Will Mark Ingram Restore the Heisman?
Submitted by lester’s legends sports blog
Mark Ingram was the first power running back to take home the Heisman Trophy since Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne won it in 1998 and 1999 respectively. He ends a string of three consecutive Quarterback winners. In fact, Quarterbacks have won eight of the last nine Heisman Trophies.
Too often it seemed that the QB of the #1 team would take home college’s most prestigious award. Of those eight QBs, only Carson Palmer went on to success in the NFL. Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford haven’t had their opportunity yet, but I’m not one who thinks they’ll have productive pro careers.
When the Heisman was at its best was between 1968-1988. That stretch produced Hall of Famers O.J. Simpson, Tony Dorsett, Earl Campbell, Marcus Allen, and Barry Sanders. It also produced quality RBs Billy Sims, Herschel Walker, Mike Rozier, and Bo Jackson.
I’m not saying that Ingram belongs in the first batch of Backs, but perhaps he can help buck the trend of glorifying the QB and prompt Heisman voters to take the best player and not just the best QB. After all, he became Alabama’s first Heisman winner so anything is possible.
