When CBSSports.com Heisman pundit Chris Huston released his historical rankings on Wednesday of the best programs over the 77 years of the prestigious award, Notre Dame earned top billing by a substantial margin.
Notre Dame ranked first with 277 points, a margin far ahead of Oklahoma and Ohio State which tied for second with 191. In Huston’s system, a team receives 10 points for a Heisman Trophy winner, nine for a runner-up, eight for a third-place finisher, and so on. The Buckeyes could have a player win the Heisman for the next eight seasons and still be ranked behind the Irish.
By decade, Notre Dame finished first twice (the 1940s and the 1960s), second (1950s), fourth (1970s), fifth (1930s), eighth (1980s) and tied for eighth (2000s). Notre Dame is also tied with Southern Cal and Ohio State for the most Heisman recipients with seven. This season marks the 25th anniversary of former Irish wide receiver Tim Brown's Heisman win in 1987. It was the last time a Notre Dame player won the Heisman Trophy.
Three Irish players won the Heisman in the 1940s -- quarterbacks Angelo Bertelli (1943) and John Lujack (1947), and lineman Leon Hart (1949). Bertelli was nicknamed the “T-Formation Magician,” by legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice, according to Heisman.com. Bertelli, who finished with 2,582 total yards on the season, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972. Lujack replaced Bertelli when the former Irish quarterback joined the Marines and later led Notre Dame to national championships in 1946 and 1947. Regarded as a devastating blocker, Hart became the second lineman ever to capture the Heisman.
Two players from Notre Dame -- running back John Lattner (1953) and quarterback Paul Hornung (1956) -- won the trophy in the 1950s. In 1953 Lattner became the fourth Irish player to win the award, despite not leading the team in rushing, receiving or total points. The versatile Lattner played both ways and intercepted 13 passes during his career. Hornung remains the only winner in Heisman history to finish first in balloting while playing for a team with a losing record. The Irish quarterback gained more than 1,300 total yards on the season for a team that finished 2-8.
After finishing behind Oklahoma in the 1950s team rankings, Notre Dame regained the top spot in the 1960s. In 1964, Notre Dame quarterback John Huarte became the sixth Irish player to win the Heisman. Huarte outlasted a field that included Illinois linebacker Dick Butkus, Cal quarterback Craig Morton and Wake Forest running back Brian Piccolo. In 1987, Brown won the award in dominating fashion. The former Irish wide receiver received 1,442 votes -- 611 more than Syracuse quarterback Don McPherson, the second-place finisher. Former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz describes Brown as “the most intelligent player I’ve ever been around,” according to Heisman.com.
Since Brown won the Heisman, a Notre Dame player has finished in the Top 5 balloting five times: quarterback Tony Rice (fourth, 1989) wide receiver Raghib Ismail (second, 1990), running back Reggie Brooks (fifth, 1992) and quarterback Brady Quinn (fourth, 2005 and third, 2006). Notre Dame isn’t the only storied program to endure an extended Heisman drought. Michigan and Miami (Fla.) have gone 15 and 20 years, respectively, without winning the award. Penn State hasn’t had a winner since 1973, while a player from LSU hasn’t won the Heisman since 1959. A Tennessee Volunteers' player has never won the trophy.
Notre Dame’s top candidates for the Heisman in 2012 are linebacker Manti Te’o and tight end Tyler Eifert. A defensive player hasn’t won the Heisman since 1997 when it went to Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson.
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