The Heisman curse is a term coined to reference a two-part assertion of a negative future for the winning player of the Heisman Trophy in American football. The "curse" supposes that any college football player who wins the Heisman plays on a team that will likely lose its subsequent bowl game. The trend of post-award failure has garnered the attention of the mainstream media.[1]

History

Talk of a Heisman curse in relation to bowl results was particularly prevalent from 2003 to 2008, when six Heisman Trophy winners compiled a cumulative 1–5 bowl game record, and five of those six led number one ranked teams into the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game as favorites (Heisman Trophy winners, including Reggie Bush, who gave back his Heisman Trophy, are 4–8 overall in the BCS National Championship Game and College Football Playoff National Championship, although prior to 2009 they were 1–6). Additionally, the Heisman curse asserts that in most cases a Heisman winner will have either a poor career in the National Football League (NFL), or in fact not even see such a football career at all. Although many Heisman winners have not enjoyed success at the professional level, including players like Matt Leinart, Andre Ware, Jason White, Rashaan Salaam, Eric Crouch, Ty Detmer, Troy Smith and Gino Torretta, proponents of the "curse" rarely cite highly successful players such as Barry Sanders, Charles Woodson, Eddie George, Tim Brown, Bo Jackson, Marcus Allen, Earl Campbell, O. J. Simpson, and Tony Dorsett among the notables.

Insofar as there is a "curse" of underperforming Heisman winners, it seems to affect quarterbacks disproportionately. Although certain Heisman winners have gone on to win Super Bowl championships (such as Roger Staubach and Jim Plunkett), comparatively few have had successful NFL careers. Conversely, running backs seem generally to have fared better in the professional ranks, and wide receivers have had mixed results. The only primarily defensive Heisman winner, Charles Woodson, had a successful NFL career and final collegiate bowl game appearance. Seven Heisman winners have also been named Associated Press NFL MVP: Paul Hornung, Simpson, Campbell, Allen, Sanders, Cam Newton, and Lamar Jackson. Meanwhile, four have won the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award: Staubach, Plunkett, Allen, and Desmond Howard.

The "curse" does not imply that only Heisman winners have failed careers, only the irony behind college football's best underperforming after the award is given.[2] However, while there are numerous counts of players who underperformed after winning the award, an equal number of players have gone on to see great success,[3] evidence that the "curse" is more of an amusement than a reality.

While there is no statistical or empirical evidence that suggests Heisman winners underperform compared to other high-profile collegiate players, some try to explain the perception of the curse by reference to trends regarding voter selections. Some see the trend going back decades to other players, but it has most famously been observed since the 1990s. The accepted logical explanation for the discrepancy between success and failure of Heisman winners is that the people who pick the Heisman are sportswriters and former Heisman winners. This might mean that they vote for a winner based on reputation, without seeing him or really studying him, basically a qualitative approach. On the other hand, the people who pick players for the NFL are talent evaluators. They study tape, interview players and put them through workouts where their strengths and weaknesses can be quantified.[4]

Heisman Trophy winner's bowl game results

Year Player Team Bowl Game Opponent Bowl Game Result
1935 Jay Berwanger Chicago Maroons No Bowl — —
1936 Larry Kelley No. 12 Yale Bulldogs No Bowl — —
1937 Clint Frank No. 12 Yale Bulldogs No Bowl — —
1938 Davey O'Brien No. 1 TCU Horned Frogs 1939 Sugar Bowl No. 6 Carnegie Tech W, 15–7
1939 Nile Kinnick No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes No Bowl — —
1940 Tom Harmon No. 3 Michigan Wolverines No Bowl — —
1941 Bruce Smith No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers No Bowl — —
1942 Frank Sinkwich No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs 1943 Rose Bowl No. 13 UCLA Bruins W, 9–0
1943 Angelo Bertelli No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish No Bowl — —
1944 Les Horvath No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes No Bowl — —
1945 Doc Blanchard No. 1 Army Cadets No Bowl — —
1946 Glenn Davis No. 2 Army Cadets No Bowl — —
1947 Johnny Lujack No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish No Bowl — —
1948 Doak Walker No. 10 SMU Mustangs 1949 Cotton Bowl Classic No. 9 Oregon Ducks W, 21–13
1949 Leon Hart No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish No Bowl — —
1950 Vic Janowicz No. 14 Ohio State Buckeyes No Bowl — —
1951 Dick Kazmaier No. 6 Princeton Tigers No Bowl — —
1952 Billy Vessels No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners No Bowl — —
1953 Johnny Lattner No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish No Bowl — —
1954 Alan Ameche No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers No Bowl — —
1955 Howard Cassady No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes No Bowl — —
1956 Paul Hornung Notre Dame Fighting Irish No Bowl — —
1957 John David Crow No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies 1957 Gator Bowl No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers L, 0–3
1958 Pete Dawkins No. 3 Army Cadets No Bowl — —
1959 Billy Cannon No. 3 LSU Tigers 1960 Sugar Bowl No. 2 Ole Miss Rebels L, 0–21
1960 Joe Bellino No. 4 Navy Midshipmen 1961 Orange Bowl No. 5 Missouri Tigers L, 14–21
1961 Ernie Davis No. 14 Syracuse Orangemen 1961 Liberty Bowl Miami Hurricanes W, 15–14
1962 Terry Baker Oregon State 1962 Liberty Bowl Villanova Wildcats W, 6–0
1963 Roger Staubach No. 2 Navy Midshipmen 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic No. 1 Texas Longhorns L, 6–28
1964 John Huarte No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish No Bowl — —
1965 Mike Garrett No. 10 USC Trojans No Bowl — —
1966 Steve Spurrier No. 11 Florida Gators 1967 Orange Bowl No. 8 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets W, 27–12
1967 Gary Beban UCLA Bruins No Bowl — —
1968 O. J. Simpson No. 2 USC Trojans 1969 Rose Bowl No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes L, 16–27
1969 Steve Owens Oklahoma Sooners No Bowl — —
1970 Jim Plunkett No. 12 Stanford Indians 1971 Rose Bowl No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes W, 27–17
1971 Pat Sullivan No. 5 Auburn Tigers 1972 Sugar Bowl No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners L, 22–40
1972 Johnny Rodgers No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers 1973 Orange Bowl No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish W, 40–6
1973 John Cappelletti No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions 1974 Orange Bowl No. 13 LSU Tigers W, 16–9
1974 Archie Griffin No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes 1975 Rose Bowl No. 5 USC Trojans L, 17–18
1975 Archie Griffin No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes 1976 Rose Bowl No. 11 UCLA Bruins L, 10–23
1976 Tony Dorsett No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers 1977 Sugar Bowl No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs W, 27–3
1977 Earl Campbell No. 1 Texas Longhorns 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish L, 10–38
1978 Billy Sims No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 1979 Orange Bowl No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers W, 31–24
1979 Charles White No. 3 USC Trojans 1980 Rose Bowl No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes W, 17–16
1980 George Rogers No. 18 South Carolina Gamecocks 1980 Gator Bowl No. 3 Pittsburgh Panthers L, 9–37
1981 Marcus Allen No. 8 USC Trojans 1982 Fiesta Bowl No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions L, 10–26
1982 Herschel Walker No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs 1983 Sugar Bowl No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions L, 23–27
1983 Mike Rozier No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers 1984 Orange Bowl No. 5 Miami Hurricanes L, 30–31
1984 Doug Flutie No. 8 Boston College Eagles 1985 Cotton Bowl Classic Houston Cougars W, 45–28
1985 Bo Jackson No. 16 Auburn Tigers 1986 Cotton Bowl Classic No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies L, 16–36
1986 Vinny Testaverde No. 1 Miami Hurricanes 1987 Fiesta Bowl No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions L, 10–14
1987 Tim Brown No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1988 Cotton Bowl Classic No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies L, 10–35
1988 Barry Sanders No. 12 Oklahoma State 1988 Holiday Bowl No. 15 Wyoming Cowboys W, 62–14
1989 Andre Ware No. 13 Houston Cougars No Bowl - NCAA Probation — —
1990 Ty Detmer No. 13 BYU Cougars 1990 Holiday Bowl Texas A&M Aggies L, 14–65
1991 Desmond Howard No. 4 Michigan Wolverines 1992 Rose Bowl No. 2 Washington Huskies L, 14–34
1992 Gino Torretta No. 1 Miami Hurricanes 1993 Sugar Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide L, 13–34
1993 Charlie Ward No. 1 Florida State Seminoles 1994 Orange Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers W, 18–16
1994 Rashaan Salaam No. 4 Colorado Buffaloes 1995 Fiesta Bowl Notre Dame Fighting Irish W, 41–24
1995 Eddie George No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes 1996 Florida Citrus Bowl No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers L, 14–20
1996 Danny Wuerffel No. 3 Florida Gators 1997 Sugar Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 1 Florida State Seminoles W, 52-20
1997 Charles Woodson No. 1 Michigan Wolverines 1998 Rose Bowl No. 8 Washington State Cougars W, 21–16
1998 Ricky Williams No. 20 Texas Longhorns 1999 Cotton Bowl Classic No. 25 Mississippi State Bulldogs W, 38–11
1999 Ron Dayne No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers 2000 Rose Bowl No. 22 Stanford Cardinal W, 17–9
2000 Chris Weinke No. 2 Florida State Seminoles 2001 Orange Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners L, 2–13
2001 Eric Crouch No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers 2002 Rose Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 1 Miami Hurricanes L, 14–37
2002 Carson Palmer No. 5 USC Trojans 2003 Orange Bowl No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes W, 38–17
2003 Jason White No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners 2004 Sugar Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 2 LSU Tigers L, 14–21
2004 Matt Leinart No. 1 USC Trojans 2005 Orange Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners W‡, 55–19
2005 Reggie Bush No. 1 USC Trojans 2006 Rose Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 2 Texas Longhorns L, 38–41
2006 Troy Smith No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes 2007 BCS National Championship Game No. 2 Florida Gators L, 14–41
2007 Tim Tebow No. 9 Florida Gators 2008 Capital One Bowl Michigan Wolverines L, 35–41
2008 Sam Bradford No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners 2009 BCS National Championship Game No. 2 Florida Gators L, 14–24
2009 Mark Ingram II No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 2010 BCS National Championship Game No. 2 Texas Longhorns W, 37–21
2010 Cam Newton No. 1 Auburn Tigers 2011 BCS National Championship Game No. 2 Oregon Ducks W, 22–19
2011 Robert Griffin III No. 12 Baylor Bears 2011 Alamo Bowl Washington Huskies W, 67–56
2012 Johnny Manziel No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies 2013 Cotton Bowl Classic No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners W, 41–13
2013 Jameis Winston No. 1 Florida State Seminoles 2014 BCS National Championship Game No. 2 Auburn Tigers W, 34–31
2014 Marcus Mariota No. 3 Oregon Ducks 2015 Rose Bowl
2015 College Football Playoff National Championship		 No. 2 Florida State Seminoles
No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes		 W, 59–20
L, 20–42
2015 Derrick Henry No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic (December)
2016 College Football Playoff National Championship		 No. 3 Michigan State Spartans
No. 1 Clemson Tigers		 W, 38–0
W, 45–40
2016 Lamar Jackson No. 8 Louisville Cardinals 2016 Citrus Bowl (December) No. 13 LSU Tigers L, 9–29
2017 Baker Mayfield No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners 2018 Rose Bowl No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs L, 48–54
2018 Kyler Murray No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 2018 Orange Bowl No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide L, 34–45
2019 Joe Burrow No. 1 LSU Tigers 2019 Peach Bowl
2020 College Football Playoff National Championship		 No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners
No. 3 Clemson Tigers		 W, 63–28
W, 42–25
2020 DeVonta Smith No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 2021 Rose Bowl

2021 College Football Playoff National Championship

 No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes

 W, 31–14
W, 52–24
2021 Bryce Young No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic
2022 College Football Playoff National Championship		 No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats
No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs		 W, 27–6
L, 18–33
2022 Caleb Williams No. 10 USC Trojans 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic (January) No. 16 Tulane Green Wave L, 45–46
2023 Jayden Daniels No. 13 LSU Tigers ReliaQuest Bowl (January) Wisconsin Badgers W, 35-31

Rankings are from the AP Poll upon entering bowl games
‡—USC's 2005 Orange Bowl win was later vacated.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "TideSports.com - Heisman curse? Hardly". Alabama.rivals.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "ESPN.com - Page2 - The List: Biggest Heisman flops". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "Heisman Trophy Studs & Duds, best Heisman winners, Heisman flops". Bullz-eye.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Heisman's Career Curse". Forbes.com. 11 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  5. ↑ "Markazi: USC doesn't need trophy to be champs". 7 June 2011.
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