The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in American college football. It is given every year to the player judged to be the most outstanding in the United States.
Basic definition
The Heisman Memorial Trophy is an annual award for the most outstanding college football player in the United States, as chosen by a large voting panel that includes sportswriters and former winners. It is widely regarded as the top individual honor in college football and is presented each December after the regular season.
History and origin
The award was created in 1935 by the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City to recognize the best college football player, with the first trophy going to Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago. In 1936, after the death of John W. Heisman, a prominent coach and the club’s first athletic director, the award was renamed the Heisman Trophy in his honor.
Trophy and symbolism
The physical trophy shows a running football player performing a classic “stiff-arm” move to fend off a defender, capturing agility and power in a single pose. Each year one trophy goes to the winning player and a second replica is given to the player’s school, reflecting that the award recognizes both individual excellence and a program’s role in that success.