Oregon’s Marcus Mariota won the 80th Heisman Trophy Saturday night in a landslide over Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Alabama’s Amari Cooper, becoming only the second player from a Northwest university to claim college football’s most coveted prize. Mariota’s win snapped a 52-year regional drought dating to 1962, when Oregon State quarterback Terry Baker captured the award.
A junior from Hawaii, Mariota received 2,534 points to Gordon’s 1,250 and Cooper’s 1,023. Mariota collected 90.9 percent of the first-place votes from 929 Heisman selectors, the second-highest percentage in Heisman history.
“I am humbled to be standing here and humbled by this award,” said Mariota, who teared up during the presentation ceremony. “I just hope and pray that this is only the beginning.”
Mariota generated 53 touchdowns, completing 254 of 372 passes (68.3 percent) for 3,783 yards, 38 TDs, only two interceptions and an efficiency rating of 186.3. He also rushed for 669 yards and 14 TDs and caught a 26-yard touchdown pass.
The Heisman is the latest award in Mariota’s postseason haul. In recent days, he also won the Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien, Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Gold Arm trophies.
Gordon, a redshirt junior running back, put together just the 10th 2,000-yard rushing season in FBS history. His total of 2,336 yards is the fourth-highest ever. Gordon, who announced this week that he will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft, averaged 7.6 yards per carry and amassed 29 total touchdowns.
A junior receiver for Alabama, Cooper led the FBS in catches (115) and receiving yards (1,656) and tied for second in receiving touchdowns (14).
Mariota is the eighth Oregon player to finish in the top 10 in Heisman voting and the first since RB LaMichael James was third in 2010.
Since the award was first presented by New York’s Downtown Athletic Club in 1935, the following Northwest players have finished among the top 10 in Heisman Trophy voting.Washington’s Steve Emtman — fourth in 1991 — is the only defensive player on the list:
| Year | Player | School | CL | Pos. | Finish | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Terry Baker | OSU | Sr. | QB | 1st | —— |
| 2014 | Marcus Mariota | UO | Jr. | QB | 1st | —— |
| 1997 | Ryan Leaf | WSU | Jr. | QB | 3rd | Charles Woodson |
| 2010 | LaMichael James | UO | So. | RB | 3rd | Cam Newton |
| 1991 | Steve Emtman | UW | Jr. | DT | 4th | Desmond Howard |
| 2001 | Joey Harrington | UO | Sr. | QB | 4th | Eric Crouch |
| 2010 | Kellen Moore | Boise | Jr. | QB | 4th | Cam Newton |
| 2007 | Dennis Dixon | UO | Sr. | QB | 5th | Tim Tebow |
| 1948 | Norm Van Brocklin | UO | Sr. | QB | 6th | Doak Walker |
| 1980 | Neil Lomax | Port. St. | Sr. | QB | 7th | George Rogers |
| 1988 | Timm Rosenbach | WSU | Jr. | QB | 7th | Barry Sanders |
| 1990 | Greg Lewis | UW | Sr. | RB | 7th | Ty Detmer |
| 2002 | Jason Gesser | WSU | Sr. | QB | 7th | Carson Palmer |
| 2009 | Kellen Moore | Boise | So. | QB | 7th | Mark Ingram |
| 1951 | Hugh McElhenny | UW | Sr. | FB | 8th | Dick Kazmeier |
| 1954 | George Shaw | UO | Sr. | QB | 8th | Alan Ameche |
| 1992 | Drew Bledsoe | WSU | Jr. | QB | 8th | Gino Torretta |
| 2000 | M. Tuiasosopo | UW | Sr. | QB | 8th | Chris Weinke |
| 2006 | Ian Johnson | Boise | Jr. | RB | 8th | Troy Smith |
| 2011 | Kellen Moore | Boise | Sr. | QB | 8th | Robert Griffin III |
| 1952 | Don Heinrich | UW | Sr. | QB | 9th | Billy Vessels |
| 1978 | Jack Thompson | WSU | Sr. | QB | 9th | Billy Sims |
| 1994 | Napoleon Kaufman | UW | Sr. | RB | 9th | Rashaan Salaam |
| 2005 | Jerome Harrison | WSU | Sr. | RB | 9th | Reggie Bush* |
| 2012 | Kenjon Barner | UO | Sr. | RB | 9th | Johnny Manzeil |
| 1984 | Rueben Mayes | WSU | Jr. | RB | 10th | Doug Flutie |
| 2011 | LaMichael James | UO | Jr. | RB | 10th | Robert Griffin III |
*=Award vacated
10 Comments
While the industry of college football continues its downward spiral with selections such as this one, it is very likely that this oregon qb will join the long list of other duck qb’s whose contribution to Sunday afternoon football amounts to absolutely nothing.
Husky fans can’t accept the fact that their rival has the best player in college football. I can’t wait to hear all the whining when the Ducks win the football playoffs. In the meantime, enjoy your bottom tier bowl.
Oregon is an elite football program that the dawgs will never overtake. After 11 consecutive losses, the Ducks don’t think of you as a worthy rival.
Duck Dynasty has reshaped college football. It’s great to be a Duck.
Football supremacy is all about recruiting, at which UO has had enormous success for a number of years thanks to their palatial facilities courtesy of Uncle Phil.
Its a relevant point… if Nike supported the Huskies this way we would all be saying god bless the man. Much in the way we view Paul Allen in applauding what his state of the art facilities and spare no expense attitude has accomplished in clearly benefited the Hawks. Perhaps a Allen adoption is in order for the Huskies. Im no duck fan so I would love for the huge disadvantage to even out sometime in this millennium. Until then all of the NW schools have an uphill battle dealing with Nikes cash machine pump.
It’s amusing that a university known for its anti-capitalist students owes so much to a man who’s made billions from Asian sweatshops producing tennis shoes. I wonder how many people in Eugene who shout “Fight the Power” six days a week shout “Go Ducks” on Saturdays with no sense of irony?
Im sure you have never worn Nikes, or carry an Iphone.
I can’t wait to hear all the whining when the Ducks win the football playoffs.
And your silence will be golden when they don’t.
That is the problem with all you duck people. You think the universe began when wil wheaton had that pick. I will end this post with two words, and every knolwdgeable Husky fan in this country will know exactly what I mean. duck people, in their ignorance, will not. DESMOND HOWARD.
Well, I’d have to say Dan Fouts and Norm Van Brocklin were better than nothing as NFL quarterbacks. Time will tell whether Mariota follows in their footsteps or in the footsteps of Joey Harrington and Akili Smith. Or Kellen Clemens and Dennis Dixon. Or Jeremiah Masoli and Bill Musgrave. Or Danny O’Neil and Herb Singleton. Or…
Appreciate the list here. If Washington LB Michael Jackson played at least ten years later than he did he’d be on this list and I’ve always wondered if UW wasn’t on probation would Napolean have finished higher? Seeing a couple Boise players listed gives me hope that Coach Pete will bring UW back to the heights the program once was.
This list shows despite the collegiate success of these players the Heisman award is not a barometer for how players will be in the NFL. Just over half of these players were in the NFL for barely a cup of tea and fewer were All Pros.