2009-2010
College Football Season
Awards

75th Heisman Trophy is 1st for Alabama

by Dave Congrove
December 12, 2009

(CFP) -- Running back Mark Ingram became Alabama's first Heisman Trophy winner in the closest vote in history. Ingram edged running back Toby Gerhart of Stanford by a mere 28 points. Texas QB Colt McCoy finished 3rd, followed by Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh and Florida QB Tim Tebow.

Ingram is the third consecutive sophomore to win the award, following 2008 winner Sam Bradford (QB, Oklahoma) and 2007 winner Tim Tebow (QB, Florida). No underclassman had ever won the award until Tebow in 2007. Tebow became the first 3-year finalist in the Heisman voting since Georgia RB Herschel Walker performed that trick from 1980-1982.

Suh became a household name this week as he collected several prestigious postseason awards. Suh claimed the Lombardi and Bednarik awards, and the Nagurski and Outland trophies.

McCoy also rounded up the hardware as he captured the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Davey O'Brien quarterback awards, as well as the Walter Camp and Tiny Maxwell awards for player of the year.

Here's a look at each of this year's Heisman finalists, in their order of finish:

1) Mark Ingram, sophomore, RB, Alabama - The third consecutive sophomore to win the award rushed for 1,542 yards on 249 carries with 15 TD's. He added another 332 yards and 3 TD's on 30 catches. Statistically, he finished 12th in rushing yards per game, 14th in touchdowns and 5th in yards. He helped his team go 13-0 and capture the SEC title.

2) Toby Gerhart, senior, RB, Stanford - Led the nation in rushing yards with 1,736 and TD's with 26. Gerhart was also 2nd in rushing yards per game with 144.67.

3) Colt McCoy, senior, QB, Texas - The 2008 Heisman runner-up set a NCAA FBS career record with 45 wins as a starting quarterback. In 2009, he completed 70.5% of his passes for 3,512 yards and 27 TD's with 12 INT's. He was 3rd nationally in pass completion percentage, 6th in passing yards, and 19th in passer rating. He finished 10th in total offense as he added 348 yards rushing and 3 TD's.

4) Ndamukong Suh, senior, DT, Nebraska - Suh had 82 total tackles including 19.5 for loss and 12 sacks. He added 2 INT returns for TD's. Attained unusual media attention for a defensive lineman after registering 4.5 sacks on Colt McCoy in the Big 12 championship game loss to Texas.

5) Tim Tebow, senior, QB, Florida - Tebow was the 2007 Heisman winner and 2008 3rd-place finisher. He also led his team to the 2008 national championship. In 2009, he finished 8th in passer rating as he completed 65.2% of his passes with 18 TD's and 5 INT's. He rushed for 859 yards and 13 TD's. Tebow finished his career with 84 TD passes and 56 TD's rushing to rank 2nd in NCAA history.

The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the best college football player in America. It is named after John W. Heisman, noted collegiate player and coach, and recognized as the inventor of the forward pass. The award is voted annually by hundreds of sports journalists around the country and past Heisman Trophy recipients. 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.

See: All-Time Heisman List

OTHER 2009 AWARD WINNERS

AP Coach Of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU

Home Depot Coach Of the Year: Brian Kelly, Cincinnati

AP Player Of the Year: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player): Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
See: All-Time Chuck Bednarik Award Winners

Fred Biletnikoff Award (wide receiver): Golden Tate, Notre Dame
See: All-Time Fred Biletnikoff Award Winners

Dick Butkus Award (linebacker): Rolando McClain, Alabama
See: All-Time Butkus Award Winners

Walter Camp Award (top player): Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
See: All-Time Walter Camp POY Winners

Lou Groza Award (placekicker): Kai Forbath, UCLA
See: All-Time Lou Groza Award Winners

Ray Guy Award (punter): Drew Butler, Georgia
See: All-Time Ray Guy Award Winners

Vince Lombardi Award (lineman or linebacker): Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
See: All-Time Vince Lombardi Award Winners

John Mackey Award (tight end): Aaron Hernandez, Florida
See: All-Time John Mackey Award Winners

Robert W. (Tiny) Maxwell Award (top player): Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
See: All-Time Robert W. (Tiny) Maxwell Award Winners

Bronko Nagurski Trophy (defensive player): Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
See: All-Time Bronko Nagurski Trophy Winners

Davey O'Brien Award (quarterback): Colt McCoy, Texas
See: All-Time Davey O'Brien Award Winners

Outland Trophy (interior lineman): Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
See: All-Time Outland Trophy Winners

Dave Rimington Trophy (center): Maurkice Pouncey, Florida
See: All-Time Dave Rimington Award Winners

Jim Thorpe Award (defensive back): Eric Berry, Tennessee
See: All-Time Jim Thorpe Award Winners

Johnny Unitas Award (senior quarterback): Colt McCoy, Texas
See: All-Time Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Winners

Doak Walker Award (running back): Toby Gerhart, Stanford
See: All-Time Doak Walker Award Winners

CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a:
- member of the Football Writers Association of America
- voting member of the Vince Lombardi Award
- voting member for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award
- nominating member for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy
- nominating member for the Outland Trophy
- nominating member for the 25-player FWAA All-America Team