Ranking Heisman Trophy winners from 1-81
Archie Griffin 1975 Season Statistics
- Games: 12
- Rushing Attempts: 262
- Rushing Yards: 1,450
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 120.8
- Yards Per Carry: 5.5
- Rushing Touchdowns: 4
- Receptions: 14
- Receiving Yards: 170
- Receiving Yards Per Game: 14.2
- Receiving Touchdowns: 0
Ohio State running back Archie Griffin is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in college football history. As the only player to ever win two Heisman Trophies, Griffin’s legacy is simply unmatched.
That said, Griffin’s 1975 senior season was much weaker than his junior performance and by scoring just four touchdowns all season Griffin ranks as one of the lowest-scoring Heisman winners of all-time.
Griffin led the Big Ten and ranked sixth nationally with 1,450 rushing yards in 1975 – an average of 120.8 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry. He helped Ohio State to an 11-0 regular season record and a spot in the Rose Bowl against UCLA before winning the Heisman in a landslide ahead of runner-up Chuck Muncie.
Muncie ran for 1,460 yards, averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns for the Cal Golden Bears, but lost the Heisman race by a score of 1,800 points to 730. Griffin was awarded 454 first-place votes while Muncie earned 145. Third-place finisher Ricky Bell gained 1,957 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns for USC, but managed only 708 points, and Pitt’s Tony Dorsett, who would win the Heisman the following season, gained 1,686 rushing yards and 13 TDs.
Nevertheless, Griffin not only took home the Heisman for a second time, he was also a consensus All-American and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award winner for the second year in a row. Griffin also won the Maxwell Award.
John Lujack 1947 Season Statistics
- Games: 9
- Pass Completions: 61
- Pass Attempts: 109
- Passing Yards: 777
- Passing Yards Per Game: 86.3
- Passing Touchdowns: 9
- Interceptions: 8
- Rushing Attempts: 12
- Rushing Yards: 139
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 15.4
- Yards Per Carry: 11.6
Notre Dame quarterback John Lujack put together a great season as a junior in 1946 and was named a consensus All-American, but finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Glenn Davis. Davis, a running back at Army, capped off an incredible 27-0-1 three-year run for the Black Knights and became the second straight player from West Point to win the Heisman.
However, while Army was at the end of its most dominant era, Lujack and the Fighting Irish were named national champions for the first time by the Associated Press following an 8-0-1 with the only blemish coming in the form of a scoreless tie against Davis and the Cadets – a game that Lujack saved with a timely tackle that kept Army off the scoreboard.
In 1947, Notre Dame dominated Army 27-7 on the way to a perfect 9-0 season and a second consecutive title. Lujack, who threw for 777 yards and nine touchdowns with eight interceptions and also punted that year, was the driving force for the Irish and won the Heisman – becoming the second Notre Dame player to capture college football’s top individual honor.
Lujack faced stiff competition for the Heisman and beat runner-up Bob Chappuis by a margin of 742 votes to 555 to claim the prize. SMU running back Doak Walker and legendary two-way star Chuck Bednarik (who each, interestingly enough, have national awards named in their honor) both finished in the top seven of the voting.
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