Winning the Heisman Trophy is it a Blessing or a Curse?

"Riches get their value from the mind of the possessor; they are blessings to those who know how to use them, and curses to those who do not" said Terence of the Roman Republic (thinkexist.com). The Heisman trophy award can be good to win it may be an indicator of future success. But, there, also have been many Heisman trophy winners that have had unsuccessful professional careers. This has led for many football experts and fans to believe that there is a Heisman jinx. Therefore, is winning the Heisman a blessing or a curse?

There have several Heisman winners that have had unsuccessful professional football careers. Jason White has been hit by the Heisman jinx. Jason White had a phenomenal college career. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2003 after he threw 40 touchdowns and he had only eight interceptions. He is currently the University of Oklahoma's all-time leader in career passing years with 8,012 and 81 touchdown passes. Jason White never had an NFL career despite his previous successful feats. He received a tryout from Kansas City Chiefs. They decided not to sign him. He was then signed by Tennessee Titans. However, he decided to quit football because of bad knees.

Likewise, Matt Leinart success in college has not transferred to success in the NFL. He had arguably one of the greatest college football careers ever. He won two national championships with USC. He won the Heisman trophy in 2004. Additionally, he led USC Trojans to a 34 game winning streak. He was a consistent winner at USC. He was 37-2 as a starter. He is USC's all time leader in career TD passes and completion percentage. He is only second behind Carson Palmer in completions and yardage. He entered the NFL as the 10th overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft. He did fall somewhat in the NFL draft. He was not the first Quarterback (QB) selected despite his great college career. Matt Leinart played in 11 games in 2006-07 NFL season. He had marginal numbers with 11 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. The Arizona Cardinals had the four wins and seven losses with him as the starter. But, his season was ended due to injuries. The 2007-08 season he started five games. Then his season was ended due to injury again. The 2008-09 NFL season began with a highly contested quarterback battle for the starting job between Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner. Kurt Warner officially won the job after Leinart threw three interceptions versus Oakland Raiders in the third preseason game. Now going into the 2009-10 season Leinart is in a highly contested battle for the backup QB job with Brian St. Pierre.

Similarly, Eric Crouch's great college career did not lead to professional success. Crouch is Nebraska all- time total offense leader with 7,915 total yards. He also is the Big 12 all-time career rushing quarterback leader. He was very fast and he had a great athleticism. He was a game breaker. For instance, he had against Missouri a 95 yard touchdown run the longest in school history. He is also the 3rd player in Division one history to rush for 3,000 yards in his career and pass for 4,000 yards. He was drafted by St. Louis Rams as a wide receiver (WR). He still wanted to play QB.

Although he was told his athleticism and his short build were better suited for WR. He decided to leave the Rams since he could not play QB. He was later signed as QB by the Green Bay Packers. But he quit and he asked to be released after the Packers choose to draft University of California QB Aaron Rodgers. He later signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a safety. He was sent to play in NFL Europe. He is now currently a free agent.

There have been a few Heisman winners that have not been affected by the Heisman jinx. Most of the Heisman winners that have had success in professional ranks have played positions other than QB, such as HB and WR. There have been some exceptions where quarterbacks have not been affected by the Heisman jinx too. But, it is mainly positions such as HB and WR that have had the most success in the NFL after winning the Heisman. For instance, Tim Brown was not affected by the Heisman Jinx. He won the Heisman trophy award in 1987. He had an impressive professional career. He was named to the pro bowl nine times. He ended his career with 1.094 receptions, 14,934 receiving yards and 100 TDs. Likewise, Charles Woodson won the Heisman trophy in 1997. He is the only defensive player ever to win the Heisman Trophy. He has continued his success in football at the professional ranks. He has been named to five pro bowls. He has had over 643 tackles along with 36 interceptions. He in his prime was a shutdown cornerback. QBs were afraid to throw to his side of the field. Additionally, Barry Sanders won the Heisman trophy in 1988. He had both a brilliant career in college and the professional career. He is arguably the greatest running back in NFL history. He rushed for 15,269 yards in his career. He had his own unique style. He was too quick for defenders to hit on a consistent basis. He was an amazing football player. He routinely embarrassed defenders that made attempts to tackle him.

Another reason the Heisman jinx is continuing is because whoever is the QB on the best team in college football usually wins the Heisman. There have been exceptions where it was truly the best player. But, that is rarely the case. This is why a lot of Heisman winners are failing in the NFL. If the Heisman winner was selected on solely their individual feats and not also based on their teams success then this would happen less. But if a great player is on an average or bad team they have little chance to win the Heisman. Equally important, some Heisman winners fail in the NFL because they are not suited for the NFL style of play. For instance, Andre Ware had great success in college because he was good in the innovative run and shoot offense. Once he got to the NFL he could no longer play in that type of offensive system. He was not as good in the NFL pro style offense. There have been other Heisman winning QBs that were not suited for the NFL pro style offense such as Danny Wuerffel.

The Heisman jinx does exist in football today. It is going to continue. The only way it would stop is if the Heisman trophy was selected differently. It is doubtful that the selection process will ever change. Therefore, winning the Heisman will continue to be a blessing and a curse.

Works Cited

Sept 19 2009 http://thinkexist.com/quotes/with/keyword/curses/3.html