LOS ANGELES -- It's a fabled venue where stars like O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Ron Dayne and Vince Young delivered the defining performances of their college careers. On Monday, in the 98th Rose Bowl Game, a pair of accomplished running backs, Wisconsin's Montee Ball and Oregon's LaMichael James, will look to do the same.
NEW YORK -- Even after a record-breaking season full of last-second touchdowns and monumental upsets, even after a week of pre-ceremony coverage in which his victory became increasingly inevitable, it was not until Robert Griffin III heard his name called and walked to the stage of Best Buy Theater on Saturday night that the once-unfathomable become reality.
NEW YORK -- As they walked out of the press room in the Marriott Marquis to make their way across a bustling Times Square for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, Montee Ball grabbed onto Robert Griffin III's throwing arm with both of his hands.
Baylor University quarterback Robert Griffin III, who has amassed nearly 4,000 passing yards this season, won the 2011 Heisman Trophy on Saturday.
Who do you think should win the Heisman Trophy? Have your voice heard in SI.com's Peoples' Choice For The Heisman. Like a traditional ballot, first place earns three points, second place receives two points and third place gets one point. Make you picks and be sure to check back Friday, Dec. 9 for the unveiling of America's pick for the winner.
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- David Shaw did not even wait for the first question at Saturday night's postgame news conference before beginning his stump speech.
The faithful walk past a Charlie Chaplin who twirls his cane, a Marilyn who shows off her cleavage while blowing kisses and a ranting, Jheri-curled Samuel Jackson (a la "Pulp Fiction") who flashes his Bad Mother F**ker wallet.
The Watchman has reached the fifth and final stage in processing Denard Robinson: acceptance.
The last time most people outside of Evanston, Ill., saw Dan Persa, he was rolling on the turf, cradling his right foot. Seconds after completing the game-winning touchdown pass -- a beautiful, high-arching, 20-yard lob to Demetrius Fields in the front corner of the end zone -- against Iowa last November, Persa collapsed to the ground in pain. He had ruptured his Achilles tendon. His season was over.
Can you feel it? The season's so close. Everybody's practicing. The first official preseason poll is out. Of all the questions one could ask about the 2011 season, why not start at the top?
The Carolina Panthers selected Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton as the first pick of the 2011 NFL draft on Thursday.
The number of underclassmen leaving for the NFL this year appears to be about the same as usual. At first glance, the impending lockout didn't seem to have an effect one way or the other. Guys who wanted to turn pro, turned pro.
Auburn and Oregon stories in the SI Vault
NEW YORK -- There have been more memorable Heisman acceptance speeches, Nile Kinnick's eloquent and foreboding address with the nation on the brink of war in 1939 and John Cappelletti's tribute to his leukemia-stricken brother, among them. But in the trophy's 76-year history, it's unlikely any speech included a moment with a bigger buildup.
NEW YORK -- It began with the usual, feel-good moment: The newly announced Heisman Trophy winner smiling, hugging his mother, ascending nervously to the stage to accept his prize. But then, shortly into his acceptance speech, Cam Newton uttered a line that in any other year would have gone completely unnoticed.
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton won the 2010 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, his on-field heroics enough to overcome off-the-field questions about his role in a purported pay-for-play scheme.
If you are looking for drama during Saturday night's Heisman Trophy ceremony, you might as well turn the channel to TNT. Rather than create an awkward situation with Auburn quarterback and presumptive Heisman winner Cam Newton live on Saturday night, ESPN landed an exclusive interview with Newton Thursday afternoon at a hotel in Orlando. The interview aired during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show Thursday night, and ESPN officials said they will re-run clips of the interview on other ESPN entities over the weekend, including during the Heisman Trophy Presentation (which airs at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN and ESPN3.com).
Twenty five years ago, Sports Illustrated editor Mark Mulvoy and first-year writer Rick Reilly made a pitch for an unknown kid from Division III Plymouth State and in the process created a cover story that still resonates today.
Unlike any Heisman Trophy race before it, this one is defined and tangled in a mess of allegations, speculations and uncertainties.
It was a Heisman bombshell like nothing in recent memory: Someone claiming to represent Auburn quarterback Cam Newton during his recruitment allegedly wanted a six-figure payday to secure the QB's commitment.
The 2010 college football season began under a cloud of NCAA-related scandals. Is it about to end in a cataclysmic thunderstorm?
The national title picture is far from clear, but the Heisman Trophy race appears to be another story.
The breakout player of the 2010 college football season was discussing his reciprocal arrangement with the crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium. "You give and you get," Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was explaining earlier this week. "You feed the crowd, and the crowd gives you this type of energy that [makes you] feel like you can do anything. I learned that from the great [Tim] Tebow."
A wild weekend that caused chaos just before the first BCS rankings were released also did a number on the race for the Heisman Trophy.
If it's mid-October, and if the consensus preseason No. 1 team just lost, that can only mean one thing: That all other topics go out the window, and the Mailbag dost overfloweth with e-mails complaining about the polls.
Flipping between telecasts of Florida-Alabama and Oregon-Stanford, it almost seemed as if Mark Ingram and LaMichael James were squaring off in a Heisman running back showdown. But any keen observer -- and anyone who merely checked the boxscore -- could see it wasn't even close.
It certainly wasn't subtle. But an in-your-face signal that he was officially throwing his hat into the ring was exactly what Patrick Peterson needed.
Brad Keselowski does a biweekly diary for SI.com. Heading to Loudon this weekend, he creates his own goals for the Chase, and reflects on how to make the season better for his No. 12 Penske Dodge in Cup, all while mourning the possible loss of Nationwide teammate Justin Allgaier in 2011. Plus, his grade for the Nationwide CoT, thoughts on taking away Reggie Bush's Heisman trophy, and why one of New Hampshire's four turns is considered one of the deadliest on the circuit.
In 11 years on this beat, the 2005 season was by far the most memorable I've covered. I'll never forget watching Matt Leinart's 61-yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett from the sideline of Notre Dame Stadium. I'll never forget watching from the press box above the L.A. Coliseum as Reggie Bush ran off 260 yards against UCLA. And of course, I'll never forget watching Vince Young scamper to the end zone literally just a few feet in front of me to clinch the BCS championship.
New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush announced Tuesday that he would forfeit the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005 when he was at the University of Southern California.
Former USC running back Reggie Bush will forfeit the 2005 Heisman Trophy, says a statement from the New Orleans Saints.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- As a guest on a Mad Dog Radio program with Sirius/XM during the season's first week, I was asked how Alabama would deal with the temporary loss of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram to a knee injury. Like most people who live in the South and follow college football, I laughed at the question.
The Heisman Trophy race is just two weeks old, but already one thing is certain: Archie Griffin is safe for another year.
NEW YORK -- He was clearly gripped by emotion the moment his name was called, struggling to collect his composure as he climbed on to a stage thronged by some of the biggest legends in the history of the sport.
Running back Mark Ingram was awarded the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, becoming the first player from the University of Alabama ever to be named the best in college football.
This is the fourth straight year that The Watch has named a Halfway Heisman Trophy winner midway through the season. The first two recipients, Ohio State's Troy Smith and Florida's Tim Tebow, went on to win the real Trophy in December. Last year's Halfway Heisman winner, Colt McCoy, got our vote at the end of the season, but not the nation's.
It is time for Extreme Makeover: Heisman Watch Edition. For five weeks this list has stuck by the usual suspects despite the fact that many of them underperformed due to injury, inaccuracy or indifference. Well, now that we have a much larger sample of games, it is time to blow up The Watch, take a look at all the evidence and start from scratch. Half of these players weren't on the list last week, including two of the top three. This Heisman season has been so crazy that next week's Halfway Heisman Trophy could go to anyone on this list -- and maybe even to someone not on it.
When did the Heisman Trophy race become lengthier and costlier than a presidential campaign?
This article appears in the Sports Illustrated Presents 75th Anniversary of the Heisman Trophy issue.
This article appears in the Sports Illustrated Presents 75th Anniversary of the Heisman Trophy issue.
This article appears in the Sports Illustrated Presents 75th Anniversary of the Heisman Trophy issue.
This article appears in the Sports Illustrated Presents 75th Anniversary of the Heisman Trophy issue
This article appears in the Sports Illustrated Presents 75th Anniversary of the Heisman Trophy issue.
Making history is a rare accomplishment. Duplicating it can be difficult.
1. The national Player of the Year race. This contest will be every bit as exciting and star-studded as was the campaign for college football's Heisman Trophy. North Carolina senior forward Tyler Hansbrough is, a la Tim Tebow, the reigning incumbent, but for the moment he is not the front-runner. Instead, that mantle is being carried by Blake Griffin, Oklahoma's powerful but agile 6-foot-9 sophomore forward who averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds while staking the Sooners to a 12-0 start and a No. 4 ranking. The sentimental favorite is Davidson guard Stephen Curry, the baby-faced sharp shooter who is leading the country in scoring at 30 points a game.
For nearly a half-century, some of college football's greatest players didn't have the opportunity to vie for what has become the sport's most prestigious piece of hardware: the Heisman Trophy.
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