5. O.J. Simpson, RB, USC (1968)
Obviously, Archie Griffin is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in the history of college football, but O.J. Simpson came darn close in 1967-68 to accomplish that feat. The former USC Trojan finished second behind Gary Beban in 1967 before winning in a landslide the following year as he amassed 1,880 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns for the Trojans. His prolific college career led to him being the first-overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
Unlike some others on this list, The Juice’s career didn’t get off to that hot of a start. In his first three seasons in the league, Simpson never carried the ball more than 183 times in a season and his high rushing total was just 742 yards, though he was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie. After that, however, he went on a five-year run that was wildly impressive.
From 1972-76, Simpson played in 70 games and rushed the ball 1,513 times for 7,699 yards and 49 touchdowns. That included an unreal 2,003-yard rushing season in 1973 and a 16-touchdown, 1,817-yard season in 1975. He was named a First-Team All-Pro player in all five of those seasons and rightfully so.
Of course, Simpson’s playing career has since been overshadowed by his criminal behavior, starting with being charged for murder — though he was found not guilty — and several instances since then. However, when he was on the field in a vacuum, there’s no denying the talent and productivity at Simpson at his NFL peak.