Son of an Italian-born mother and a first generation Croatian-American father, Beban won the 1967 Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious award in college football, and the Maxwell Award, while playing quarterback for the University of...	UCLA
1968	O.J. Simpson	Southern California
1969	Steve Owens	Oklahoma
1970	Jim Plunkett Jim Plunkett James William "Jim" Plunkett is a former American football quarterback who played college football for Stanford University, where he won the Heisman Trophy, and professionally for three National Football League teams: the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. ...	Stanford
1971	Ed Marinaro Ed Marinaro Ed Marinaro is an American former football player turned actor.-Football career:Marinaro played high school football in New Milford, New Jersey, for the New Milford High School Knights....	Cornell
1971	Pat Sullivan Pat Sullivan (American football) Patrick Joseph Sullivan is an American football coach and former player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1971 playing quarterback for the Auburn Tigers and then played in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. Sullivan is currently the head coach at Samford University...	Auburn
1972	Bert Jones Bert Jones Bertram Hays "Bert" Jones is a former LSU and NFL quarterback who played for the then Baltimore Colts and, briefly, the Los Angeles Rams. At Ruston High School, he was given the nickname, "The Ruston Rifle"...	Louisiana State
1973	John Hicks John Hicks Sir John Richard Hicks was a British economist and one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economics were his statement of consumer demand theory in microeconomics, and the IS/LM model , which...	Ohio State
1974	Archie Griffin Archie Griffin Archie Mason Griffin is a former American football running back. Griffin played seven seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. He is college football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner...	Ohio State
1975	Archie Griffin	Ohio State
1976	Tony Dorsett Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...	Pittsburgh
1977	Earl Campbell Earl Campbell Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame...	Texas
1978	Billy Sims Billy Sims Billy Sims is a former college football and NFL running back. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1978.-Early years:...	Oklahoma
1979	Charles White Charles White (American football) Charles White is a former professional American football running back. He had a distinguished college career and later played in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams.-College football:...	Southern California
1980	Hugh Green	Pittsburgh
1981	Marcus Allen Marcus Allen Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...	Southern California
1982	Herschel Walker Herschel Walker Herschel Junior Walker is an American mixed martial artist and a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and earned the 1982 Heisman Trophy. He began his professional career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League...	Georgia
1983	Mike Rozier Mike Rozier Michael Rozier is a former American collegiate and professional football running back who won the Heisman Trophy in 1983. He was born in Camden, New Jersey. Mike and his wife, Rochelle, an attorney, reside in South Jersey and together they have one son. Mike has two other children who reside in...	Nebraska
1984	Doug Flutie Doug Flutie Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...	Boston
1985	Bo Jackson Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985....	Auburn
1986	Vinny Testaverde Vinny Testaverde Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...	Miami (Fla.)
1987	Tim Brown	Notre Dame
1988	Barry Sanders Barry Sanders Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...	Oklahoma State
1989	Darian Hagan Darian Hagan Darian Hagan is a former American football and Canadian football player, who, since February 2005, is an assistant coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes football team.-College career:...	Colorado
1990	Raghib Ismail Raghib Ismail Raghib Ramadian Ismail is a retired professional American and Canadian football player, who played Wide receiver in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League. He played college football at Notre Dame...	Notre Dame
1991	Desmond Howard Desmond Howard Desmond Kevin Howard is a former NFL wide receiver, punt returner, and kickoff returner.He played football for the University of Michigan from 1989–1991 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1991...	Michigan
1992	Marvin Jones	Florida State
1993	Charlie Ward Charlie Ward Charlie Ward, Jr. is a retired American professional NBA basketball player, college football Heisman Trophy winner, Davey O'Brien Award winner and a Major League Baseball draftee. Ward is considered one of the best all-around athletes in the last quarter century...	Florida State
1994	Rashaan Salaam Rashaan Salaam Rashaan Iman Salaam is a former professional American football player. Salaam won the 1994 Heisman Trophy as a running back for the University of Colorado at Boulder, rushing for 2,055 yards by the end of the season. Salaam is the fourth major college football player to rush for over 2,000 yards...	Colorado
1995	Tommy Frazier	Nebraska
1996	Danny Wuerffel Danny Wuerffel Daniel Carl "Danny" Wuerffel is a former American college and professional football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and the 1996 national football championship while playing college football for the University of Florida. After graduating from Florida, he played for four National Football...	Florida
1997	Charles Woodson Charles Woodson Charles C. Woodson is an American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Michigan for the Michigan Wolverines. In 1997, Woodson led the Wolverines to a national championship...	Michigan
1998	Ricky Williams Ricky Williams Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...	Texas
1999	Ron Dayne Ron Dayne Ron Dayne is a former American football running back who is currently a free agent. He holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards, and he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy.-Early life:...	Wisconsin
2000	Chris Weinke Chris Weinke Christopher Jon Weinke is a former professional American football and baseball player. After spending six years in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball system, he enrolled at Florida State University at the age of 26, and played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles...	Florida State
2001	Eric Crouch Eric Crouch Eric Eugene Crouch is an American quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks. He also is a TV sports analyst and recreational equipment vendor....	Nebraska
2002	Carson Palmer Carson Palmer Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...	Southern California
2003	Jason White Jason White (American football) Jason White is a former American football quarterback who played for the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2004, during which he won the 2003 Heisman Trophy...	Oklahoma
2004	Alex Smith Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith is a professional American football player and starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Smith was drafted with the 1st-overall pick in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft by San Francisco from the University of Utah...	Utah
2005	Reggie Bush Reggie Bush Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...	Southern California
2006	Troy Smith Troy Smith Troy James Smith is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.Smith has also played for the San Francisco 49ers. He...	Ohio State
2007	Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...	Florida
2008	Graham Harrell Graham Harrell Graham Harrell is an American football quarterback. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers and is currently on their scout team. He played college football at Texas Tech.-Early years:...	Texas Tech
2008	Sam Bradford Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...	Oklahoma
2008	Colt McCoy Colt McCoy Daniel "Colt" McCoy is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...	Texas
2009	Mark Ingram Mark Ingram, Jr. Mark Ingram, Jr. is a running back for the New Orleans Saints. Ingram is the son of former NFL wide receiver Mark Ingram, Sr....	Alabama
2010	Cam Newton Cam Newton Cameron Lemark Newton is a former American football safety. He played college football at Furman University, then played two seasons in the NFL, one each for the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. He was cut from the Panthers before the 2007 season...	Auburn

Winners by school

School	Winners
Ohio State Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...	9
Oklahoma University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...	6
Notre Dame University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...	6
USC University of Southern California The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...	5
Florida University of Florida The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...	3
Florida State	3
LSU	3
Nebraska	3
Texas University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...	3
Army United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...	2
Auburn	3
Colorado University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...	2
Georgia University of Georgia The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...	2
Illinois	2
Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...	2
Navy United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...	2
Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...	2
Texas Tech Texas Tech University Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...	2
Alabama University of Alabama The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....	1
Boston College Boston College Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...	1
Cornell Cornell University Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...	1
Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...	1
Oklahoma State	1
Oregon State Oregon State University Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...	1
Princeton Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....	1
SMU Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...	1
Stanford Stanford University The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...	1
Texas A&M Texas A&M University Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...	1
UCLA University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...	1
Utah University of Utah The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...	1
Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...	1

Winners

Winners by school

See also