SEC Football by the Numbers: The 15 Heisman winners

With Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett among the four finalists for the 2022 Heisman Trophy, the SEC could produce its 16th Heisman winner and become the first conference to turn out four consecutive Heisman winners on Saturday.

On Monday night, Bennett, TCU quarterback Max Duggan, Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud and Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams were announced as the finalists for the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented for the 88th time on Saturday night.

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The past three Heisman Trophy winners have been LSU quarterback Joe Burrow in 2019, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith in 2020 and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young in 2021.

That sequence made the SEC the second conference to produce three straight Heisman winners. The Big Ten had a three-year streak that included Iowa’s Nile Kinnick in 1939, Michigan’s Tom Harmon in 1940 and Minnesota’s Bruce Smith in 1941.

If Bennett is the 2022 winner, he would be the third Georgia player to receive the award and join these 15 SEC stars as Heisman Trophy winners:

1942: Frank Sinkwich, Georgia

The SEC’s first winner was an old-school triple-threat back. Sinkwich had become the league’s first 1,000-yard rusher in 1941, then he set a conference single-season passing mark of 1,392 yards as a Heisman-winning senior for the SEC title team. Sinkwich was The Associated Press’ Athlete of the Year for 1942, beating Ted Williams, who won baseball’s Triple Crown with the Boston Red Sox.

Runner-up: Columbia quarterback Paul Governali. Sinkwich collected 1,059 points to Governali’s 218.

1959: Billy Cannon, LSU

The running back led the Tigers to an undefeated record and the consensus national championship in 1958 before winning the Heisman the next season. In his Heisman season, Cannon was the SEC Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American for the second straight year.

Runner-up: Penn State quarterback Richie Lucas. Cannon collected 1,929 points to Lucas’ 613.

1966: Steve Spurrier, Florida

Before he became the Head Ball Coach for Florida and South Carolina, Spurrier was a record-breaking passer for the Gators, who tied what was then the school record for victories in a season with nine in 1966. As the SEC Player of the Year in 1966, Spurrier broke the conference’s single-season record for passing yards that he had set the previous year.

Runner-up: Purdue quarterback Bob Griese. Spurrier collected 1,659 points to Griese’s 816.

1971: Pat Sullivan, Auburn

The Tigers quarterback had one of the greatest seasons in SEC history when he averaged 8.57 yards per play – a league record that stood for 31 years. That was in 1970, though, when Sullivan finished sixth in the Heisman voting. The next year, when Sullivan broke the NCAA career record for touchdown responsibility, he finished first in the voting. In 1971, Sullivan also was the unanimous All-American QB and the SEC’s first winner of the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.

Runner-up: Cornell running back Ed Marinaro. Sullivan collected 1,597 points to Marinaro’s 1,445.

1982: Herschel Walker, Georgia

The Bulldogs running back ascended to the Heisman, finishing third in 1980 and second in 1981 before winning in 1982, when he became the first SEC player to collect the three major Player of the Year awards by also winning the Maxwell Award and Camp Award. Walker became the only three-time winner of the SEC Player of the Year Award and the only SEC player to be a consensus All-American three times.

Runner-up: Stanford quarterback John Elway. Walker collected 1,926 points to Elway’s 1,231.

1985: Bo Jackson, Auburn

The Tigers’ all-time rushing leader capped his career on the Plains by winning the Heisman Trophy and the Camp Award. He was the SEC’s Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American as a senior, when he ran for 1,786 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Runner-up: Iowa quarterback Chuck Long. Jackson collected 1,509 points to Long’s 1,464.

1996: Danny Wuerffel, Florida

The Gators quarterback won the Heisman while being coached by a Heisman winner, Steve Spurrier. After finishing third in the Heisman voting in 1995, Wuerffel led Florida to its fourth straight SEC championship and the national title as a senior. He swept the major Player of the Year awards in 1996 by also winning the Maxwell Award and Camp Award.

Runner-up: Iowa State running back Troy Davis. Wuerffel collected 1,363 points to Davis’ 1,174.

2007: Tim Tebow, Florida

The first sophomore to win the award, Tebow’s Heisman season included SEC single-season marks for total offense, touchdown responsibility and rushing touchdowns. The Gators quarterback is one of three SEC players who finished in the top 10 of the Heisman balloting three times, along with Georgia running back Herschel Walker and Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning. After winning in 2007, Tebow finished third in 2008 and fifth in 2009. In 2008, Tebow received the most first-place votes, but still finished behind Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford and Texas QB Colt McCoy.

Runner-up: Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. Tebow collected 1,957 points to McFadden’s 1,703. This is the only time in the Heisman voting that SEC players finished first and second in the same year.

2009: Mark Ingram, Alabama

Ingram became Alabama’s first Heisman Trophy winner by the slimmest margin in the award’s history. Ingram led the SEC in rushing yards and received unanimous All-American recognition while helping the Crimson Tide win the BCS national championship in an undefeated season.

Runner-up: Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Ingram collected 1,304 points to Gerhart’s 1,276.

2010: Cam Newton, Auburn

The Tigers quarterback’s banner season included SEC records for total offense and rushing yards by a quarterback, an undefeated record and conference and national crowns. In helping Auburn win the BCS national championship, Newton also won the Maxwell Award and the Camp Award to sweep the major Player of the Year awards in 2010.

Runner-up: Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. Newton collected 2,263 points to Luck’s 1,079.

2012: Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

Seventy-eight Heisman Trophies had been presented before a freshman – Manziel – won the award. In 2012, the Aggies quarterback broke the SEC single-season record for total offense set by Cam Newton during his Heisman season.

Runner-up: Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o. Manziel collected 2,029 points to Te’o’s 1,706.

2015: Derrick Henry, Alabama

On his way to breaking Herschel Walker’s league single-season rushing record and powering the Crimson Tide to the SEC and CFP championships, Henry became the fourth SEC player to win the three major Player of the Year awards by also capturing the Maxwell Award and the Camp Award.

Runner-up: Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. Henry collected 1,832 points to McCaffrey’s 1,539.

2019: Joe Burrow, LSU

The Tigers quarterback set SEC marks for total offense, touchdown responsibility, passing yards and touchdown passes in a record-shattering campaign that ended with LSU lifting the CFP national championship trophy to cap an undefeated season. Burrow also won the Maxwell Award and the Camp Award for the player-of-the-year Triple Crown.

Runner-up: Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts. Burrow collected 2,608 points to Hurts’ 762.

2020: DeVonta Smith, Alabama

The Crimson Tide wide receiver set SEC single-season records for receiving yards and touchdown receptions on his way to becoming the conference’s career leader in both those categories. Smith helped Alabama win the CFP national title with an undefeated record as he also won the Maxwell Award and the Camp Award.

Runner-up: Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Smith collected 1,856 points to Lawrence’s 1,187.

2021: Bryce Young, Alabama

The Crimson Tide quarterback’s school records for the 2021 season included passing yards and touchdown passes as he rang up the second-highest totals in SEC history in both categories and became the fourth conference player to produce 50 touchdowns in a season, following Heisman winners Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Joe Burrow. Also the winner of the Maxwell Award, Young helped Alabama win the SEC championship and reach the CFP national championship game.

Runner-up: Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Young collected 2,311 points to Hutchinson’s 954.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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