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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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Mike Rozier
Mike Rozier (Stephen Dunn/Allsport) /

Ranking NFL careers of Heisman winners: 16. Mike Rozier, RB, Nebraska

Mike Rozier was the motor that made the Nebraska Cornhuskers run during the early 80s. His 1983 senior season was awesome, as the Cornhuskers offense averaged more than 50 points per game. Rozier led a rushing attack that averaged 400 yards per game. These are numbers you can’t reach on freshman mode on the NCAA video games. He scored 29 times and had close to 2,500 total yards. This was insane how good he was in college. Nebraska once again came short in the National Championship, but Rozier could leave college knowing he was the best player in college football, and one of the best running backs ever.

Rozier showed how strange football was in the 80s. He was a top draft pick of the USFL, and he played two seasons with the Pittsburgh Maulers and Jacksonville Bulls. He struggled in his first season out of college, but in his second season, he posted 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns. Then, he was in the USFL supplemental draft to head to the NFL.

Rozier was taken second overall by the Houston Oilers. He made two Pro Bowls with the Oilers before he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in the middle of the 1990 season. Rozier’s career in the NFL wasn’t bad necessarily, but this was someone who was so dominant in college that just didn’t translate to the pros. It was a fine career for most, but it was slightly below expectations when it comes to what the Heisman winner did in college.

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