The Heisman Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. It is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust in early December before the postseason bowl games. The award was created by the Downtown Athletic Club in 1935 to recognize "the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi", and was first awarded to University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger. After the death in October 1936 of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman, the award was named in his honor and broadened to include players west of the Mississippi. Heisman had been active in college athletics as a football player; a head football, basketball, and baseball coach; and an athletic director. It is the oldest of several overall awards in college football, including the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and the AP Player of the Year.
| Sport | College football |
| First winner | Jay Berwanger RB, 1935 |
| Most recent | DeVonta Smith WR, 2020 |
About Heisman Trophy
Highest honor awarded to the individual deemed the most outstanding college football player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.
Achievement of Heisman Trophy
The original award was called the DAC Trophy as created by New York City's Downtown Athletic Club in recognition of the best college player "east of the Mississippi River."
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy Category.. Heisman curse - The Heisman curse is a term coined to reference a two-part assertion of a negative future for the winning player of the Heisman Trophy in American football. The"curse" supposes that any college football player who wins the Heisman plays on a team that will likely lose its subsequent bowl game.. Sports trophies and awards.
Latest information about Heisman Trophy updated on July 28 2021.
