Ohio State players have won the Heisman seven times, which ties us with Notre Dame for the most wins by University. Michigan players have only three Heisman trophies, but who's counting? Of course, there are great players every year that do not win the big trophy, and many of them have played at Ohio State. Here are the seven best Buckeyes who did not win the Heisman.
PACE - 1996
Orlando Pace came in 4th in Heisman voting in '96, which is pretty great for a lineman. Pace was as good an offensive tackle as we have ever produced and he played with some great players, like Eddie George, Shawn Springs, Mike Vrabel and Joe Germaine. He became famous for his complete dominance of defenders, which included frequent "pancake" blocks. Until Orlando Pace came along, they were called knockdowns. The pancake block was a stat invented by Ohio State and Orlando Pace in 1996.
The '96 season was going very well for Head Coach John Cooper and the Buckeyes, as usual. We were ranked No. 2 almost the entire season and were all set up to play Florida State for the national title when we lost to Michigan. We redeemed ourselves by defeating Arizona State in the Rose Bowl and finishing the season No. 2. Florida beat Florida State and won the national title. Their quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman. Pace at least won the Lombardi Trophy in 1995 and 1996.
BYARS - 1984
Keith Byars, running back, was second in Heisman voting in '84. This was Byars' junior year and he was outstanding. He rushed for 1,764 yards and 22 touchdowns, and caught for 479 yards and two more touchdowns. Byars played with great players like Mike Tomczack, Jim Lachey, Cris Carter and Chris Spielman. Byars was a huge part of our 1980s Big Ten dominance. We beat Michigan and won the conference in 1984. Unfortunately we lost the Rose Bowl to USC. Doug Flutie, quarterback for Boston College, won the 1984 Heisman.
SCHLICHTER - 1979
Art Schlichter came in fourth in Heisman voting in '79. This was Schichter's sophomore season, and as quarterback, he led the team through a difficult transition. 1978 was Woody Hayes' last season and many doubted if the Buckeyes would carry on successfully without him. Head coach Earle Bruce was doubted by many, but he and Schlichter brought us a lot of success that continued into the 1980s.
Schlicter was a great passer, and he threw for 1,816 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1979, and rushed for 430 yards and nine more touchdowns. We went undefeated all year and were No. 1 going into the Rose Bowl against USC. We lost the national championship by a single point as USC came back in the fourth quarter to win 17-16. Fittingly, USC running back Charles White won the 1979 Heisman Trophy.
HICKS - 1973
John Hicks, offensive tackle, was second in Heisman voting in '73. He had the great honor of playing with the 1970 championship team, as well as the next generation of Buckeyes that included Archie Griffin. Or perhaps, all of those players had the honor or playing with John Hicks. Without him, Rex Kern and Cornelius Greene would not have had time to throw, and Champ Henson and Archie Griffin would not have had room to run. He was impossible to get around, and most footage of Hicks involves him shoving defenders helplessly backwards.
Sports Illustrated did a good article in 1973 about how it is nearly impossible for a lineman to win the Heisman, which remains true today. Hicks did win the 1973 Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, while Penn State's John Cappelletti won the Heisman.
KERN - 1969
Rex Kern came in third in 1969's Heisman votes. Kern quarterbacked during the golden age of OSU football and '69 was his best year. He threw for just over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for 583 yards and nine more touchdowns. He played with a ridiculously good group of players including Jack Tatum, Jim Otis, John Hicks, Jim Stillwagon, and Bruce Jankowski. 1969 was set to be our perfect year, with the Buckeyes defending the national title and continuing a win streak that lasted as a school record until 2013. Michigan, with their new Coach Schembechler, beat us at the end of the season, ending our win streak at 22 and dashing everyone's expectation that we would repeat as national champions. Oklahoma's Steve Owens won the '69 Heisman.
FERGUSON - 1961
Bob Ferguson was second in Heisman voting in 1961. He was a tough fullback whose main job was to run the ball right up the middle for four or five yards to keep drives going. In 1961, he ran for 968 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was one of the best running backs to ever play at Ohio State, and we would probably have won the national championship with his rushing abilities, but OSU itself denied us.
We had tied the first game of the '61 season, but had won every game since, so we had an undefeated record and were on our way to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA, a team we had already beaten back in the second game of the season. Things looked great as we were cruising to our fourth national title, when the Ohio State faculty voted to decline the Rose Bowl invitation because they wanted the university to stay focused on academics. The students rioted in response, but Woody Hayes remained calm. Minnesota went to the Rose Bowl instead, and beat UCLA.
Ferguson won the Maxwell Award, but the brilliant running back Ernie Davis (of Syracuse) won the Heisman. On a much more tragic note than our missing out on the national championship, Ernie Davis went on to the NFL, but died of cancer at age 23, before he could play a game.
WHITE - 1958
Bob White came in fourth in 1958's Heisman votes. White had played on the 1957 national championship team and had a great 1958, too: 859 yards and 12 touchdowns. He played alongside Buckeye greats Don Clark and Dick Lebeau. We came into the year ranked No. 1, but after two ties and a loss, we fell in the rankings. Although we beat Iowa by ten points, they won the conference and went to the Rose Bowl. At least we beat Michigan. Army's Pete Dawkins won the Heisman.
PACE - 1996
Orlando Pace came in 4th in Heisman voting in '96, which is pretty great for a lineman. Pace was as good an offensive tackle as we have ever produced and he played with some great players, like Eddie George, Shawn Springs, Mike Vrabel and Joe Germaine. He became famous for his complete dominance of defenders, which included frequent "pancake" blocks. Until Orlando Pace came along, they were called knockdowns. The pancake block was a stat invented by Ohio State and Orlando Pace in 1996.
The '96 season was going very well for Head Coach John Cooper and the Buckeyes, as usual. We were ranked No. 2 almost the entire season and were all set up to play Florida State for the national title when we lost to Michigan. We redeemed ourselves by defeating Arizona State in the Rose Bowl and finishing the season No. 2. Florida beat Florida State and won the national title. Their quarterback Danny Wuerffel won the Heisman. Pace at least won the Lombardi Trophy in 1995 and 1996.
To get an idea of Pace's dominance, see this video that shows him destroying Penn State's defensive line.
BYARS - 1984
Keith Byars, running back, was second in Heisman voting in '84. This was Byars' junior year and he was outstanding. He rushed for 1,764 yards and 22 touchdowns, and caught for 479 yards and two more touchdowns. Byars played with great players like Mike Tomczack, Jim Lachey, Cris Carter and Chris Spielman. Byars was a huge part of our 1980s Big Ten dominance. We beat Michigan and won the conference in 1984. Unfortunately we lost the Rose Bowl to USC. Doug Flutie, quarterback for Boston College, won the 1984 Heisman.
Here is Byars returning a kickoff for a TD against Pittsburgh. He was a big back with short strides, not the type you normally see returning kicks.
SCHLICHTER - 1979
Art Schlichter came in fourth in Heisman voting in '79. This was Schichter's sophomore season, and as quarterback, he led the team through a difficult transition. 1978 was Woody Hayes' last season and many doubted if the Buckeyes would carry on successfully without him. Head coach Earle Bruce was doubted by many, but he and Schlichter brought us a lot of success that continued into the 1980s.
Schlicter was a great passer, and he threw for 1,816 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1979, and rushed for 430 yards and nine more touchdowns. We went undefeated all year and were No. 1 going into the Rose Bowl against USC. We lost the national championship by a single point as USC came back in the fourth quarter to win 17-16. Fittingly, USC running back Charles White won the 1979 Heisman Trophy.
Here Schlichter impressively leads OSU down the field to win in the final minutes of the '79 UCLA game.
HICKS - 1973
John Hicks, offensive tackle, was second in Heisman voting in '73. He had the great honor of playing with the 1970 championship team, as well as the next generation of Buckeyes that included Archie Griffin. Or perhaps, all of those players had the honor or playing with John Hicks. Without him, Rex Kern and Cornelius Greene would not have had time to throw, and Champ Henson and Archie Griffin would not have had room to run. He was impossible to get around, and most footage of Hicks involves him shoving defenders helplessly backwards.
Sports Illustrated did a good article in 1973 about how it is nearly impossible for a lineman to win the Heisman, which remains true today. Hicks did win the 1973 Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, while Penn State's John Cappelletti won the Heisman.
This is a great photo of Hicks in action.
KERN - 1969
Rex Kern came in third in 1969's Heisman votes. Kern quarterbacked during the golden age of OSU football and '69 was his best year. He threw for just over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for 583 yards and nine more touchdowns. He played with a ridiculously good group of players including Jack Tatum, Jim Otis, John Hicks, Jim Stillwagon, and Bruce Jankowski. 1969 was set to be our perfect year, with the Buckeyes defending the national title and continuing a win streak that lasted as a school record until 2013. Michigan, with their new Coach Schembechler, beat us at the end of the season, ending our win streak at 22 and dashing everyone's expectation that we would repeat as national champions. Oklahoma's Steve Owens won the '69 Heisman.
Here is Kern leading us to victory over Purdue in 1969.
FERGUSON - 1961
Bob Ferguson was second in Heisman voting in 1961. He was a tough fullback whose main job was to run the ball right up the middle for four or five yards to keep drives going. In 1961, he ran for 968 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was one of the best running backs to ever play at Ohio State, and we would probably have won the national championship with his rushing abilities, but OSU itself denied us.
We had tied the first game of the '61 season, but had won every game since, so we had an undefeated record and were on our way to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA, a team we had already beaten back in the second game of the season. Things looked great as we were cruising to our fourth national title, when the Ohio State faculty voted to decline the Rose Bowl invitation because they wanted the university to stay focused on academics. The students rioted in response, but Woody Hayes remained calm. Minnesota went to the Rose Bowl instead, and beat UCLA.
Ferguson won the Maxwell Award, but the brilliant running back Ernie Davis (of Syracuse) won the Heisman. On a much more tragic note than our missing out on the national championship, Ernie Davis went on to the NFL, but died of cancer at age 23, before he could play a game.
Here is Ferguson rushing; check out that uniform! Photo: fanbase.com
Bob White came in fourth in 1958's Heisman votes. White had played on the 1957 national championship team and had a great 1958, too: 859 yards and 12 touchdowns. He played alongside Buckeye greats Don Clark and Dick Lebeau. We came into the year ranked No. 1, but after two ties and a loss, we fell in the rankings. Although we beat Iowa by ten points, they won the conference and went to the Rose Bowl. At least we beat Michigan. Army's Pete Dawkins won the Heisman.
Here is an old photo of Bob White, looking tough. Photo: fanbase.com
No comments:
Post a Comment