Which College Has Won the Most Heisman Trophies? The Answer Will Surprise You

Many Americans have wondered the following question: Which college has won the most Heisman Trophies? It’s a question with a very interesting answer, though also a bit anticlimactic. The Heisman Trophy — technically the Heisman Memorial Trophy — was first awarded back in 1935, when it was won by Jay Berwanger, a senior running back at the University of Chicago; to date, this is the University of Chicago’s only Heisman Trophy. Read on to find out what college has the most Heisman Trophy winners, as well as a list of Heisman Trophy winners by year, the player’s position, and their class.

What College Has the Most Heisman Trophy Winners?

BrokeScholar conducted a study of all the Heisman Trophies awarded to college players since 1935. Below you’ll find a table with a list of Heisman winners for every single year, including the notorious 2005 winner, who had to vacate it due to violating NCAA rules. Check out the full list of Heisman Trophy winners by year:

So, what college has won the most Heisman Trophies? The answer is that it is a tie, and a tie with an intriguing twist. Here’s how the colleges with the most Heisman winners breaks out:

Ohio State University: 7 Heisman Trophy Winners

Ohio State Heisman winners total seven players since 1935. The most recent Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner was Troy Smith in 2006. The earliest of Ohio State Heisman winners was Les Horvath in 1944.

• 1944: Les Horvath – Halfback – Senior

• 1950: Vic Janowicz – Running Back - Junior

• 1955: Howard Cassady – Running Back – Senior

• 1974: Archie Griffin – Running Back – Junior

• 1975: Archie Griffin – Running Back – Senior

• 1995: Eddie George – Running Back – Senior

• 2006: Troy Smith – Quarterback – Senior, Redshirt

University of Notre Dame: 7 Heisman Trophy Winners

Notre Dame Heisman winners also add up to seven players, with the most recent being Tim Brown in 1987. Otherwise, Notre Dame was mainly a dominant force in Heisman Trophy contention in the 1940s and 1950s.

• 1943: Angelo Bertelli – Quarterback – Senior

• 1947: John Lujack – Quarterback – Senior

• 1949: Leon Hart – Tight End – Senior

• 1953: John Lattner – Running Back – Senior

• 1956: Paul Hornung – Quarterback – Senior

• 1964: John Huarte – Quarterback – Senior

• 1987: Tim Brown – Wide Receiver – Senior

University of Oklahoma: 7 Heisman Trophy Winners

The University of Oklahoma has racked up seven Heisman Trophies, the first in 1952, won by Billy Vessels. The University of Oklahoma had players receive the Heisman Trophy in consecutive years: Baker Mayfield in 2017 and Kyle Murray in 2018.

• 1952: Billy Vessels – Running Back – Senior

• 1969: Steve Owens – Running Back – Senior

• 1978: Billy Sims – Running Back – Junior, Redshirt

• 2003: Jason White – Quarterback – Senior, Redshirt

• 2008: Sam Bradford – Quarterback – Sophomore, Redshirt

• 2017: Baker Mayfield – Quarterback – Senior, Redshirt

• 2018: Kyle Murray – Quarterback – Junior, Redshirt

University of Southern California: 7 Heisman Trophy Winners*

The University of Southern California, or more commonly USC, had seven players get awarded the Heisman Trophy, but the most recent one was eventually vacated — hence the asterisk. USC received its first Heisman Trophy in 1965, awarded to running back Mike Garrett. Then, in the 2000s, USC players were well represented among Heisman Trophy winners, being awarded in 2002, 2004, and 2005. However, the 2005 Heisman Trophy awarded to Reggie Bush was later retracted after it was uncovered that Reggie Bush violated NCAA rules regarding pay-for-play arrangements.

• 1965: Mike Garrett – Running Back – Senior

• 1968: O.J. Simpson – Running Back – Senior

• 1979: Charles White – Running Back – Senior

• 1981: Marcus Allen – Running Back – Senior

• 2002: Carson Palmer – Quarterback – Senior, Redshirt

• 2004: Matt Leinart – Quarterback – Junior, Redshirt

• 2005: Reggie Bush – Running Back – Junior

Trends Among the List of Heisman Winners

If you’re an avid college football fan, you might be wondering how many University of Michigan Heisman winners are there? How many University of Alabama Heisman winners are there? There are so many other excellent college football programs besides the four schools that have tied with seven Heisman Trophy winners. If we discount USC’s 2005 Heisman Trophy, then that school comes in second place with six Heisman Trophies. After that, there are no colleges or universities that won five Heisman Trophies. 

The college that comes in third place with the most Heisman Trophy winners is the University of Alabama. Alabama Heisman winners total four:

• 2009: Mark Ingram – Running Back – Sophomore

• 2015: Derrick Henry – Running Back – Junior

• 2020: DeVonta Smith – Wide Receiver – Senior

• 2021: Bryce Young – Quarterback – Sophomore

After the University of Alabama, several schools tie with three Heisman Trophies being awarded to their players. Here are the six colleges and universities with three Heisman Trophy winners since 1935:

• Army West Point: 1945, 1946, 1958

• Auburn University: 1971, 1985, 2010

• Florida State University: 1993, 2000, 2013

• University of Florida: 1966, 1996, 2007

• University of Michigan: 1940, 1991, 1997

• University of Nebraska: 1972, 1983, 2001

One of the most important years among the list of Heisman winners is 1961: That year, Ernie Davis, a senior running back at Syracuse, became the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy. To date, this is Syracuse University’s only Heisman Trophy. Another interesting year is 1970, when the first redshirt player was awarded the Heisman Trophy: Jim Plunkett, the senior redshirt quarterback for Stanford University. This is also Stanford’s only Heisman Trophy. Since 1970, there have been 21 Heisman Trophy winners who were redshirting, for a total of 22 players who’ve received the Heisman Trophy while redshirting. 

Looking at Heisman Trophy winners by year, the position with the most Heisman Trophies is running back, with 40 since 1935. Quarterback comes in second place with 36 Heisman Trophies. And in a distant third place is wide receiver, with four Heisman Trophies.