Ranking Heisman Trophy winners from 1-81
Sam Bradford 2008 Season Statistics
- Games: 14
- Pass Completions: 328
- Pass Attempts: 483
- Completion Percentage: 67.9
- Passing Yards: 4,720
- Passing Yards Per Game: 339.3
- Passing Touchdowns: 50
- Interceptions: 8
- Rushing Attempts: 42
- Rushing Yards: 47
- Yards Per Carry: 1.1
- Rushing Touchdowns: 5
It took nearly three-quarters of a decade for a sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, then Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford made it two in a row in 2008.
Bradford, who led his team to a 12-1 regular season record to earn the right to square off against defending Heisman winner Tim Tebow in the BCS National Championship Game, set a Heisman record with 53 total touchdowns in the regular season. After the title game, Bradford had accumulated a grand total of 55 TDs, including 50 touchdown passes (which led the nation) and five scores on the ground.
Bradford completed 67.9 percent of his passes and threw for 4,720 yards and was intercepted eight times. He led the country in pass efficiency with a 180.8 rating and also led the nation by averaging 11.1 yards per pass attempt.
The Heisman race was loaded in 2008, and Bradford squeaked out a very close victory against Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Tebow. Bradford actually had the second-most first place votes of the group, trailing Tebow 309 to 300, but was able to win the award with 1,726 total points. McCoy finished with 266 first place votes and 1,604 points while Tebow managed just 1,575 points for third place.
Bradford also won the Davey O’Brien Award, the Sammy Baugh Trophy and was a consensus All-American.
Ron Dayne 1999 Season Statistics
- Games: 12
- Rushing Attempts: 337
- Rushing Yards: 2,034
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 169.5
- Yards Per Carry: 6.0
- Rushing Touchdowns: 20
- Receptions: 1
- Receiving Yards: 9
- Receiving Touchdowns: 0
Many running backs have won the Heisman Trophy, and several have had better individual seasons than the Heisman-winning campaign Ron Dayne produced in 1999. However, no one in the history of college football has ever amassed more rushing yards in college football history than Dayne in his four years at Wisconsin. And, in the new age of highly productive running backs rarely staying in school past their junior seasons, Dayne’s all-time rushing record is one of the game’s most unbreakable.
Taking bowl games into account, Dayne finished his career with 7,125 rushing yards, which shattered Tony Dorsett’s record that stood from 1976 to 1999. Dayne, who weighed in north of 250 pounds in college, was incredibly consistent and averaged 1,781.3 rushing yards and 17.8 touchdowns during his four seasons with the Badgers. He is also one of only five players in history to surpass 1,000 yards in four straight seasons.
Of course, this list – like the Heisman Trophy itself – is designed to highlight the accomplishments of a single season instead of an entire career. In 1999, Dayne led the nation with 2,034 rushing yards and 20 TDs while averaging 6.0 yards per carry on 337 attempts.
The only major flaw in Dayne’s Heisman-winning senior season, however, is the fact that he was even more productive as a freshman. In 1996, Dayne ran for 2,109 yards and 21 TDs. He was also more of a receiving threat out of the backfield, having recorded a career-high 14 catches for 144 yards. As a senior, Dayne had just one reception for nine yards.
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