10 biggest snubs in Heisman Trophy history
By John Buhler
The 2016 Heisman Trophy presentation will be on Saturday, Dec. 10. Here are the 10 players that should have won the Heisman Trophy in the past, but were snubbed of it.
The 1982 Heisman Trophy presentation had three truly outstanding candidates. Georgia Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker edged out Stanford Cardinal quarterback John Elway and SMU Mustangs running back Eric Dickerson.
Those are three of the very best to have ever played college football. Frankly, all three players could have won the Heisman Trophy and it wouldn’t have been a travesty in hindsight. Dickerson and Elway would have better pro careers over Walker, only because Dickerson and Elway are Pro Football Hall of Famers and Walker was just a very good NFL player.
Since that 1982 ceremony in New York, the Heisman Trophy presentation has become increasingly more publicized as a television event. Were Dickerson and Elway snubbed back in 1982? Not really, but here are 10 Heisman finalists that we cannot believe didn’t win the award as a former college standout.
10. 1997: Peyton Manning
Let’s be perfectly honest here. There wasn’t a wrong choice for the 1997 Heisman Trophy. The four finalists for the trophy were unbelievable college players, three of whom are first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famers.
Michigan Wolverines defensive back Charles Woodson would win the 1997 Heisman over Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning, Marshall Thundering Herd wide receiver Randy Moss and Washington State Cougars quarterback Ryan Leaf.
It’s not that Woodson wasn’t deserving. He was the best player on the 1997 National Championship team in Ann Arbor. Woodson was electrifying for the Wolverines as a defensive back and occasional wide receiver. He deserved the award, as the only defense-first recipient of the Heisman Trophy in history.
The biggest issue is that Manning didn’t win a Heisman Trophy despite being the best collegiate passer of the 1990s. College was a time of close but no cigar for Manning. His senior season in 1997 was his best shot at winning both the National Championship and the Heisman, but came up short in both.
Tennessee would win the 1998 National Championship while Manning was throwing a ton of picks for the hapless Indianapolis Colts. It’s cool because he would win two Super Bowls in his 18-year NFL career and goes down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in football history. Imagine how massive his football legacy would be if he won the Heisman and the National Championship in his senior season at Tennessee. Could the man be on any more commercials?