The Heisman Memorial Trophy is handed out annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Sometimes the Heisman Trophy is a runaway for a player who epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. Other times, there are several players who are deserving of the award. Today, we count down the top five biggest snubs of the Heisman Trophy throughout the award’s history.
5 Heisman Trophy snubs through history
There are several snubs that can be considered throughout the history of the Heisman Trophy. These five, however, can be viewed as the most egregious.
O.J. Simpson, RB, USC (1967)
Everyone knows O.J. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. But what people conveniently forget is the fact that he was the best running back and arguably the most outstanding player in college football in 1967 as well. He finished second in the 1967 Heisman Trophy voting after rushing for 1,535 yards and 13 touchdowns. Simpson led the country in rushing yards and rushing attempts.
A Heisman moment did come for the 1967 winner Gary Beban, however. He threw for 301 yards against Simpson’s USC team back in an era when throwing for over 300 yards was almost unheard of. Yet, Beban’s UCLA team lost to USC after Simpson scored a game-winning touchdown in the Battle for the Victory Bell in 1967. Sure, Simpson won the award in 1968 rightfully so, but he should’ve also become the first two-time winner in 1968, well ahead of Archie Griffin.
Marshall Faulk, RB, San Diego State (1992)
Marshall Faulk had one of the better rushing seasons of the 1990s back in ’92. Yet, it was largely a down year for him. What separates his 1992 season as a Heisman snub is the fact that there was no clear-cut better player than him that season. Gino Torretta was awarded the Heisman Trophy despite throwing just 19 touchdowns against 7 interceptions. Torretta was solid that year but largely rode his previous year’s success to a Heisman.
Unlike his better seasons in 1991 and 1993, Faulk was still the most outstanding player in 1992. Torretta didn’t have a Desmond Howard-like 1991 season, nor did he have a Charlie Ward-like 1993 campaign. Yet, Faulk’s 1,758 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns didn’t get him past second-place like it should have against Torretta in 1992.
David Carr, QB, Fresno State (2001)
Despite leading the country in every major passing category and posting an 11-3 record, David Carr lost the Heisman Trophy to Nebraska QB Eric Crouch. Carr and Fresno State certainly had the benefit of playing at a lesser competition level, but it shouldn’t negate his success. He threw for 4,839 yards and 46 touchdowns, leading the nation. He completed 344 of 533 passes and was fourth in passing efficiency in the country.
Carr gave Michigan State a run for their money in the Silicon Valley Football Classic to end the year, before ultimately being selected No. 1 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. On the flipside, Crouch and the Cornhuskers lost the Big 12 North to Colorado but still made the National Championship against Miami, losing handily.
Crouch only threw for 1,510 yards and had a 7:10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He was an exciting dual-threat, rushing for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns, but he was aided much more than Carr by the successful players on his offense.
Colt Brennan, QB, Hawai’i (2006)
It’s safe to say voters for the Heisman Trophy in 2006 didn’t stay up to watch Hawai’i games. Otherwise, Colt Brennan’s historic season would have been rewarded. Sure, his success didn’t always equal wins. And sure, Troy Smith was the darling of the voters’ eyes as he led the Buckeyes to the National Championship Game against Florida. But Smith was not the best quarterback nor the best player in college football that season.
Brennan set then-FBS records with 5,549 passing yards and 58 passing touchdowns all while averaging a whopping 9.9 yards per attempt. He was the most outstanding player in college football in 2006 and should have had his season recognized.
Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford (2009)
Toby Gerhart lost the 2009 Heisman Trophy to Mark Ingram. The 2009 victory for Ingram is still the closest vote in Heisman history and just as controversial. Ingram ran the ball for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns and beat Gerhart by 28 points in the Heisman vote. Gerhart, on the other hand, ran the ball for a national-best 1,871 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Gerhart stood alone as the best player in college football in 2009. He even beat Ingram for the Doak Walker Award days prior to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Fortune, this year it seemed, favored the East Coast bias.
Other Heisman Trophy snubs in history
These snubs didn’t quite make it for a variety of reasons.
Chase Young, DE, Ohio State (2019)
In no way, shape, or form would Chase Young have been considered the best player in college football after Joe Burrow ran through the College Football Playoff the way he did.
However, at the time of voting, no defensive player in recent memory — or even in the depths of history — had impacted the game the way Young did for Ohio State. Young got his praise, but without what is now known as a “Joe Burrow Meteoric Rise,” he would have likely won the Heisman.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma (2004)
Adrian Peterson had a terrific freshman season in 2004. He ran for career-highs in yards (1,945), touchdowns (15), and yards per carry (5.7). Yet, Peterson lost to Matt Leinart, the USC quarterback who was a mediocre player on the best team in the country.
Leinart threw for 33 touchdowns but hardly cracked the top 10 in yards, completion percentage, or yards per attempt among the nation’s quarterbacks. While Leinart was great, Peterson was generational.
Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky (2021)
This is in no way saying Bailey Zappe should have won the Heisman Trophy in 2021. However, Zappe should have at least been more involved in the conversation than he was throughout the end-of-year award process in 2021.
Zappe led the nation in passing yards and touchdowns, finishing the regular season one game’s worth of statistics away from breaking the FBS record for passing yards and touchdowns. Yet, he wasn’t even invited as a 2021 Heisman Trophy finalist. From a statistical standpoint, the best player in 2021 was absolutely Zappe. His invite to the Heisman Trophy ceremony should’ve followed.