1. 1982
1. Herschel Walker, Jr., RB, Georgia 2. John Elway, Sr., QB, Stanford 3. Eric Dickerson, Sr., RB, SMU 4. Anthony Carter, Sr., WR, Michigan 5. David Rimington, Sr., C, Nebraska
Legacy: There might never be a class like it again. Walker is considered by many the greatest college player of all time. Dickerson still holds the NFL single-season rushing record. Elway won two Super Bowls. Michigan gives Carter’s No. 1 jersey to its best wide receiver, and the Rimington Award is given to the nation’s best center. Todd Blackledge (sixth), Dan Marino (ninth) and Mike Rozier (10th) also made the top 10.
2. 1956
1. Paul Hornung, Sr., QB, Notre Dame 2. John Majors, Sr., RB, Tennessee 3. Tom McDonald, Sr., RB, Oklahoma 4. Jerry Tubbs, Sr., LB, Oklahoma 5. Jim Brown, Sr., RB, Syracuse
Legacy: While the vote itself is infamous — Hornung won over Brown despite playing for a losing team — this class was loaded. Michigan’s Ron Kramer and Ohio State’s Jim Parker finished sixth and eighth, respectively. Brown, Hornung, McDonald and Parker all are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Majors, meanwhile, coached Pittsburgh to a national championship in 1976.
3. 1997
1. Charles Woodson, Jr., CB, Michigan 2. Peyton Manning, Sr., QB, Tennessee 3. Ryan Leaf, Jr., QB, Washington State 4. Randy Moss, So., WR, Marshall 5. Ricky Williams, Jr., RB, Texas
Legacy: Imagine if Leaf hadn’t been a draft bust. Woodson led Michigan to a national championship and won a Super Bowl in Green Bay. Manning is a four-time NFL MVP who played in two Super Bowls. Moss finished second all time with 156 TDs. Manning, Moss and Woodson all likely will end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Williams won the 1998 Heisman Trophy and finished with 6,592 rushing yards at Texas before an eventful NFL career.
4. 1981
1. Marcus Allen, Sr., RB, USC 2. Herschel Walker, So., RB, Georgia 3. Jim McMahon, Sr., QB, BYU 4. Dan Marino, Sr., QB, Pittsburgh 5. Art Schlichter, So., QB, Ohio State
Legacy: Walker led Georgia to the national championship the previous season. Allen won a Super Bowl and joined Marino in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. McMahon was part of BYU’s prolific passing tree and later won a Super Bowl with Chicago. Schlichter was a two-time Heisman finalist at Ohio State, but he’s known more for his off-the-field legal problems.
5. 1970
1. Jim Plunkett, Sr., QB, Stanford 2. Joe Theismann, Sr., QB, Notre Dame 3. Archie Manning, Sr., QB, Ole Miss 4. Steve Worster, Sr., QB, Texas 5. Rex Kern, Sr., QB, Ohio State
Legacy: It’s the ultimate class of quarterbacks. Plunkett and Theismann won Super Bowls. Worster and Kern won national championships. Manning is the patriarch of football’s most popular family. Auburn’s Pat Sullivan, who won the 1971 Heisman Trophy, finished sixth. Lynn Dickey, who enjoyed a long pro career with Houston and Green Bay from 1971-85, finished 10th.
6. 1988
1. Barry Sanders, Jr., RB, Oklahoma State 2. Rodney Peete, Sr., QB, USC 3. Troy Aikman, Sr., QB, UCLA 4. Steve Walsh, Jr., QB, Miami 5. Major Harris, Jr., QB, West Virginia
Legacy: Sanders still holds the NCAA single-season rushing record, and he’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys. This class also featured Hall of Famers Deion Sanders (eighth) and Derrick Thomas (10th) and draft bust Tony Mandarich (sixth).
7. 1967
1. Gary Beban, Sr., QB, UCLA 2. O.J. Simpson, Jr., RB, USC 3. LeRoy Keyes, Jr., RB/CB, Purdue 4. Larry Csonka, Sr., FB, Syracuse 5. Kim Hammond, Sr., QB, Florida State
Legacy: Simpson led USC past Beban and UCLA 21-20 that season, but Beban still won the Heisman Trophy. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. Csonka won two Super Bowls. Simpson and Csonka both reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
8. 2010
1. Cam Newton, Jr. QB, Auburn 2. Andrew Luck, So., QB, Stanford 3. LaMichael James, So., RB, Oregon 4. Kellen Moore, Jr., QB, Boise State 5. Justin Blackmon, So., WR, Oklahoma State
Legacy: Keep an eye on this class. Newton and Luck — both No. 1 picks — are emerging stars NFL stars. Moore won a NCAA record 50 games at Boise State. The top 10 also featured Colin Kaepernick (eighth) and Andy Dalton (ninth). Newton, Luck, Kaepernick and Dalton all might be leading NFL playoff teams in 2013.
9. 1944
1. Les Horvath, Sr., QB, Ohio State 2. Glenn Davis, So., RB, Army 3. Doc Blanchard, So., RB, Army 4. Don Whitmire, Jr., T, Navy 5. Buddy Young, Fr., RB, Illinois
Legacy: Horvath was followed by the next two Heisman Trophy winners in the voting — Army’s tandem of “Mr. Inside” and “Mr. Outside.” Blanchard won the Heisman in 1945 and Davis followed in 1946. Half of the top 10 candidates either played at Army or Navy.
10. 1979
1. Charles White, Sr., RB, USC 2. Billy Sims, Sr., RB, Oklahoma 3. Marc Wilson, Sr., QB, BYU 4. Art Schlichter, So., QB, Ohio State 5. Vagas Ferguson, Sr., RB, Notre Dame
Legacy: White kept Sims, the 1978 winner, from becoming the second two-time winner in Heisman history. Wilson started the long line of BYU quarterbacks to finish in the top five. George Rogers, who won the 1980 Heisman Trophy, finished seventh.
