College football: Ranking every Heisman Trophy winner

62. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: Doc Blanchard, Army Black Knights football

Back in the 1940s, the Army Black Knights football team was downright dominant, as they posted a 27-0-1 record. During the time, our next winner, Felix “Doc” Blanchard was running the ball for them. One half of one of the greatest running back duos in the history of college football, Blanchard was as versatile as they come, playing fullback on offense, a linebacker on defense, and even handling punting and kicking duties for the Black Nights.

Nicknamed “Mr. Inside,” as his teammate Glenn Davis was “Mr. Outside,” Blanchard became the first junior to ever win the Heisman Trophy, as he found the end zone 17 times during his junior season, 16 times on the ground, and once through the air. As the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner, Blanchard became the first member of the Army football program to win the award, a feat that would be matched by his teammate, Davis the following season.

During his Heisman Trophy-winning season, Blanchard and Davis finished 1 and 2 in the voting, the first time a pair of teammates had accomplished that. As injuries affected his final season on campus, Davis stepped up and won the Heisman in 1946, cementing the duo as one of the best to ever do it at Army, and in college football as a whole.

61. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: Steve Owens, Oklahoma Sooners football

The Oklahoma Sooners have a rich history in terms of the running back position, and in the late 1960s, they had a power back who could run over, or around the defense, leading to him winning the 1969 Heisman Trophy. That power back was Steve Owens, who carried what should have been a terrible 1969 team to a winning record, all the while proving to be quite the workhorse in the Sooners backfield.

Owens dominated the college football landscape from 1967 through the 1969 season, setting numerous NCAA and Oklahoma football records along the way. During his Heisman Trophy-winning season of 1969, Owens twice went over the 200-yard mark in a game, and his statistics for that season are something you would see in today’s game.

The bell cow back rushed the ball over 350 yards for Oklahoma in 1969, racking up over 1,500 yards, and finding the end zone 23 times. That mark is still a school record, as is his record for carries in a single game with 55, and for a career, with nearly 1,000. Owens took home most of the hardware after his final season in Norman and is still one of the best players in program history.

60. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: John Cappelletti, Penn State Nittany Lions football

The Penn State football program is widely regarded as one of the best in all of college football, racking up numerous awards, national championships, and sending hundreds of players to the NFL. However, in the illustrious history of the program, only one player has ever taken home a Heisman Trophy, and that player is running back John Cappelletti, who accomplished the feat during the 1973 college football season.

Cappelletti shined as a defensive back and running back early in his career, but made the full-time switch to halfback as a junior, and ended up being one of the more prolific backs in program history. He rushed for over 1,500 yards during his Heisman Trophy-winning season, scoring 17 touchdowns, and leading Penn State to an undefeated season, and a final ranking of No. 5 in the entire country.

Of course, all of his exploits on the field are overshadowed by his incredibly brave acceptance speech at the Heisman ceremony. Cappelletti dedicated the trophy to his dying brother, Joey, who was suffering from Leukemia. Cappelletti took home nearly all of the hardware a running back could during his final season in Happy Valley, and legendary head coach Joe Paterno called him the best player he ever coached.