Saturday Blitz
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
30 of 31
Next

2. Angelo Bertelli (QB/Notre Dame)

Received 64.8% of the vote in 1943

  • PASSING: 25/36 (69.4%), 512 yards, 10 TDs
  • RUSHING: 14 carries, 22 yards, 0 TDs
  • 10.68 yards/play
  • 5.0 plays/TD

The mythic rise of Angelo Bertelli to Heisman winner is the stuff from which legends are formed. He became the first T-formation quarterback to win the award despite playing just six games with the Fighting Irish, his season cut short by being called up to active duty by the Marines during World War II. In his half-dozen chances to play, Bertelli completed almost 70 percent of his passes for 512 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a result he ranks second among Heisman winners in plays per touchdown.

Though he was forced to leave South Bend before the end of the season, Bertelli ran away with the Heisman after leading the Irish to a 6-0 start to the season. Under Bertelli the Notre Dame offense averaged 43.5 points per game; though they won the national title with a young Johnny Lujack filling in, Notre Dame averaged only 19.8 points after Bertelli’s departure. Bertelli finished with more than three times as many points in the Heisman voting than Penn quarterback Bob Odell.

Home/College Football News