Editing Heisman Trophy

{{Short description|Annual award for the outstanding college football player}}
{{Redirect|Heisman|the name|Heisman (surname)}}
{{Infobox sports award
| name        = Heisman Trophy 
| image       = Heisman Trophy Logo.png
| sport       = [[College football]]
| awardedfor  = Outstanding performance which best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, hard work.
| presenter   = {{Plainlist|
* The Heisman Trophy Trust (2003–present)
* [[Downtown Athletic Club]] (1935–2002)
}}
| location    = 
| firstwinner = RB [[Jay Berwanger]], 1935
| mostrecent  = CB/WR [[Travis Hunter]], 2024
| url         = {{URL|http://www.heisman.com/}}
}}
The '''Heisman Memorial Trophy''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|aɪ|z|m|ə|n}} {{respell|HYZE|mən}}; also known simply as the '''Heisman''') is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in [[college football]]. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust following the regular season in December. The most recent [[List of Heisman Trophy winners|winner]] is former [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado Buffaloes]] cornerback and wide receiver [[Travis Hunter]].

The award was created by the [[Downtown Athletic Club]] to recognize "the most valuable college football player east of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]" and was first awarded to [[University of Chicago]] halfback [[Jay Berwanger]].<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |title=Gridiron Scene for Trophy |newspaper=New York Times |date=November 14, 1935 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/11/14/88618140.pdf |access-date=December 15, 2013 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210092358/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/11/14/88618140.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=New York Pays High Honors to Berwanger|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=December 11, 1935|page=27|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7388156/new_york_pays_high_honors_to_berwanger/|access-date=November 10, 2016|archive-date=November 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108034622/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7388156/new_york_pays_high_honors_to_berwanger/|url-status=live}}</ref> The award was given its name in 1936 after the death of the club's athletic director [[John Heisman]] and broadened to include players west of the Mississippi.<ref name="NYTimes3">{{cite news |title=Heisman Trophy Awarded Kelley |newspaper=New York Times |date=December 2, 1936 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/12/02/88090299.pdf |access-date=December 16, 2013 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210092357/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1936/12/02/88090299.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Heisman Trophy to Be Presented to Kelly Today|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=December 16, 1936|page=30|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7388196/heisman_trophy_to_be_presented_to/|access-date=November 10, 2016|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107222248/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7388196/heisman_trophy_to_be_presented_to/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Winners==
{{Main|List of Heisman Trophy winners}}
[[USC Trojans football|USC]] has the most Heisman trophies won with eight; Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame each have seven; Ohio State has had six different players win the award. The closest margin of votes was in 2009 between winner [[Mark Ingram II]] of [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama]] and [[Toby Gerhart]] of [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford]].<ref name="stiffarm">{{cite web|last=Chisholm|first=Kari|title=A plea to sportswriters for statistical accuracy |url=http://www.stiffarmtrophy.com/2011/12/08/plea-sportswriters-statistical-accuracy/|work=Stiff Arm Trophy|access-date=11 December 2011|archive-date=7 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107054130/http://www.stiffarmtrophy.com/2011/12/08/plea-sportswriters-statistical-accuracy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ten Heisman Trophy winners are in the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/heisman-hall-of-famers/ |title=Heisman Trophy winners in the HOF |publisher=profootballhof.com |access-date=February 19, 2008 |archive-date=February 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213220058/http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/story.jsp?story_id=1992 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/heroes-of-the-game/years/ |title=Heroes of the Game |access-date=January 17, 2016 |archive-date=January 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118140212/http://www.profootballhof.com/heroes-of-the-game/years/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and four winners have also been named Most Valuable Player in a [[Super Bowl]].<!-- [[Roger Staubach]], [[Jim Plunkett]], [[Marcus Allen]], and [[Desmond Howard]].--> Some winners have gone on to play in other professional sports, including [[Bo Jackson]] in baseball and [[Charlie Ward]] in basketball. [[Pete Dawkins]] and [[Dick Kazmaier]] are the only winners not to pursue a professional sports career: Dawkins had a career with the [[United States Army]], where he achieved the rank of [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]], while Kazmaier attended [[Harvard Business School]], founded a consulting company specializing in sports marketing, and chaired the [[President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition]] in 1988–89.

===Trophy===
[[File:Cappelletti Heisman Trophy crop 1.jpg|thumb|The Heisman Trophy]]
The trophy itself, designed by sculptor [[Frank Eliscu]], is modeled after [[Ed Smith (running back)|Ed Smith]], a leading player in 1934 for the now-defunct [[NYU Violets|New York University]] football team.<ref name="info">{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=3145185 |title=From the legendary to the little-known, Heisman history is never dull |publisher=ESPN |first=John D. |last=Lukacs |date=December 7, 2007 |access-date=February 19, 2008 |archive-date=December 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211230441/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3145185 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Heisman Trophy Design |url=https://www.heisman.com/about-the-heisman/heisman-trophy-design/ |website=Heisman |access-date=13 July 2022}}</ref> The trophy is made out of cast [[bronze]], is {{convert|13.5|in|cm}} tall, {{convert|14|in|cm}} long, {{convert|16|in|cm}} in width and weighs {{convert|45|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heisman.com/about-the-heisman/heisman-trophy-design/|title=Heisman Trophy Design|access-date=December 18, 2019|archive-date=April 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412190539/https://www.heisman.com/about-the-heisman/heisman-trophy-design/|url-status=live}}</ref> Eliscu had asked Smith, his former George Washington High School classmate, to pose for a commissioned sculpture of a football player. Smith did not realize until 1982 that the sculpture had become the Heisman Trophy. The Downtown Athletic Club presented Smith with a Heisman Trophy of his own in 1985.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harmon |first1=Jim |title=Striking a Pose for Posterity |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1988/12/05/striking-a-pose-for-posterity-ed-smith-learned-late-in-life-that-he-was-the-very-model-of-college-football-excellence |newspaper=Sports Illustrated Vault &#124; Si.com |access-date=13 July 2022}}</ref>

From its inception in 1935, the statue was cast by [[Dieges & Clust]] in New York (and later Providence, Rhode Island) until 1980, when Dieges and Clust was sold to [[Herff Jones]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hornreich Collection of U.S. & World Medal Plaques Robert T. Dieges (Dieges & Clust) |url=https://coins.www.collectors-society.com/wcm/CoinView.aspx?sc=321042 |website=NGC Collectors Society |access-date=13 July 2022}}</ref> For a time until at least 2008, the statues were cast by [[Roman Bronze Works]] in New York.<ref name="foundry">{{cite news |title=Winning One Heisman Is Tough Enough, And Tebow Has His|first=Joey|last=Johnston |newspaper=Tampa Tribune |date=December 14, 2008 }}</ref> Since 2005 the trophy has been made by MTM Recognition in [[Del City, Oklahoma]].<ref name="Tracy-2017">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/sports/heisman-trophy.html |title='No Two Are Exactly the Same': How the Heisman Trophy Is Made |last=Tracy |first=Marc |date=December 7, 2017 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=December 14, 2018 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212171006/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/sports/heisman-trophy.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Selection process==
Originally only players east of the Mississippi were eligible, but since 1936 all football players playing in all divisions of college football nationwide are eligible for the award, though winners usually represent Division I [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Football Bowl Subdivision]] schools.<ref name="NYTimes2">{{cite news |title=Berwanger Gains Trophy |newspaper=New York Times |date=December 5, 1935 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/12/05/93507898.pdf |access-date=December 15, 2013 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210092358/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1935/12/05/93507898.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

There are three categories of eligible voters for the award winner:
* Sports journalists: Heisman.com states that sports journalists are to be the determinants of the award since they are "informed, competent, and impartial."<ref name="balloting">{{cite web|title=Heisman Trophy Balloting |publisher=heisman.com |url=http://www.heisman.com/history/balloting.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723051736/http://www.heisman.com/history/balloting.php |archive-date=July 23, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There are 870 media voters: 145 voters from each of six regions.
* Previous Heisman winners (and in cases where an underclassman wins the award and remains in school to play, a prior winner may also be a current candidate). According to Heisman.com there are currently 57 prior winners eligible to vote<ref name=balloting/> and, thus, 57 potential votes (a prior winner is not required to vote and does not lose his voting privileges by not voting).
* Fans: Trophy sponsor [[Nissan USA]] holds an ESPN-conduced fan survey through its Heisman/college football advertising campaign website. This constitutes one Heisman vote.

Except for the one vote based on the fan voting, the balloting is based on [[positional voting]], whereby each voter identifies three selections, ranking them in order. Each first-place selection is awarded three points, each second-place selection is awarded two points, and each third-place selection is awarded one point. Voters must make three selections and cannot duplicate a selection, else the ballot is invalid and none of the selections count.<ref name=balloting/> The accounting firm [[Deloitte]] is responsible for the tabulation of votes, which has moved almost exclusively to online voting since 2007.<ref name=balloting/>

===Position===
The Heisman has usually been awarded either to a [[running back]] or a [[quarterback]]; very few players have won the trophy playing a position other than those two. Four [[wide receiver]]s have been named winner: [[Tim Brown (American football)|Tim Brown]] ([[1987 NCAA Division I-A football season|1987]]), [[Desmond Howard]] ([[1991 NCAA Division I-A football season|1991]]), [[DeVonta Smith]] ([[2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season|2020]]), and [[Travis Hunter]] ([[2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2024]]). Two [[tight end]]s have also won the trophy, [[Larry Kelley]] ([[1936 college football season|1936]]) and [[Leon Hart]] ([[1949 college football season|1949]]). [[Charles Woodson]] ([[1997 NCAA Division I-A football season|1997]]) and Hunter are the only primarily [[Defense (sport)|defensive]] players to win the award, both doing so as 
[[defensive back|defensive backs]].

The highest finish ever for any individual who played exclusively on defense is second, by defensive end [[Hugh Green (American football)|Hugh Green]] of [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|Pittsburgh]] in [[1980 NCAA Division I-A football season|1980]], linebacker [[Manti Te'o]] of Notre Dame in [[2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season|2012]], and by defensive end [[Aidan Hutchinson]] of Michigan in [[2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2021]]. Although [[John Heisman]] himself was an interior [[Lineman (American football)|lineman]], no interior lineman on either side of the ball has ever won the award. Legendary [[linebacker]] [[Dick Butkus]] placed sixth in [[1963 NCAA University Division football season|1963]] and third in [[1964 NCAA University Division football season|1964]] and could qualify as an interior lineman, as he played center on offense during his era when two-way players were still common. [[guard (gridiron football)|Offensive guard]] [[Tom Brown (guard)|Tom Brown]] of [[Minnesota Golden Gophers football|Minnesota]] and the offensive tackle [[John Hicks (American football)|John Hicks]] of [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]] placed second in 1960 and 1973, respectively. Rich Glover, a defensive lineman from Nebraska, finished 3rd in the 1972 vote—which was won by his Cornhusker teammate [[Johnny Rodgers]]. [[Washington Huskies football|Washington's]] DT [[Steve Emtman]] finished 4th in voting in 1991. [[Ndamukong Suh]] of [[Nebraska Cornhuskers football|Nebraska]] finished fourth in 2009 as a defensive tackle. Also, [[Kurt Burris]], a center for the [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma]] team, was a runner-up for the award in 1954 and [[Orlando Pace]] finished fourth in 1996 as an offensive tackle for [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]].{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

===Class and age===
For most of its history, most winners of the Heisman have been seniors.<ref>{{cite web |website=The Heisman Trophy |url=http://www.heisman.com/index.php/heismanWinners#winners-year |title=Heisman Winners |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801004040/http://www.heisman.com/index.php/heismanWinners#winners-year |archive-date=August 1, 2014 |access-date=December 13, 2009 }}</ref> Texas A&M quarterback [[Johnny Manziel]] was the first freshman to win the Heisman in 2012. The following year, freshman Florida State quarterback [[Jameis Winston]] also won the Heisman. Both, however, were in their second year of college, having been [[Redshirt (college sports)|redshirted]] during their first year of attendance, meaning that no ''true'' freshman has yet won the award. No sophomore won the Heisman in its first 72 years, at which point there were three consecutive sophomore winners—[[Tim Tebow]] in 2007, followed by [[Sam Bradford]] and [[Mark Ingram II]]—with [[Lamar Jackson]], who also surpassed Winston's record as the youngest Heisman winner, becoming the fourth in 2016. Of the four sophomores to have won the award, only Bradford had been redshirted; the others all won during their second year of college attendance. Only a few juniors have won the award, starting with the eleventh winner in 1945, [[Doc Blanchard]].

Five players have finished in the top three of the Heisman voting as freshmen or sophomores before later winning the award: [[Angelo Bertelli]], [[Glenn Davis (halfback)|Glenn Davis]], [[Doc Blanchard]], [[Doak Walker]], and [[Herschel Walker]]. Eight players have finished in the top three as freshmen or sophomores but never won a Heisman: [[Clint Castleberry]], [[Marshall Faulk]], [[Michael Vick]], [[Rex Grossman]], [[Larry Fitzgerald]], [[Adrian Peterson]], [[Deshaun Watson]], and [[Christian McCaffrey]]. Four players have specifically finished second in consecutive years: Glenn Davis (second in 1944 and 1945, winner in 1946), Charlie Justice (second 1948 and 1949), [[Darren McFadden]] (second 2006 and 2007), and [[Andrew Luck]] (second 2010 and 2011).

The oldest and youngest Heisman winners ever both played for [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] schools. The oldest, [[Chris Weinke]], was 28 years old when he won in 2000; he spent six years in [[minor league baseball]] before enrolling at [[Florida State University|Florida State]]. The youngest winner is 2016 recipient Lamar Jackson of [[University of Louisville|Louisville]] at the age of {{age in years and days|1997|1|7|2016|12|10}}.

==History==
The award was first presented in 1935 by the [[Downtown Athletic Club]] (DAC) in [[New York City]], a privately owned recreation facility located on the lower west side near the later [[World Trade Center site]]. It was first known simply as the DAC Trophy. The first winner, [[Jay Berwanger]], was drafted by the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] but declined to sign for them. He never played professional football for any team. In 1936, [[John Heisman]] died and the trophy was renamed in his honor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://heisman.com/sports/2014/9/10/FB_0910145750.aspx|title=Heisman Trophy - John W. Heisman|website=Heisman.com|access-date=September 27, 2017|archive-date=September 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907204020/http://heisman.com/sports/2014/9/10/FB_0910145750.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Larry Kelley]], the second winner of the award, was the first man to win it as the "Heisman Trophy".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heisman.com/history/heisman_trophy.php|title=The Heisman Trophy|publisher=Heisman.com|access-date=January 4, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103181703/http://www.heisman.com/history/heisman_trophy.php|archive-date=January 3, 2012}}</ref>

The first African American player to win the Heisman was [[Syracuse Orange football|Syracuse]]'s [[Ernie Davis]], who never played a snap in the NFL. He was diagnosed with [[leukemia]] shortly after winning the award and died in 1963. In 1966, former [[1966 Florida Gators football team|Florida Gators]] quarterback [[Steve Spurrier]] gave his Heisman trophy to university president [[J. Wayne Reitz]] so that the award could be shared by Florida students and faculty.<ref name="info" /> The gesture caused Florida's student government to raise funds to purchase a replacement trophy for Spurrier.<ref name="info" /> Since then, the Downtown Athletic Club has issued two trophies to winners, one to the individual and a replica to his college.<ref name="info" />

Several Heisman trophies have been sold over the years; although there is a ban on the sale of all trophies awarded since 1999, trophies awarded in previous years can be sold.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Witz|first=Billy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/14/sports/heisman-trophy-sales-auction.html|title=Congrats on the Heisman Trophy. Now Sign Here and Promise to Not Sell It.|date=December 14, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 12, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213001153/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/14/sports/heisman-trophy-sales-auction.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[O. J. Simpson]]'s 1968 trophy was sold in February 1999 for [[United States dollar|$]]230,000 as part of the settlement of the civil trial following the acquittal in his [[O. J. Simpson murder case|murder case]].<ref name="info" /> Yale end [[Larry Kelley]] sold his 1936 Heisman in December 1999 for $328,110 to settle his estate and to provide a bequest for his family.<ref name="info" /> [[Charles White (American football)|Charles White]]'s 1979 trophy first sold for $184,000 and then for nearly $300,000 in December 2006 to help pay back federal income taxes.<ref name="info" /> The current record price for a Heisman belongs to the trophy won by Minnesota halfback [[Bruce Smith (halfback)|Bruce Smith]] in 1941 at $395,240.<ref name="info" /> [[Paul Hornung]] sold his Heisman for $250,000 to endow scholarships for [[University of Notre Dame]] students from his hometown of [[Louisville, Kentucky]].<ref name="info" /> Eliscu's original plaster cast sold at [[Sotheby's]] for $228,000 in December 2005.<ref name="info" />

===Venues===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ List of venues hosting the trophy presentation
|-
! Venue !! Years
|-
| [[Downtown Athletic Club]]<br>([[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|New York]]) || 1935–2000
|-
| [[New York Marriott Marquis]]<br>(New York, New York) || 2001; 2017
|-
| [[The Yale Club of New York City]]<br>(New York, New York) || 2002–2003
|-
| [[Hilton New York]]<br>(New York, New York) || 2004
|-
| [[Palladium Times Square]]<br>(New York, New York) || 2005–2016; 2018–2019
|-
| [[ESPN]] headquarters<br>([[Bristol, Connecticut|Bristol]], [[Connecticut]]) || 2020{{efn|Held remotely due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]}}
|-
| [[Jazz at Lincoln Center]]<br>(New York, New York) || 2021–present
|}

Due to the neighborhood housing the [[Downtown Athletic Club]]'s facilities becoming blockaded after the attacks on [[September 11 attacks|9/11]], the 2001 award ceremony was moved to the [[New York Marriott Marquis]] in [[Times Square]]. After the DAC filed for bankruptcy in 2002, the [[Yale Club of New York City|Yale Club]] hosted the presentation at its facility in 2002 and 2003. The ceremony moved to the [[Hilton New York]] for 2004, and was presented annually at [[Palladium Times Square]] (then Nokia Theatre Times Square) from 2005 until its closure in 2019 (except in 2017, when the presentation was moved back to the Marquis because of a scheduling conflict).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Aswad|first=Jem|date=August 20, 2019|title=New York's PlayStation Theater to Close (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/new-yorks-playstation-theater-to-close-1203307605/|access-date=December 8, 2019|website=Variety|archive-date=October 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022133214/https://variety.com/2019/music/news/new-yorks-playstation-theater-to-close-1203307605/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Weiss|first=Brad|date=August 1, 2017|title=When is the (2017) Heisman Trophy Presentation?|url=https://fansided.com/2017/08/01/2017-heisman-trophy-presentation-date-time|access-date=December 3, 2017|archive-date=December 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205042044/https://fansided.com/2017/08/01/2017-heisman-trophy-presentation-date-time/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2008 Heisman press conference was held at the [[Sports Museum of America]] at [[26 Broadway]] near the old Downtown Club building. There was an entire gallery with the museum-attraction dedicated to the Trophy, including the making of the Trophy, the history of the DAC, and information on John Heisman and all the Trophy's winners. There was also a dedicated area celebrating the most recent winner, and the opportunity for visitors to cast their vote for the next winner (with the top vote-winner receiving 1 official vote on their behalf).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/sports/football/01museum.html|title=The Heisman Trophy Moves Into Its New Home|date=May 1, 2008|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212171004/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/sports/football/01museum.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Sports Museum of America closed permanently in February 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/sports/21museum.html|title=Financial Problems Close Sports Museum|date=February 20, 2009|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213141723/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/sports/21museum.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

After Palladium Times Square (then PlayStation Theater) closed in December 2019, the Heisman Trust began searching for a new location to conduct the trophy presentation. The 2020 ceremony would ultimately be held at the studios of ESPN in [[Bristol, Connecticut]] due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]; the ceremony was a [[virtual event]] with all participants appearing via remote interviews.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 14, 2020|title=Heisman Trophy to be awarded virtually Jan. 5|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30316085/heisman-trophy-awarded-virtual-ceremony-jan-5|access-date=November 16, 2020|website=ESPN.com|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115162906/https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30316085/heisman-trophy-awarded-virtual-ceremony-jan-5|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2021 ceremony returned to an in-person event, with the presentation held at The Appel Room at [[Jazz at Lincoln Center]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=ESPN to debut new look for Heisman Trophy presentation telecast|url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2021/11/30/Media/Heisman-Telecast.aspx|access-date=December 9, 2021|website=sportsbusinessjournal.com|date=30 November 2021 |language=en|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209031547/https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2021/11/30/Media/Heisman-Telecast.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Television coverage===
[[WWOR-TV|WOR-TV]] broadcast the 1949 ceremonies.<ref>{{cite news |title=Radio and Television: The Aces, Comedy Team Since 1930, to Make Video Debut on WABD Next Wednesday |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/11/28/archives/radio-and-television-the-aces-comedy-team-since-1930-to-make-video.html?searchResultPosition=1 |access-date=August 3, 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=November 28, 1949 |page=42|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Before 1977, the presentation of the award was not televised as a stand-alone special, but rather as a quick in-game feature. The ceremony usually aired on [[College Football on ABC|ABC]] as a feature at halftime of the last major national telecast (generally a rivalry game) of the college football season. ABC essentially showed highlights since the award was handed out as part of an annual weeknight dinner at the DAC. At the time, the event had usually been scheduled for the week following the [[Army–Navy Game]].{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} The most watched Heisman ceremony ever was in 2009 when Mark Ingram won over Toby Gerhart and [[Colt McCoy]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2012/12/heisman-trophy-presentation-second-most-watched-on-record/|title=Heisman Trophy Presentation Second-Most Watched on Record &mdash; Sports Media Watch|last=Sen|first=Paul|date=December 13, 2012|website=SportsMediaWatch.com|access-date=September 27, 2017|archive-date=September 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928055840/http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2012/12/heisman-trophy-presentation-second-most-watched-on-record/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Broadcasters include:{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
* [[CBS]] (1977–1980, 1986–1990)
* [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1981–1984) – [[Owned-and-operated television stations in the United States#ABC 2|owned-and-operated stations]] only
* [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] (1981–1985)
* [[NBC]] (1985) – [[Owned-and-operated television stations in the United States#NBC 2|owned-and-operated stations]] only
* [[NBC]] (1991–1993)
* [[ESPN]] (1994–present)

==Controversies and politics==

===Regional bias controversy===
A number of critics have expressed concern about the unwritten rules regarding player position and age, as noted above.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

Over the years, there has been substantial criticism of a regional bias, suggesting that the Heisman balloting process has ignored West Coast players.<ref>{{cite web|title=A how-to guide to Heisman voting|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskyfootball/2012722882_heismanvoters29.html,|work=Seattle Times |first=Bob |last=Condotta |access-date=2 October 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831091329/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskyfootball/2012722882_heismanvoters29.html |archivedate=31 August 2010}}</ref> Before the [[2021–2026 NCAA conference realignment|breakup of]] the [[Pac-12 Conference]] (formerly Pac-10 and Pac-8) represented 12 of the 65 teams in the [[Power Five conferences]]. The Heisman can be, and has been, presented to players from other conferences, but a random sample over a long period of time might suggest that Pac-10/12 players might win somewhere close to 18% of the Heisman awards.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jon |last=Wilner|title=Toby Gerhart and the Heisman Trophy: Analyzing the voting blocs|url=http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2009/12/11/toby-gerhart-and-the-heisman-trophy-analyzing-the-voting-blocs/,|work=San Jose Mercury News |access-date=October 2, 2010|date=December 11, 2009|archive-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207162411/https://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2009/12/11/toby-gerhart-and-the-heisman-trophy-analyzing-the-voting-blocs/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 20 seasons between 1981 ([[Marcus Allen]]) and 2002 ([[Carson Palmer]]), not a single [[Pac-12 Conference|Pacific-10 Conference]] or other West Coast player won the Heisman Trophy. Four [[USC Trojans football|Southern California]] (USC) players have won the Trophy in the early years of the 21st century and three won it subsequent to Palmer. Although [[Terry Baker]], quarterback from [[Oregon State Beavers football|Oregon State]], won the trophy in 1962, and [[Gary Beban]] from [[UCLA football|UCLA]] won in 1967, no non-USC player from the West Coast had won between [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford]]'s [[Jim Plunkett]] in 1970 and [[Oregon Ducks football|Oregon's]] [[Marcus Mariota]] in 2014. Other than Mariota's win, the closest since Plunkett's win have been [[Chuck Muncie]], [[John Elway]], [[Toby Gerhart]], [[Andrew Luck]], [[Christian McCaffrey]], and [[Bryce Love]]. Muncie was a running back for the [[California Golden Bears football|California Golden Bears]] who finished second in the Heisman balloting in 1975. The other five were Stanford players who finished second in the Heisman balloting in 1982, and each year from 2009 to 2011, 2015, and 2017.

The West Coast bias discussion usually centers on the idea that East Coast voters see few West Coast games, because of television coverage contracts, [[time zone]] differences, or cultural interest. At Heisman-projection website StiffArmTrophy.com, commentator [[Kari Chisholm]] claims that the Heisman balloting process itself is inherently biased:

<blockquote>For Heisman voting purposes, the nation is divided into six regions—each of which get 145 votes. Put another way, each region gets exactly 16.67 percent of the votes. However, each region does not constitute an even one-sixth of the population. Three regions (Far West, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic) have larger populations than 16.67% of the national population; and three have less (Northeast, South, and Southwest). In fact, the Far West has the greatest population at 21.2% of the country and the Northeast has the least at 11.9%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.stiffarmtrophy.com/2003/10/west_coast_bias.html |title=West Coast Bias |publisher=StiffArmTrophy |access-date=November 20, 2007 |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716143053/http://archive.stiffarmtrophy.com/2003/10/west_coast_bias.html |url-status=live }}</ref></blockquote>

==={{anchor|vacation}}Nullification of 2005 award and reinstatement===
{{See also|Reggie Bush#NCAA investigation and lawsuits}}
In 2010 [[USC Trojans football|University of Southern California]] athletic director [[Pat Haden]] announced the university would return its replica of the 2005 Heisman Trophy due to [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] sanctions requiring the university to dissociate itself from [[Reggie Bush]]. The NCAA found that Bush had received gifts from an agent while at USC. On September 14, 2010, Bush voluntarily forfeited his title as a Heisman winner. The next day, the Heisman Trust announced the 2005 award would remain vacated and removed all mention of the 2005 award from its official website.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reggie Bush's Heisman to stay vacated |date=September 16, 2010 |work=[[ESPN.com]] |url=https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/ncf/news/story?id=5576729 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105141538/http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/ncf/news/story?id=5576729 |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bush eventually returned the trophy itself to the Heisman Trust in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.espn.com/los-angeles/ncf/story/_/id/8272932 |title=Former USC RB Bush returned his '05 Heisman |last=Moura |first=Pedro |date=August 16, 2012 |access-date=October 11, 2018 |work=[[ESPN.com]] |archive-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011172945/http://www.espn.com/los-angeles/ncf/story/_/id/8272932 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Critical responses from the national media were strident and varied. ''[[CBSSports.com]]'' producer J. Darin Darst opined that Bush "should never have been pressured to return the award." Kalani Simpson of [[Fox Sports (USA)|Fox Sports]] wrote, "Nice try Heisman Trust...It's a slick move to try to wipe the slate clean." Former Football Writers Association of America president Dennis Dodd, on the other hand, decided to fictitiously award Bush's vacated 2005 award to [[Vince Young]], the original runner-up that year. He wrote, "Since the Heisman folks won't re-vote, we did. Vince Young is the ''new'' winner of the 2005 Heisman." A ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' piece argued that Bush's Heisman was "tainted," but lamented that the decision came five years after Bush was awarded the trophy and, therefore, four years after the expiration of Bush's term as current holder of the Heisman title.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/16/vince-young-heisman-troph_n_718887.html |title=Vince Young: Heisman Trophy Should Not Be Mine |date=16 September 2010 |work=Huffington Post |access-date=October 11, 2018 |department=Sports |archive-date=September 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920063822/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/16/vince-young-heisman-troph_n_718887.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/24752749 |title=Vince Young wins the 2005 Heisman! |date=September 22, 2010 |website=CBS Sports |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045527/http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/24752749 |archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Reggie-Bush-Heisman-Trophy-asterisk-091410, |title=Bush's return of Heisman is wrong move |date=14 September 2010 |work=FOX Sports}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-sep-16-la-ed-bush-20100916-story.html |title=Reggie Bush's tainted Heisman |date=16 September 2010 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 11, 2018 |issn=0458-3035 |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306090318/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/16/opinion/la-ed-bush-20100916 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 24, 2024, the Heisman Trust announced the formal reinstatement of Reggie Bush's trophy amid what it called "enormous changes in the college football landscape". The Trust cited "fundamental changes in college athletics" in which rules that have allowed [[student athlete compensation]] to become an accepted practice and the 2021 [[United States Supreme Court]] decision against the NCAA in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston|''Alston'' case]], which the Trust said "questioned the legality of the NCAA's amateurism model and opened the door to student athlete compensation". This decision did not affect USC's vacated titles and records from their [[2004 USC Trojans football team|2004]] and [[2005 USC Trojans football team|2005]] season which was also caused by the scandal; and they still had their 2004 championship vacated with an official record of 11-0 and also have all their results vacated for the 2005 season and have an official record of 0-0.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/40014492/reggie-bush-heisman-trophy-returned |title=Reggie Bush to have Heisman Trophy returned |date=24 April 2024 |work=ESPN}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Heisman Winners}}
{{College football award navbox}}
{{College football}}
{{ESPN College Football}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Heisman Trophy| ]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1935]]