Alabama Football: Crimson Tide Heisman Trophy History

Alabama Football: Crimson Tide football players will make history Tuesday night when the Heisman Trophy winner and runners-up are announced.

An Alabama football player will win the Heisman Trophy Tuesday night or the college football world will be shocked. It seems a foregone conclusion Crimson Tide wide receiver, DeVonta Smith will win. Mac Jones will join Smith in adding to the Crimson Tide Heisman history.

Najee Harris already made his statement in Crimson Tide history, finishing fifth in the voting and just missing being a finalist. Also in the finalist group are Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Kyle Trask of the Florida Gators. Recent, not Heisman-worthy performances by Lawrence and Trask will not affect the outcome. The voting deadline was Dec. 21.

The Heisman goes back to 1935 when the New York, Downtown Athletic Club awarded its first award to Jay Berwanger. The club notified Berwanger of his honor by informing him he had been chosen as the “most valuable football player east of the Mississippi.” John Heisman’s name was attached to the award the following year, in 1936.

The Alabama football program trails other elite programs in Heisman winners. The Tide’s two Heisman winners trail leading Heisman schools, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame. The three schools have seven winners each. Leading SEC schools with three Heisman winners each are Auburn and Florida.

Twenty-three Alabama football players have finished in the Heisman voting for a total of 24 appearances.

Alabama Football Players in Heisman Top 10

• 1937 – Halfback Joe Kilgrow finished 5th. The Heisman winner was Clinton Frank of Yale.
• 1945 – Halfback Harry Gilmer finished 5th. The winner was Doc Blanchard of Army.
• 1947 – Halfback Harry Gilmer finished 5th. The winner was Johnny Lujak of Notre Dame.
• 1961 – Quarterback Pat Trammell finished 5th. The winner was Ernie Davis of Syracuse.
• 1962 – Center-Linebacker Lee Roy Jordan finished 4th. The winner was Terry Baker of Oregon State.
• 1965 – Quarterback Steve Sloan finished 10th. The winner was Mike Garrett of USC.
• 1971 – Halfback Johnny Musso finished 4th. The winner was Pat Sullivan of Auburn.
• 1972 – Quarterback Terry Davis finished 5th. The winner was Johnny Rodgers of Nebraska.
• 1979 – Quarterback Steadman Shealy finished 10th. The winner was Charles White of USC.
• 1983 – Quarterback Walter Lewis finished 9th. The winner was Mike Rozier of Nebraska.
• 1986- Linebacker Cornelius Bennett finished 7th. The winner was Vinnie Testaverde of Miami.
• 1987 – Runningback Bobby Humphrey finished 10th. The winner was Tim Brown of Notre Dame.
• 1988 – Linebacker Derrick Thomas finished 10th. The winner was Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State.
• 1992 – Defensive End Eric Curry finished 10th. The winner was Gino Torretta of Miami.
• 1993 – Wide Receiver David Palmer finished 3rd. The winner was Charlie Ward of Florida State.
• 1994 – Quarterback Jay Barker finished 5th. The winner was Rashaan Salaam of Colorado.
• 1999 – Runningback Shaun Alexander finished 7th. The winner was Ron Dayne of Wisconsin.
• 2009 – Runningback Mark Ingram – Heisman Winner
• 2011 – Runningback Trent Richardson finished 3rd. The winner was Robert Griffin III of Baylor.
• 2013 – Quarterback A.J. McCarron finished 2nd. The winner was Jameis Winston of Florida State.
• 2014 – Wide Receiver Amari Cooper finished 3rd. The winner was Marcus Mariota of Oregon.
• 2015 – Runningback Derrick Henry – Heisman Winner
• 2016 – Defensive Lineman Jonathan Allen finished 7th. The winner was Lamar Jackson of Louisville.
• 2018 – Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished 2nd. The winner was Kyler Murray of Oklahoma.
• 2018 – Defensive Lineman Quinnen Williams finished 8th.
• 2020 – DeVonta Smith and Mac Jones are Heisman Finalists and Najee Harris finished 5th in the voting.

The Heisman Awards Show will be a virtual event this year due to COVID. DeVonta and Mac are not having to take time away from National Championship preparation to travel to New York.