Heisman Won By A QB For 4th Straight Year by Matt James 12/14/03 11:56am est A quarterback who almost quit football more than a year ago won the Heisman Trophy, the final exclamation point on his rehablitation from a second knee injury that nearly ended his career. Oklahoma's Jason White, who threw 40 touchdown passes against just 8 interceptions, outpointed Pittsburgh sophomore wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald to become the fourth straight quarterback to capture college football's most-coveted individual honor. Three signal-callers won the trophy in succession from 1962-1964. White received 1,481 total points in the balloting to Fitzgerald's 1,353. Misssissippi quarterback Eli Manning was third with 710. Michigan running back Chris Perry was fourth with 341 points. No Sooner had won the award since Billy Simms took home the hardware in 1978. Oklahoma running backs Billy Vessels and Steve Owens won the trophy in 1952 and 1969, respectively. Each voter gets to submit a ballot that ranks their top three players. Points are tallied by awarding 3 points for each first-place vote, two points for second, and one point for third. Here is the breakdown of that voting:

PLAYER	YR.	SCHOOL	POS.	1st	2nd	3rd	TOTAL
Jason White	Sr.	Oklahoma	QB	319	204	116	1,481
Larry Fitzgerald	So.	Pittsburgh	WR	253	233	128	1,353
Eli Manning	Sr.	Mississippi	QB	95	132	161	710
Chris Perry	Sr.	Michigan	RB	27	66	128	341
Darren Sproles	Jr.	Kansas State	RB	15	30	29	134
Matt Leinart	So.	USC	QB	5	27	58	127
Philip Rivers	Sr.	N. C. State	QB	18	20	24	118
Mike Williams	So.	USC	WR	12	12	18	78
Ben Roethlisberger	Jr.	Miami, Ohio	QB	5	9	14	47
B. J. Symons	Sr.	Texas Tech	QB	1	7	21	38

HEISMAN FINAL FOUR

1) Jason White (Sr.), QB, Oklahoma Season Stats: 265-of-414 for 3,738 yards, 40 TDs, 8 INTs Points: 1,481 2) Larry Fitzgerald (So.), WR, Pittsburgh Season Stats: 87 catches, 1,595 yards, 22 TDs. Had NCAA record streak of 18 straight games with at least one touchdown catch. Points: 1,353 3) Eli Manning (Sr.), QB, Mississippi Season Stats: 253-of-400, 3,340 yards, 27 TDs, 9 INTs Points: 710 4) Chris Perry (Sr.), RB, Michigan Season Stats: 315 carries for 1,589 yards, 17 TDs Points: 341

Also See: All-Time Heisman List

OTHER 2003 AWARD WINNERS AP Coach Of the Year: Nick Saban, LSU Home Depot Coach Of the Year: Pete Carroll, USC AP Player Of the Year: Jason White, Oklahoma Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma See: All-Time Chuck Bednarik Award Winners Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh See: All-Time Fred Biletnikoff Award Winners Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Teddy Lehman, Oklahoma See: All-Time Dick Butkus Award-Winners Walter Camp Award (top player): Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh See: All-Time Walter Camp POY Winners Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Jonathan Nichols, Mississippi See: All-Time Lou Groza Award Winners Ray Guy Award (punter): BJ Sander, Ohio State See: All-Time Ray Guy Award Winners Vince Lombardi Award (lineman or linebacker): Tommie Harris, Oklahoma See: All-Time Vince Lombardi Award Winners John Mackey Award (tight end): Kellen Winslow, Miami, Fla. See: All-Time John Mackey Award Winners Robert W. (Tiny) Maxwell Award (top player): Eli Manning, Mississippi See: All-Time Robert W. (Tiny) Maxwell Award Winners Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Derrick Strait, Oklahoma, DB See: All-Time Bronko Nagurski Trophy Winners Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Jason White, Oklahoma See: All-Time Davey O'Brien Award Winners Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Robert Gallery, Iowa See: All-Time Outland Trophy Winners Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Jake Grove, Virginia Tech See: All-Time Dave Rimington Award Winners Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Derrick Strait, Oklahoma See: All-Time Jim Thorpe Award Winners Johnny Unitas Award (senior quarterback): Eli Manning, Mississippi See: All-Time Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Winners Doak Walker Award (running back): Chris Perry, Michigan See: All-Time Doak Walker Award Winners