College football: Ranking every Heisman Trophy winner
By Brad Weiss
68. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: Nile Kinnick, Iowa Hawkeyes football
After winning only two games combined in the previous two seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes knew they needed a change, and they did so by playing Ironman football. The leader of that group in those days was do-everything back Nile Kinnick, an incredibly gifted two-way player that would go down in history as arguably the greatest Hawkeyes football player of all-time.
The Hawkeyes program was downtrodden when Kinnick decided to go there, and some say that is the reason he went, to go somewhere and turn it around. Turn it around he did in 1939, his Heisman Trophy-winning season, as he led the Hawkeyes to a 6-1-1 record, scoring nearly every touchdown for the team, and dominating on both sides of the ball.
For Kinnick, his natural ability to do amazing things on a football field led to him being named the “Cornbelt Comet,” and during that 1939 season, he would throw for nearly 640 yards on only 31 attempts, rushed for nearly 400 more, and scored 17 touchdowns. Kinnick took home nearly every major award, including the Heisman, was an All-American, the Big Ten Most Valuable Player, all the while averaging nearly 57 minutes per game.
67. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: Alan Ameche, Wisconsin Badgers football
In the history of the Wisconsin Badgers football program, there are few athletes who accomplished more than Alan Ameche did during the middle of the 1950s. A three-time All-American, Ameche dominated the college football landscape as a two-way player for the Badgers, setting numerous school, and NCAA records along the way during his career.
After finishing sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting for the 1953 college football season, Ameche came back with a vengeance, taking home the top honor in college football the following year. He was a monster on both sides of the ball for the Badgers, earning the nickname “The Iron Horse,” as he became the first member of the program to ever with the most coveted award in college football.
One of only two fullbacks to ever win a Heisman Trophy, Ameche rushed for over 600 yards and nine touchdowns during the 1954 campaign, beating out Kurt Burris from Oklahoma and eventual Heisman winner Howard Cassady from Ohio State. Ameche would carve out a solid professional football career for himself as well, and due to his exploits as a member of the Badgers, he would see his No. 35 retired by the school.
66. Ranking every Heisman Trophy Winner: Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame football
In the illustrious history of the Notre Dame Football program, one man stands alone as the first Irish player to ever win the coveted Heisman Trophy. That man is Angelo Bertelli, who took home the award for the 1943 college football season, this after finishing as a runner-up the previous year, one of only six Heisman winners to accomplish that feat.
Playing under center in the Notre Dame T-Formation, Bertelli became known as the “T-Formation Magician,” getting the job done through the air for head coach Pat Leahy. After throwing for over 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns in 1942, Bertelli was able to play in only six games during the 1943 season due to him being in the Marine Corps, but when he was on the field, he proved himself to be the best player in all of college football.
A two-time All-American, Bertelli led the Irish to a national title during the 1953 season, throwing for ten touchdowns on only 25 completions for Notre Dame. Across his entire career in South Bend, Bertelli lost only three games and was the first quarterback to play in the T-Formation to take home the Heisman Trophy. He may have only played six games during his Heisman winning season, but he absolutely dominated.