10 biggest Heisman busts of the last 25 years

TALLAHASSEE, FL - NOVEMBER 29, 2008: Tim Tebow, #15 quarterback of the University of Florida Gators football team celebrates after a big play during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida on November 29, 2008. The Gators won 45-15. (Photo by Jim Burgess/University of Florida/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /

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27 Oct 2001 : Quarterback Eric Crouch of Nebraska prepares to throw a pass against Oklahoma during the game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Nebraska Cornhuskers won 20-10. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Elsa/Allsport /

2. Eric Crouch, QB, Nebraska (2001)

The 2001 Heisman Trophy race was remarkably close between a group of unbelievable quarterbacks — all of whom ended up largely being busts, but still. Eric Crouch from Nebraska, Rex Grossman from Florida, Joey Harrington from Oregon and David Carr from Fresno State all put forth great seasons to make up the top five of the Heisman voting. In the end, though, it was the Cornhuskers star who narrowly edged out the rest of the field.

As a passer, Crouch truly wasn’t all that magnificent. He completed a meager 55.6 percent of his passes and threw for only 1,510 yards on the season. Moreover, he actually threw more interceptions than touchdowns (10 picks to seven scores). However, what ultimately pushed the Nebraska star to the top of the Heisman voting (aside from narrative) was the fact that he was prolific rushing the ball, taking 203 carries for 1,115 yards on the season and finding the end zone an additional 18 times.

With that said, it was pretty clear from the jump that Crouch’s NFL future was going to be rocky. For whatever reason, the St. Louis Rams selected him in the third round to play wide receiver, which makes sense given that there aren’t many NFL quarterbacks who measure under 6-foot tall. However, he persisted that he wanted to play quarterback, but a leg injury caused him to never play a game for the Rams.

He never played an NFL game, but did play in NFL Europe where he moved to the defensive side of the ball. When he then joined the CFL in 2006, it was as a quarterback, but played only one season. Quite the fall from Heisman winner to ending his career trying to play for the AAFL and UFL, both of which folded soon after he signed.

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