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Ranking Heisman Trophy winners from 1-81

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Dec 14, 2013; New York, NY, USA; The Heisman Trophy is seen during a press conference before the announcement of the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2013; New York, NY, USA; The Heisman Trophy is seen during a press conference before the announcement of the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 28, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry (2) races past Auburn Tigers defenders and scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter to beat the Auburn Tigers 29-13 Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry (2) races past Auburn Tigers defenders and scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter to beat the Auburn Tigers 29-13 Jordan Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports /

Derrick Henry 2015 Season Statistics (Through December 5, 2015)

  • Games: 13
  • Rushing Attempts: 339
  • Rushing Yards: 1,986
  • Rushing Yards Per Game: 152.8
  • Yards Per Carry: 5.9
  • Rushing Touchdowns: 23
  • Receptions: 10
  • Receiving Yards: 97
  • Receiving Yards Per Game: 7.5
  • Receiving Touchdowns: 0

While Alabama running back Derrick Henry led the nation with 1,986 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns during the 2015 regular season, the Crimson Tide defense played a major role in Henry becoming the second player in school history to win college football’s greatest individual honor.

LSU running back Leonard Fournette spent the first half of the 2015 season as the Heisman front-runner. Through the first seven games of the season, Fournette led the nation with 1,352 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns while piling up at least 150 rushing yards and a TD in each game. However, when the undefeated Tigers faced Alabama November 7, the Tide held Fournette to just 31 rushing yards and a TD on 19 carries. LSU lost 30-16 and would go on to lose two more games and Fournette fell out of he Heisman race completely.

Henry, meanwhile, ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns against LSU in one of his most impressive performances of the season. The 6-foot-3, 241-pound junior got even stronger down the stretch and carried the load for Alabama – literally – while the team finished off a ten-game winning streak with a win against archival Auburn to capture the SEC West and a victory over Florida to win the SEC Championship and secure a spot in the College Football Playoff. In the final two games of the regular season, Henry carried the football 90 times for 460 yards and two scores.

As impressive as his overall performance was, Henry faced stiff competition for the Heisman from Stanford running back Christian McCaffery, who led the nation with 2,387 total yards of offense and broke Barry Sanders’ single-season record of 3,250 all-purpose yards. Fellow finalist Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 3,517 yards and 30 touchdowns and added 887 rushing yards and 11 TDs for the undefeated, top-ranked Tigers.

In addition to the Heisman, Henry also won the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.

Doug Flutie 1984 Season Statistics

  • Games: 12
  • Pass Completions: 246
  • Pass Attempts: 423
  • Passing Yards: 3,634
  • Passing Yards Per Game: 302.8
  • Passing Touchdowns: 30
  • Interceptions: 13
  • Rushing Attempts: 66
  • Rushing Yards: 379
  • Rushing Yards Per Game: 31.6
  • Yards Per Carry: 5.7
  • Rushing Touchdowns: 3

The Heisman Trophy is not a career achievement award, though it is worth noting that Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie did set the NCAA passing yardage record during his Heisman-winning season in 1984.

Though he never led the country in passing, no one in the history of college football had thrown for more than 10,000 yards in a career until Flutie’s 3,634 passing yards as a senior gave him a final total of 10,759. Flutie ranked third in the nation in passing in ’84 and was second in the country with 30 touchdown passes. A deft scrambler, Flutie also added 379 rushing yards and scored three TDs with his legs as a senior and led Boston College to a 10-2 record on the strength of the nation’s highest scoring offense (37.4 points per game).

Most people believe that Flutie’s “Heisman Moment” was the “Hail Flutie” touchdown pass on the final play of a 47-45 upset victory over Miami, and the iconic play is certainly one of the great moments in college football history. However, the Heisman voting had already ended by the time Flutie’s desperate bomb found Gerard Phelan in the end zone. Strangely enough, BC even played another regular season game after beating Miami – a 45-10 victory over Holy Cross.

In addition to winning the Heisman, Flutie was a unanimous All-American, won the Davey O’Brien Award, the Maxwell Award and was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year.

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