Young Vinny Testeverde
In 1939: Nile Kinnick, a halfback from Iowa won the fifth Heisman trophy award given to college football’s most outstanding player. Kinnick never turned pro and instead joined the fight in World War II. He died in 1943 when his fighter plane crashed into the Caribbean Sea.
In 1961: Ernie Davis of Syracuse won the second-closest vote in Heisman history, edging out Ohio State’s Bob Ferguson. Sadly, like Kinnick, Davis died shortly after winning the Heisman. He was the top draft pick of the Cleveland Browns, but was stricken with leukemia just a few games into his rookie season. He was the first African-American player to win the Heisman Trophy.
In 1975: Archie Griffin of Ohio State became the only player in history to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies. Griffin combined power and speed to amass over 5,000 total yards while playing for the Buckeyes. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, and although he never was the superstar he was in Columbus, he had a solid career.
In 1986: Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde won the 52nd Heisman, lapping the likes of Paul Palmer, Jim Harbaugh and Gordon Lockbaum (of Holy Cross, who finished 5th) with the fifth-largest margin of victory in the history of the voting. Testaverde still leads all Hurricane passers with 46 career touchdowns. He went from being a monumental first round bust with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to having a decent career with the Browns/Ravens, Jets (teams he led to the playoffs) and Cowboys. He is currently the backup in New England.
(All info and stats coutesy of heisman.com)
