20 Heisman Winners Who Don't Deserve That Trophy, Ranked In Order

Heisman Trophy Winners Who Were Disappointments In The NFL
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Heisman Trophy Winners Who Were Disappointments In The NFL
Matt Graves | More | 13 Apr 2026
The Heisman Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the top player in NCAA football. Some recipients of the prestigious award excelled at the professional level in the NFL, while others dropped the ball.
From Andrew Ware to Johnny Manziel, these players left college with the prestigious award but didn't find much success on the big stage.
Desmond Howard
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Desmond Howard played his college ball at Michigan and won the Heisman as a junior in 1991. All the talent in the world couldn't save him from having one of the most disappointing careers on this list.
Playing for the Washington Redskins, Howard's best year came in 1994. He caught 40 balls for 727 yards and scored five touchdowns. If he had never won the Heisman those numbers might look okay. Since he did win the award, though, we expected to see at least one 1,000 yard season.
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Matt Leinart
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In 2004, the USC Trojans started the quarterback in his junior season. He would win the Heisman over teammate Reggie Bush, Oklahoma running back Adrian Petersen, and Utah's Alex Smith. Leinart was considered one of the top prospects of the 2006 NFL Draft and the Arizona Cardinals drafted him tenth overall.
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He would spend four seasons in the desert before playing in Houston, Oakland, and Buffalo. Leinart signed a deal with the Pac-12 Network as a studio analyst in 2014.
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Archie Griffin
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The Ohio State Buckeye is college football's only two-time Heisman winner. Griffin was the first player ever to start in four Rose Bowls. In the 1976 NFL Draft, he was the first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals.
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He would play seven seasons, all with the Bengals, but struggled throughout his professional career, failing to record a 700-yard season. Despite the mediocracy, Griffin played in Super Bowl XVI in 1981. After his playing days, the Archie Griffin Award was introduced as college football's MVP of the entire season.
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Danny Wuerffel
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The 1996 Heisman winner was in the NFL for six seasons. After graduating from Florida, the New Orleans Saints drafted him in the fourth round. During his six-year career, he played for four different teams, finding limited success as a backup and an occasional starter.
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In 2000, the Florida native would spend a season in NFL Europe, helping the Rhein Fire to a league championship. Plus, he was named MVP of the World Bowl. Wuerffel last played professionally with the Redskins in 2002, retiring in 2004.
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Rashaan Salaam
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In 1994, the running back had one of the best seasons at his position. He became the fourth major college player to top over 2,000 yards, and he scored three touchdowns against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
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The Chicago Bears would use their 21st pick to draft Salaam, and his rookie season was a promising one at that. However, Salaam was notorious for fumbling, and he ended up breaking his leg and tearing an ankle ligament. He tried to come back a few times but ended up in the XFL.
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Joe Bellino
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Bellino was very versatile on the football field. The Navy alum rushed for 834 yards and caught 15 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns. The halfback won the 1960 Heisman Trophy and his final game with the Navy was a loss in the Orange Bowl.
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The Washington Redskins would draft him in the 17th round of the 1961 NFL Draft as did the Boston Patriots of the AFL Draft. He decided to join the Patriots, and played three seasons, primarily as a kick returner. He's the lowest drafted Heisman Trophy winner in NFL history because of his commitment to the U.S. Navy after graduation.
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Gary Beban
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The UCLA Bruins finished with a 7-2-1 record in 1967. Beban threw for 1,359 yards and eight touchdowns. A second-round draft pick of the Rams in 1968, his rights were traded to the Redskins.
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The 1967 Heisman winner would play for Washington for two seasons. He wasn't given much playing time as he was backing up future Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen. After the Redskins released him in 1970, Beban signed with the Denver Broncos. However, he was placed on waivers and retired immediately.
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John Huarte
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Huarte's Notre Dame career only had one good season. In his senior year, he became the Fighting Irish's starting quarterback and won all but one game during the 1964 season. Following his Heisman season, the Anaheim native was drafted by both pro football leagues.
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He would sign with the AFL's New York Jets over the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. However, he was beaten out of the starting spot by Joe Namath, who finished eleventh in Heisman voting. Huarte did see action as a backup quarterback from 1966 to 1972.
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Ty Detmer
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Detmer's junior season in 1990 is one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in college football history. The BYU alum threw for 5,188 passing yards and 41 touchdowns in 12 games.
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Despite his success in college, many analysts believed he was too small for the NFL. The Green Bay Packers drafted him in the ninth round, only to be the backup to Brett Favre. Detmer would play for four more teams, mostly in the backup role.
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Terry Baker
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At quarterback, Baker lead Oregon State to a 9-2 record in his senior season. He would finish his college career with 3,476 yards and 23 touchdown passes. The Los Angeles Rams would take a chance on Baker as the first overall pick in 1963.
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However, the Rams barely played him in his rookie season. The team would switch the Heisman winner to running back with very little success. After three seasons in the NFL, Baker headed up to the CFL to play for the Edmonton Eskimos.
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Pat Sullivan
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Sullivan was a great quarterback for Auburn. In 1970, he led the NCAA in total offense, and in 30 games as a Tiger, he threw for 6,284 yards and 53 touchdowns. After winning the Heisman in 1971, the Atlanta Falcons drafted him as a second round pick.
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He would serve as the team's backup for four seasons and eventually, he ended up with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. After football, Sullivan turned to coaching, and became the head coach at Samford University, a position he held from 2007 to 2014.
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Andre Ware
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In his junior season at Houston, Ware set college records by throwing for 4,699 yards as well as 46 touchdowns. After forgoing his senior year, many NFL scouts believed Ware was the real deal. Nevertheless, he never became a star in the NFL.
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The Detroit Lions picked the Heisman winner in the first round of the 1990 draft. Ware never got off the bench in his four seasons and ended up playing in the CFL by 1995. He would win the Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in 1997.
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Gino Torretta
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NFL teams weren't too keen on the quarterback at the 1993 draft. After fallin…

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