Ranking Heisman Trophy winners from 1-81
Mike Garrett 1965 Season Statistics
- Games: 10
- Rushing Attempts: 267
- Rushing Yards: 1,440
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 144.0
- Yards Per Carry: 5.4
- Rushing Touchdowns: 13
- Receptions: 9
- Receiving Yards: 94
- Receiving Yards Per Game: 9.4
- Receiving Touchdowns: 1
If you count Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2005, the USC Trojans are tied with Ohio State and Notre Dame atop the leaderboard with seven Heisman winners. USC got a much later start than both the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes as Mike Garrett became the first player to be win college football’s top individual award in 1965.
While leading the nation with 267 carries, Garrett set a Heisman record with 1,440 rushing yards – smashing the previous best of 1,072 rushing yards Billy Vessels posted in 1952. He also ran for 13 touchdowns and caught nine passes for 94 yards and another TD. With the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Garrett carrying the load, the Trojans went 7-2-1 and earned a spot in the top ten of the final AP poll.
In addition to his role as a running back, Garrett handled the majority of the kick return and punt return duties for USC, and scored on two punt returns during his Heisman-winning senior season.
A three-year starter for the Trojans and a two-time All-American, Garrett also broke Ollie Matson’s NCAA career rushing record and finished with 3,221 rushing yards. That mark stood for three seasons until USC’s second Heisman winner, O.J. Simpson, broke it.
Garrett played eight seasons in the AFL and helped the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl IV. He later entered college athletic administration and became athletic director at USC in 1993 – a position he held until 2010.
Charles White 1979 Season Statistics
- Games: 12
- Rushing Attempts: 332
- Rushing Yards: 2,050
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 170.8
- Yards Per Carry: 6.2
- Rushing Touchdowns: 19
- Receptions: 22
- Receiving Yards: 145
- Receiving Yards Per Game: 12.1
- Receiving Touchdowns: 0
Yet another USC Heisman winner, running back Charles White became the third Trojan to hoist the bronze statue after rushing for 1,803 yards and 18 touchdowns during a 10-0-1 regular season. After a 17-16 victory over No. 1 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, White finished his senior season with an unofficial 2,050 rushing yards on 332 carries – both of which led the nation. He averaged more than 200 yards per game over the final ten games of the season.
White also led the county with 2,195 yards from scrimmage and 354 touches. It was the second consecutive year in which White led the country in each of those categories, and his production was good enough to beat defending Heisman winner Billy Sims – whose 22 touchdowns made him the only player in the game with more TDs than White’s 19 – for the honor. White finished fourth in the race behind Sims the previous season.
In four years at USC, White amassed 6,245 rushing yards, which made him the second-leading rusher in NCAA history at the time. He also scored 49 rushing touchdowns. White was a two-time consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year, and in addition to winning the Heisman, he also took home the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award in 1979.
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