2008 Heisman Trophy winner: Bradford wins 2008 Heisman Trophy

Who won the Heisman Trophy this year? In one of the closest races for the coveted trophy in American collegiate football, Sam Bradford of Oklahoma emerged as the winner. It was the closest vote between top two college football stars since Nebraska’s Eric Crouch edged Florida’s Rex Grossman by 62 points in 2001. The only other time the margin between first and third was smaller was also ‘01, when Miami’s Ken Dorsey was 142 points behind Crouch.

Bradford got 300 first place votes, McCoy 266 and Tebow 309. Oklahoma’s amazingly accurate and quick-thinking quarterback won the Heisman after guiding the highest-
scoring team in major college football history to the national championship game. Bradford, who leads the nation in touchdown passes with 48, received 1,726 points. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was second with 1,604 and Tebow was third with 1,575 points.

"I was definitely surprised and I think it’s everything I imagined," said Bradford, who raised the 25-pound bronze statue with his left hand still in a cast from a recent surgery. "I think it will take a couple weeks to set in."

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award (often known simply as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman), named after the former college football coach John Heisman, is awarded annually by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City to the most outstanding player in collegiate football. Although it is not the only award honoring the best player in college football, it is considered the most prestigious. It is awarded in early December before the postseason bowl games begin.

The award was first presented in 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) in Manhattan, New York. It was first known simply as the DAC Trophy. The first winner, Jay Berwanger, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles but declined to sign for them. He never played professional football for any team. In 1936, John Heisman died and the trophy was renamed in his honor. Larry Kelley, the second winner of the award was the first man to win it as the "Heisman Trophy."

In 1966, former Florida player Steve Spurrier relinquished his Heisman trophy to the university president Dr. J. Wayne Reitz so that the award could be shared by Florida students and faculty. The gesture caused Florida's student government to raise funds to purchase a replacement for Spurrier. From that point on, the Downtown Athletic Club has issued two trophies to winners, one to the individual and one to the school.

Colt McCoy was the early Heisman front-runner this year after leading the Longhorns to the No. 1 ranking with a victory against Oklahoma in October. Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, who finished a distant fourth in Heisman voting, then moved to the forefront after he tossed a last-second, game-winning touchdown pass to beat Texas a month later. However, Sam Bradford closed strongest, leading his team to a string of blowout victories, including one against Texas Tech, and a spot in the BCS title game.

“This is an individual award but I feel like I’m receiving it on behalf of my teammates,” Bradford said. “I feel like our whole offense bails me out every game,” Bradford said. “They make me look good.”