NCAA Football: 25 Heisman Trophy finalists who should have won in hindsight
By John Scimeca
Peyton Manning is arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of football, having won two Super Bowls with two different teams and having set many NFL passing records that still stand today.
Among these marks are passing yards in a season (5,477 yards in 2013), single-season passing touchdowns (55 in 2013), career touchdown passes (539), and the most league MVP awards (five).
The son of Archie Manning and the pride of Isidore Newman High School (New Orleans) is best known for his “aw, shucks” personality and his constant pre-snap barking audibles such as, “Omaha!” His impact on the game has been enormous.
How, then, did Manning not win the Heisman Trophy as a senior quarterback with the Tennessee Volunteers?
In short, it was a perspective shift of the late 1990s and it was the year of the only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy: Michigan’s Charles Woodson.
Woodson dazzled the college football world in 1997 by helping the Wolverines win a share of the national championship. He boasted several touchdowns, including a couple of touchdown receptions and a returned punt for a score. He collected seven interceptions for the season, many of which came at pivotal moments against rivals Ohio State and Michigan State.
Since Woodson, every other Heisman Trophy winner has been a running back or quarterback.
Manning’s numbers were electric in 1997 — throwing for 3,819 yards and 36 touchdowns — as he led Tennessee to an SEC title, an 11-2 record, and an Orange Bowl appearance (a loss to Nebraska).
It’s clear that quarterbacks have a unique role in leading a football team and that players of other positions can be the best on the field. The Heisman Trophy probably ignores defensive ends, wide receivers and linemen altogether too much. All that being said, though, it’s arguable that Manning’s heroics should have won him the 1997 hardware instead of Woodson.