All of last year, I had an ideal to write about the curse of the Heisman for quarterbacks once they turn pro. For the most part of my life I remember if a quarterback won the award there was an 80-90 percent chance that they weren’t going to be very good in the NFL. So, I decided to do some research from 1980 forward to see if my theory was true.
See below will be all of the Quarterbacks that were Heisman winners from 1980 forward. I chose that year because I could recollect all of these players in my youth no matter it be from highlights or actually seeing them play.
1984- Doug Flutie, Boston College- Flutie was the man in the CFL and cameback to the NFL to have a solid career towards the end of his playing time.
1986- Vinny Testaverde, Miami- Vinny was a solid quarterback, but he wasn’t the superstar people expected.
1989- Andre Ward, Houston- People know Ward more for his commentary career than his NFL tenure.
1990- Ty Detmer, BYU- Didn’t he have a brother?
1992- Gino Torretta, Miami- Good ole Gino, didn’t do much good after leaving Miami.
1993- Charlie Ward, FSU- Ward said eff it I’m just going to play point guard in the NBA.
1996- Danny Wuerffel, Florida- I don’t even remember Wuerffel doing much, but stinking it up in the NFL for his short stint.
2000- Chris Weinke, FSU- Weinke was 40 when he won the Heisman and didn’t do much when he was in the pros.
2001- Eric Crouch, Nebraska- Crouch didn’t even get a chance to play QB in the Pros, he had a few shots at Safety. Think about that!
2002- Carson Palmer, USC- Palmer has been a solid pro, was on the verge of elite status until injuries snatched him back to the middle of the pack.
2003- Jason White, Oklahoma- I’m not even sure if White made an NFL team and I don’t care to research it because we all know he was bitten by the curse.
2004- Matt Leinart, USC- Man, Leinart might’ve been one of the biggest bust of this list. I remember him staying after his junior when he would’ve been the first pick of the draft. He stayed for his senior season and was drafted in the early teens and honestly never materialized into much, but a backup with a name plate.
2006- Troy Smith, OSU- Smith played a few years in the NFL, also a few in the CFL. He had a few chances with the Ravens and 49ers, but never captured the expectations he developed from following him at Ohio State.
2007- Tim Tebow, Florida- Tebow had a little spark early in his Broncos career, but the season after they signed Peyton Manning and Tebow now works for ESPN.
2008- Sam Bradford, Oklahoma- Bradford hasn’t played very good and has had a bad run with health. The Rams seem to love him, but if you follow the NFL you know he’s is what is holding them back from being a force in the NFL.
2010- Cam Newton, Auburn- Cam is a star in the making and seems to be beating the Heisman curse even though his own franchise has been trying to sabotage him with the lack of talent around him.
2011- Robert Griffin III, Baylor- Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, but since has been riddled with injuries
2012- Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M- In the hand full of games he played for the Browns the rookie seemed to be a bit overwhelmed, but he still has time to right the ship. Currently it doesn’t look good for Johnny Football.
2013- Jameis Winston, FSU- Who knows!
2014- Marcus Mariota, Oregon- Who knows!
The Heisman for Quarterbacks’ seems to be more of the kiss of death in the NFL besides the rights of passage. This year the two top quarterbacks’ in the 2015 NFL Draft already have the Heisman scarlet letter engraved on their chest in they don’t even know it *word to Rocko*. As you can see this list of quarterbacks’ don’t scream NFL superstar, while there is hope for some, a lot of the players on this list stories have been written and make my theory seem pretty accurate.
Good luck to Winston and Mariota, hopefully both of you can beat the Heisman curse.
