For the better part of the 20th century, Major League Baseball wanted to make sure that any record held by New York Yankees’ slugger Babe Ruth remained in the books. Now in the 21st century, it seems that college football is taking on the same philosophy on the topic of the Heisman Trophy.
Today it appears less likely that a player who has already won the Heisman Trophy can become the first player since Ohio State running back Archie Griffin in 1974 and 1975 to strike the infamous pose twice.
This season is the first real possibility that it could happen, with 2009 favorites Florida and OU junior quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford having already won the Heisman in 2007 and 2008, respectively. But can it really happen when it seems like writers and voters seem to be more inclined to give it to the best player who has yet to win?
Tebow did have the opportunity to win his second Heisman Trophy last season, but first-time nominee Bradford came back to Norman with the statue.
Did Bradford win because he was truly the better quarterback, or because Tebow already had his shining moment in New York City the year before? The answer interchanges between the two, depending on whom you ask.
So, will this year be any different? Will we have the second player in history to win the Heisman, or will a new player hoist the trophy in December?
If the trend continues, the voters will go with Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy, who finished 86 points behind Bradford in 2008. McCoy was the favorite to win last year, but Bradford’s performance during the final stretch of the season solidified the fifth Heisman winner in OU’s history.
It’s yet to be seen whether or not anyone outside of McCoy can make a run for college football’s greatest individual honor, but he is the preseason favorite of all players who have not won before.
If the award has become cyclical and the voters do not want to have anyone join Griffin, McCoy should be the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, unless Bradford or Tebow have seasons that put their previous Heisman-winning ones to shame.
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HoosierSooner 2 years, 10 months ago
Greco, do you know what "infamous" means? You should probably look it up before using it again.
JosephTSchmidt 2 years, 10 months ago
I like the direction of this article. Haven't thought much about whether or not people have won the trophy because they faced others who already earned it. But I agree with HoosierSooner. When I read 'infamous' I was kinda' confused. I'm hoping Bradford gets another and beats out this trend. I think he's going to be even better this year. I hope that if he gets the trophy, people don't think it's because of any trend or default. I want them to think, "Good deal. No one else could've earned this. He won out, completely."