Ranking Heisman Trophy winners from 1-81
John David Crow 1957 Season Statistics
- Games: 7
- Rushing Attempts: 129
- Rushing Yards: 562
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 80.3
- Yards Per Carry: 4.4
- Rushing Touchdowns: 6
- Pass Completions: 6
- Pass Attempts: 10
- Completion Percentage: 60
- Passing Yards: 84
- Passing Touchdowns: 0
- Interceptions: 0
- Receptions: 2
- Receiving Yards: 62
- Receiving Touchdowns: 0
- Interceptions (Defense): 5
Bear Bryant only coached one Heisman Trophy winner during his career, and wasn’t while at the University of Alabama. Texas A&M halfback John David Crow played for The Bear from 1955-57, and was awarded with college football’s top individual honor, as well as consensus All-American status, during his senior season.
Used primarily as a running back, Crow gained 562 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He also completed six of ten passing attempts for 84 yards and caught two passes for 62 yards over the course of his Heisman-winning campaign. A standout defender, Crow also intercepted five passes, which gave him the edge in the Heisman voting over Iowa lineman Alex Karras.
Despite missing three games due to injury, Crow gained great momentum for the Heisman as the Aggies opened the ’57 season 8-0 and rose to the No. 1 national ranking in the AP poll. Unfortunately, A&M dropped its final two regular season games to Rice (7-6) and Texas (9-7), and also lost 3-0 to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl to finish the season 8-3 and ranked No. 9 in the country.
A Louisiana native that played more than a decade in the NFL, Crow would go on to a coaching career that included stops on Bryant’s staff at Alabama, in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers, and as the head coach and athletic director at Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe). Crow later became the AD at Texas A&M.
Gino Torreta 1992 Season Statistics
- Games: 11
- Pass Completions: 228
- Pass Attempts: 402
- Completion Percentage: 56.7
- Passing Yards: 3,060
- Passing Yards Per Game: 278.2
- Passing Touchdowns: 19
- Interceptions: 7
- Rushing Attempts: 34
- Rushing Yards: -24
- Rushing Yards Per Game: -2.2
- Yards Per Carry: -0.7
- Rushing Touchdowns: 0
The Miami Hurricanes were one of college football’s greatest dynasties in the 1980s and early 1990s, winning four national championships from 1983 to 1991. Much of that success can be attributed to rosters stacked with NFL talent, including great quarterbacks like Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, and the program’s first Heisman Trophy winner, Vinny Testaverde.
Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, who directed the offense over the course of a 29-game winning streak and set 11 school records during his collegiate career including passing yards (7,690) and total offense (7,772), led Miami to the national title as a junior in 1991. Torretta became the second Hurricanes’ QB to win the Heisman in 1992 after leading Miami to an 11-0 regular season record and a spot in the Sugar Bowl against No. 2 Alabama.
The California native threw for 3,060 yards, which ranked sixth in the country, and completed 19 touchdown passes to beat San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk and Georgia’s Garrison Hearst in a close race for the honor.
Despite the close voting for the Heisman, Torretta swept every major award he was eligible for, including the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Torretta was also a consensus All-American. However, he and the Hurricanes came up short of a second straight national championship and lost to the Crimson Tide 34-13.
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