Although football season is coming to an end, that’s not stopping the SEC from making some big headlines.
SEC Heisman Front-Runners
– Junior RB Tre Mason: Auburn
– Quarterback Senior AJ McCarron: Alabama
– Sophomore QB Johnny Manziel: Texas A&M
Whether it’s the unstoppable position of the statue or the prestigious award itself, football fan or not, everyone knows ‘The Heisman.’
This will be the 79th year for the Heisman Trophy to be awarded to a prestigious football player, since its induction in 1935. The Trophy is a national iconic statue symbolizing athleticism, competitiveness and leadership.
The first ever award was presented to Jay Berwanger, the “one man gang” from the University of Chicago, on December 9, 1935. Originally, the trophy was known as the DAC Trophy because the idea was initiated by the Downtown Athletic Club, located in southern Manhattan.
A well-known sculptor and National Academy Prize Winner, Frank Eliscu, got to work on the design of the trophy, and big-time player on the New York University football team, Ed Smith, was Elisu’s model.
A bowl or a cup just wasn’t sufficient for the final design.
Eliscu prepared a rough draft of his model to be approved by the DAC Committee, and then sent it to the legendary Jim Crowley, the head football coach at Fordham, for his inspection. He then proceeded to show the replica to his players who demonstrated the movements on the field with that very side step and arm thrust out manner. Eliscu monitored and recreated these movements in this very statue.
However, Eliscu’s final test was after a dinner at the McAlpin Hotel on November 16, 1935. Coach Elmer Layden and the entire Notre Dame football team were in attendance to marvel at the completed design. Eliscu’s seal of approval had finally come.
Cast in bronze, the statue weighs about 45 lbs., is 14-inches long, 13 ½ inches tall, and 6 ½ inches wide.
Following John W. Heisman’s death in 1936, the DAC Trophy was renamed the Heisman Memorial Trophy as a tribute to the man who changed the face of the game. Heisman’s contributions to the game is what made American football the ‘American-pastime’ that it is today. Many of his suggestions were written down word for word in the official rule book. After three years of writing to officials, the forward pass was legalized in 1906.
Past SEC Heisman All-Stars
Let’s just be honest. The pairing of ‘SEC’ and ‘All-Star’ together just makes sense.
Here are some of the Southeastern Conference’s Past Heisman title-holders:
1942: Frank Sinkwich- Georgia senior RB
1957: John David Crow- Texas A&M senior RB
1966: Steve Spurrier-Florida QB senior
1971: Pat Sullivan- Auburn QB senior
1980: George Rogers- South Carolina RB senior
1982: Herschel Walker- Georgia RB junior
1985: Bo Jackson- Auburn RB senior
1996: Danny Wuerffel- Florida senior QB
2007: Tim Tebow- Florida QB sophomore
2009: Mark Ingram- Alabama RB sophomore
2010: Cam Newton- Auburn QB junior
2012: Johnny Manziel- Texas A&M QB freshman
The 2013 Heisman Trophy ceremony will air live Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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