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College football: Ranking the NFL careers of Heisman Trophy winners 1975-2005

By Nick Villano

Sep 1, 2018; South Bend, IN, USA; Tim Brown the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner poses with the Heisman Trophy at the Heisman House located outside Notre Dame Stadium before the Michigan Wolverines play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; South Bend, IN, USA; Tim Brown the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner poses with the Heisman Trophy at the Heisman House located outside Notre Dame Stadium before the Michigan Wolverines play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ron Dayne
Ron Dayne (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) /

Ranking NFL careers of Heisman winners: 20. Ron Dayne, RB, Wisconsin

Ron Dayne’s NCAA career is one of the most impressive things we’ve seen on a football field. For the Penn State Nittany Lions, he started all four years in college, never rushed for less than 1,400 yards, and broke 2,000 yards in a season twice. He hit paydirt a ridiculous 71 times in college. 71 touchdowns in four years is unfathomable.

The New Jersey native was able to live out a dream and play for the New York Giants (who actually play in East Rutherford, N.J.). The Giants took him with the 11th-overall pick in the 2000 draft. They had high hopes, but they also already had Tiki Barber on the roster. The two made a formidable duo of “Thunder and Lightning” for a few seasons. Dayne was a physical specimen who could run through anyone.

Unfortunately, Jim Fassel was not the biggest fan of the Dayne. He didn’t like his play style, and he really didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t lose weight. Fassel eventually got fired, and Tom Coughlin came in to give Dayne another chance. It worked out worse, somehow. He only got 52 carries that season and signed with the Denver Broncos in the offseason.

Dayne could have been a lot more in a system that just let him take the reigns off. He wasn’t given that oppotunity, but when he was in a committee with Barber, they were great together. They were such a matchup nightmare at their best.

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