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The 30 Greatest Heisman Trophy Winners in College Football History

By Zach Bigalke

Dec 13, 2014; New York, NY, USA; The Heisman Trophy sits on a pedestal before the pre-announcement press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2014; New York, NY, USA; The Heisman Trophy sits on a pedestal before the pre-announcement press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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9. Barry Sanders (RB/Oklahoma State)

Received 68.3% of the vote in 1988

  • PASSING: 1/2 (50.0%), 17 yards, 0 TDs
  • RUSHING: 344 carries, 2628 yards, 37 TDs
  • RECEIVING: 19 receptions, 106 yards, 0 TDs
  • KICK RETURNS: 21 returns, 421 yards, 1 TD
  • PUNT RETURNS: 9 returns, 95 yards, 1 TD
  • DEFENSE: 1 tackle
  • 8.27 yards/play
  • 10.1 plays/TD

There was really no reason to suspect that Barry Sanders would become a force of nature in 1988, as he had fewer than 1000 total yards of offense in his first two yaers with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Then he scored 39 total touchdowns and finished the year with over 3200 all-purpose yards. And this was before Oklahoma State played Wyoming in the Holiday Bowl, a game in which Sanders racked up 276 more yards and five touchdowns on the overmatched Wyoming defense.

No modern running back has finished with more regular-season hards, a big part of the reason why Sanders ran away with the Heisman that year. Sanders more than doubled the Heisman point total of the runner-up, USC quarterback Rodney Peete, and he won handily in every region of the country. Though Oklahoma State finished third in the Big 8 that year, Sanders’ production made him a consensus winner of the award.

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