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There will be Heisman history made on Saturday night in New York, as either the first freshman, purely defensive player, or Kansas State player will win college football's most prestigious award. Johnny Manziel is projected to become the first ever freshman and just the second Texas A&M player to win the Heisman. Manziel broke the SEC total offense mark in the Aggies first season in their new conference, as they rolled to a 10-2 record with Kevin Sumlin and Manziel confounding opposing defenses. Manziel was a true dual threat, putting up huge numbers both on the ground and through the air.
Manti Te'o is expected to be the closest competitor with Manziel, but early returns and projections have the freshman QB winning it. Te'o would be the first defensive player to win the Heisman. Charles Woodson flipped things when he won in 1997, but Woodson also had an array of highlights on special teams and occasionally at wide receiver to bolster his cause. Te'o had an incredible season but he would truly break the mold, and 77 years of history, if he were to pull off the upset.
But again, it's likely headed to another quarterback, a position that's owned the award this century. Here's a complete list of winners:
Year | Winner | School | Position | Points | |
1935 | Jay Berwanger | Chicago | Halfback | ||
1936 | Larry Kelley | Yale | End | 219 | |
1937 | Clint Frank | Yale | Halfback | 524 | |
1938 | Davey O'Brien | TCU | Quarterback | 519 | |
1939 | Nile Kinnick | Iowa | Halfback | 651 | |
1940 | Tom Harmon | Michigan | Halfback | 1303 | |
1941 | Bruce Smith | Minnesota | Halfback | 554 | |
1942 | Frank Sinkwich | Georgia | Halfback | 1059 | |
1943 | Angelo Bertelli | Notre Dame | Quarterback | 648 | |
1944 | Les Horvath | Ohio State | Quarterback/Halfback | 412 | |
1945 | Doc Blanchard | Army | Fullback | 860 | |
1946 | Glenn Davis | Army | Halfback | 792 | |
1947 | Johnny Lujack | Notre Dame | Quarterback | 742 | |
1948 | Doak Walker | SMU | Halfback | 778 | |
1949 | Leon Hart | Notre Dame | End | 995 | |
1950 | Vic Janowicz | Ohio State | Halfback/Punter | 633 | |
1951 | Dick Kazmaier | Princeton | Halfback | 1777 | |
1952 | Billy Vessels | Oklahoma | Halfback | 525 | |
1953 | Johnny Lattner | Notre Dame | Halfback | 1850 | |
1954 | Alan Ameche | Wisconsin | Fullback | 1068 | |
1955 | Howard Cassady | Ohio State | Halfback | 2219 | |
1956 | Paul Hornung | Notre Dame | Quarterback | 1066 | |
1957 | John David Crow | Texas A&M | Halfback | 1183 | |
1958 | Pete Dawkins | Army | Halfback | 1394 | |
1959 | Billy Cannon | LSU | Halfback | 1929 | |
1960 | Joe Bellino | Navy | Halfback | 1793 | |
1961 | Ernie Davis | Syracuse | Halfback/Linebacker/Fullback | 824 | |
1962 | Terry Baker | Oregon State | Quarterback | 707 | |
1963 | Roger Staubach | Navy | Quarterback | 1860 | |
1964 | John Huarte | Notre Dame | Quarterback | 1026 | |
1965 | Mike Garrett | USC | Halfback | 926 | |
1966 | Steve Spurrier | Florida | Quarterback | 1679 | |
1967 | Gary Beban | UCLA | Quarterback | 1968 | |
1968 | O.J. Simpson | USC | Halfback | 2853 | |
1969 | Steve Owens | Oklahoma | Fullback | 1488 | |
1970 | Jim Plunkett | Stanford | Quarterback | 2229 | |
1971 | Pat Sullivan | Auburn | Quarterback | 1597 | |
1972 | Johnny Rodgers | Nebraska | Running back | 1310 | |
1973 | John Cappelletti | Penn State | Running back | 1057 | |
1974 | Archie Griffin | Ohio State | Running back | 1920 | |
1975 | Archie Griffin | Ohio State | Running back | 1800 | |
1976 | Tony Dorsett | Pittsburgh | Running back | 2357 | |
1977 | Earl Campbell | Texas | Running back | 1547 | |
1978 | Billy Sims | Oklahoma | Running back | 1896 | |
1979 | Charles White | USC | Running back | 1695 | |
1980 | George Rogers | South Carolina | Running back | 1128 | |
1981 | Marcus Allen | USC | Running back | 1797 | |
1982 | Herschel Walker | Georgia | Running back | 1926 | |
1983 | Mike Rozier | Nebraska | Running back | 1801 | |
1984 | Doug Flutie | Boston College | Quarterback | 2240 | |
1985 | Bo Jackson | Auburn | Running back | 1509 | |
1986 | Vinny Testaverde | Miami | Quarterback | 2213 | |
1987 | Tim Brown | Notre Dame | Wide receiver | 1442 | |
1988 | Barry Sanders | Oklahoma State | Running back | 1878 | |
1989 | Andre Ware | Houston | Quarterback | 1073 | |
1990 | Ty Detmer | BYU | Quarterback | 1482 | |
1991 | Desmond Howard | Michigan | Wide receiver | 2077 | |
1992 | Gino Torretta | Miami | Quarterback | 1400 | |
1993 | Charlie Ward | Florida State | Quarterback | 1743 | |
1994 | Rashaan Salaam | Colorado | Running back | 1743 | |
1995 | Eddie George | Ohio State | Running back | 1460 | |
1996 | Danny Wuerffel | Florida | Quarterback | 1363 | |
1997 | Charles Woodson | Michigan | Cornerback | 1815 | |
1998 | Ricky Williams | Texas | Running back | 2355 | |
1999 | Ron Dayne | Wisconsin | Running back | 2042 | |
2000 | Chris Weinke | Florida State | Quarterback | 1628 | |
2001 | Eric Crouch | Nebraska | Quarterback | 770 | |
2002 | Carson Palmer | USC | Quarterback | 1328 | |
2003 | Jason White | Oklahoma | Quarterback | 1481 | |
2004 | Matt Leinart | USC | Quarterback | 1325 | |
2005 | Reggie Bush | USC | Running back | 2541 | |
2006 | Troy Smith | Ohio State | Quarterback | 2540 | |
2007 | Tim Tebow | Florida | Quarterback | 1957 | |
2008 | Sam Bradford | Oklahoma | Quarterback | 1726 | |
2009 | Mark Ingram, Jr. | Alabama | Running back | 1304 | |
2010 | Cam Newton | Auburn | Quarterback | 2263 |
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2011 | Robert Griffin III | Baylor | Quarterback | 1687 | |