Heisman Hoopers: Will Another Charlie Ward Ever Emerge on NCAA Scene?
Joe Burrow (LSU) was a high school all-state basketball player in Ohio. But there is a vast difference between prep and college level. Will another college hooper ever strike the Heisman pose? At least three Heisman Trophy winners in three straight decades - 1940s, 1950s and 1960s - are among the football players also competing in college basketball. Florida State's Charlie Ward (1993) is the only such multi-sport athlete in the last 50 years to achieve the feat.
At a time when basketball and football seasons overlap, you might want to know three Heisman recipients in a 10-year span from 1947 through 1956 were from Notre Dame. Following is an alphabetical list of Heisman Trophy winners who played varsity basketball at some point in their college careers:
| Heisman Winner | Year | College Where Also Played BKB (Hoops Summary) | FB Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Baker | 1962 | Oregon State (All-West Regional selection in NCAA Tournament in 1962 and 1963) | QB |
| Ernie Davis | 1961 | Syracuse (team-high rebound average with 9.6 rpg in 1960-61) | HB |
| Glenn Davis | 1946 | Army (hoop team member in 1944-45 and 1945-46) | FB |
| Tom Harmon | 1940 | Michigan (averaged 7.6 ppg as sophomore in 1938-39) | HB |
| Paul Hornung | 1956 | Notre Dame (averaged 6.1 ppg in 10 games as sophomore in 1954-55) | QB |
| Dick Kazmaier | 1951 | Princeton (averaged 3.4 ppg as sophomore and junior) | HB |
| Larry Kelley | 1936 | Yale (finished among top 12 in scoring in EIL in 1935-36 and 1936-37) | E |
| Nile Kinnick | 1939 | Iowa (runner-up in scoring average with 6.1 ppg as sophomore) | HB |
| Johnny Lattner | 1953 | Notre Dame (game-winning basket in OT at NYU in 1951-52) | HB |
| Johnny Lujack | 1947 | Notre Dame (averaged 3.4 ppg as starting guard in 1943-44) | QB |
| Roger Staubach | 1963 | Navy (played varsity hoops in 1962-63) | QB |
| Doak Walker | 1948 | Southern Methodist (letterman as freshman in 1945-46) | HB |
| Charlie Ward | 1993 | Florida State (averaged 8.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.4 apg and 2.6 spg first half of 1990s) | QB |