Ranking NFL players who were Heisman winners and Super Bowl MVPs
By Dani Bostick
Seventeen Heisman trophy winners have played in the Super Bowl, but only four were ever named Super Bowl MVP.
The Heisman recognizes the best player in college football, so it is a bit surprising that only 17 of 78 Heisman trophy winners have made Super Bowl appearances since the inception of the award in 1935, and even more surprising that only nine Heisman winners have also won a Super Bowl. Another mind boggling statistic is that fifteen Heisman winners never ended up seeing NFL playing time.
Even more rare? A Heisman winner who was named Super Bowl MVP. If quarterback Cam Newton leads the Carolina Panthers to victory against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, he could become the fifth player in the history of the NFL to win both a Heisman and receive Super Bowl MVP honors. The last person to achieve that feat was Green Bay Packers wide receiver Desmond Howard in 1997.
The other three players to win both a Heisman and be named Super Bowl MVP are Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys in 1971, quarterback Jim Plunkett of the Oakland Raiders in 1980, and running back Marcus Allen of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1983.
In anticipation of Super Bowl 50 and the possibility of seeing a fifth Heisman winner become a Super Bowl MVP, let’s rank order the other four players who accomplished just that.
Next: 4. Desmond Howard, Wide Receiver, Michigan