Heisman snubs that still trigger you

https://www.forbes.com/sites/terencemoore/2019/01/10/notre-dames-rocket-ismail-was-wronged-by-heisman-and-hall-of-fame-folks/ [HEADING=2]Notre Dame's Rocket Ismail Was Wronged By Heisman And Hall Of Fame Folks[/HEADING] ByTerence Moore, Contributor. Terence Moore delivers his thoughts on all things sports Follow Author Jan 10, 2019, 11:17am ESTJan 10, 2019, 05:35pm EST This article is more than 7 years old. SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 29: Raghib Ismail #25 of Notre Dame in action against Purdue during an NCAA College football game September 29, 1990 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame won the game 37-11. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)... More Getty As somebody who lives and breathes all things Notre Dame football, I'm still bitter. Here we are, 29 years later, and Ty Detmer has the Heisman Trophy that belongs to Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, but I digress. At least the National Football Foundation folks in charge of such things got it right this week with the induction into their College Football Hall of Fame of the most dynamic player since Jim Thorpe, or maybe since forever. Come to think of it, Ismail should have become a College Football Hall of Famer at least seven years ago, when they inducted the guy who was given his 1990 Heisman Trophy. The whole thing has cost Ismail a ton of money. It’s a game of inches — and dollars. Get the latest sports news and analysis of valuations, signings and hirings, once a week in your inbox, from the Forbes SportsMoney Playbook newsletter. Sign up here. In case you didn't know, winning the Heisman Trophy can keep you away from soup lines in a hurry. There are those lucrative sneaker deals triggered by Reggie Bush and Cam Newton becoming the first players to pocket $1 million or more per year after their Heisman Trophy-winning years of 2005 and 2010 respectively. With that award in hand, your autograph suddenly isn't only a souvenir anymore. One ESPN study said capturing the Heisman will net you in excess of $200,000 overall just by signing your name during your lifetime. OJ Simpson (1968) and Charles White (1979) even sold their trophies for $200,000 apiece. But soon after Ismail got robbed of his award in 1990, the Downtown Athletic Club that runs the Heisman event made winners sign a waiver to say they wouldn't sell their trophies. Detmer wouldn't have gotten much for his award. It wasn't as if the Brigham Young University quarterback was . . . The Rocket. Ismail did everything, and he did so spectacularly. He brought his world-class sprinting from the Notre Dame track and field team, where he moved 100 meters in 10.2 seconds, to the House That Rockne Built, where he excelled as a runner, a receiver and a returner with his ability to keep opposing teams terrified with just the thought of the Fighting Irish on the horizon. NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 31: Former NFL player Raghib Ismail (L) and NFL player Jason Avant speak onstage at the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration 2014 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Super Bowl)... More Getty In addition to watching Ismail help Notre Dame grab the 1988 national championship, I was at Michigan Stadium the following season, when Ismail managed something against the Wolverines that hadn't been done in 32 years. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Not only that, but he went 88 yards along the way to the end zone. Soon after that in the second half, he took another kickoff all the way for 92 yards. Legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler told me and other reporters afterward, "He's faster than the speed of sound. He may be the best I've ever seen. We couldn't tackle him." No, Michigan players couldn't, because it's impossible to wrap your arms around a 5-foot-11 blur of 185 pounds. Take that 1990 season, for instance. While running, Ismail averaged 8 yards per carry and scored 3 touchdowns. While receiving, he averaged 21 yards per catch and scored 2 touchdowns. While returning kicks, he averaged 24 yards per attempt with 1 touchdown, and he averaged 12 yards per punt return. He was the catalyst behind Notre Dame's 9-2 regular season that ended with a loss in the Orange Bowl against No. 1-ranked Colorado, but only because of The Phantom Clip. With the Irish trailing by one in the final seconds, Ismail returned a punt 91 yard for the apparent game winner. Then came the flag out of nowhere. Just like that, two things were yanked away from Notre Dame in a matter of months: An Orange Bowl victory and an eighth Heisman Trophy winner after Ismail finished second to Detmer with 1,177 votes overall (237 first-place ones) to his 1,482 (316). Oh, I know. In a career that produced 14,665 total yards and a passer rating of 162.7 (both records at the time), Detmer spent 1990 throwing for a ridiculous 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns. But what about the rest of the story? After his 10-3 Cougars upset No. 1-ranked Miami earlier in the year, they crashed and burned during their regular-season finale against mediocre Hawaii before Texas A &M slaughtered them by 51 points in the Holiday Bowl. That was while the Rocket kept fueling Notre Dame among the nation's elite. Ismail's entry into the College Football Hall of Fame aside, it sounds like many folks owe him an apology. I'll do so for them.

Every AP voter who voted for that loser Oklahoma QB over Fitz is a massive loser.

Should be 2x with Archie

Michael Bishop and Colin Klein 😝

Garrison Hearst

CMac should’ve won over Henry

A midget ewok over Tua was criminal

PA_Panther said:

Every AP voter who voted for that loser Oklahoma QB over Fitz is a massive loser.

A. I don't want to watch this because I'm worried my team will be in it a lot. B. Rod Rutherford is a name I've not heard in some time...

Chuck Long

House of Fucking Spears. Tell me there was a better player in the nation in 09 and I will call you a fibber magoo

Rex Grossman. Eric Crouch sucked

Gjg23 said:

There are plenty of bad snubs but Peyton Manning was the worst by a country mile…. Just a convoluted humble of never before heard new threshold accomplishments were thrown up as justification to try and build interest around an award that was a foregone conclusion.

Not only did Tyrann Mathieu not win, pretty sure he was last of the finalists because the voters cream themselves over offensive players. Dude was a spectacle to watch every time he stepped onto the field

Tebow 2008 and 2009 Rex Grossman 2001 Kyle Trask 2020

Gino Tourette's winning triggers me.

Peyton getting left off of 203 Heisman votes still hits me in the feels. COMPLETELY left off 203 ballots, not worthy of even a 3rd place vote SMH.

Tommie Frazier > Eddie George in '95

1956: Paul Hornung over Johnny Majors. In 1956, Notre Dame's Paul Hornung won the Heisman Trophy over Tennessee's Johnny Majors despite a 2-8 record compared to Majors' 10-0 season. Hornung (1,066 votes) won largely based on total offense (1,337 yards, 3 TDs, 13 INTs) and versatility, while runner-up Majors (994 votes) boasted better efficiency and a higher winning percentage. 1956 Stats Comparison: Paul Hornung (Notre Dame - QB/HB/Defense):

• Passing: 59-of-111 (53%), 917 yards, 3 TDs, 13 INTs.
• Rushing: 420 yards, 6 TDs.
• Total Offense: 1,337 yards.
• Other: 14 extra points, served as the team's primary punter and kick returner.
• Team Record: 2-8.

Johnny Majors (Tennessee - Tailback):

• Passing: 552 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs, 61% completion rate.
• Rushing: 549 yards, 7 TDs.
• Other: 39.1-yard punting average, 438 punt return yards, 344 kickoff return yards, and played safety.
• Team Record: 10-0 (Regular season)

Tebow over Darren McFadden is criminal.

Joe Hamilton. Heisman shouldn’t be a college career award, but that is the only reason a fat Ron Dayne won the award in ‘99

J.D. Vance said:

Tebow over Darren McFadden is criminal.

LOL