Winning the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the best college football player of the year, brings with it a lot of attention and praise. The players who win this award are some of the best players to ever play college football. While many of them are drafted highly into the National Football League, winning the award is not a guarantee of pro football success.

Since the first Heisman Trophy was awarded in 1935 and through the year 2010, a span of 75 years, only eight players have won the Heisman Trophy and gone on to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here is a brief look at each one of those exceptional athletes.

Doak Walker
Doak Walker starred at running back at Southern Methodist University and won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. He went on to play in the NFL and had a very successful career. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1986. The Doak Walker Award is named after him.

Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung won the Heisman Trophy in 1956 while starring for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He would go on to become one of the integral parts of Vince Lombardi’s 1960′s championship Green Bay Packers teams. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

Roger Staubach
Playing for Navy, Roger Staubach had an incredibly successful college career and even won the Heisman Trophy in 1963. He would go on to become one of the most famous football players in the league as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys during the 1970′s when they were winning Super Bowls and establishing themselves as America’s Team. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson had an awesome career at the University of Southern California that culminated with him winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He would star for the Buffalo Bills and put up staggering numbers that had never been seen before from the running back position. He would go into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Tony Dorsett
Tony Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy in 1976 while playing college football for the University of Pittsburgh. He would go on to bigger fame as the star running back of the Dallas Cowboys. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994.

Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell would play college football at the University of Texas where his exploits are still legendary. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 and then went on to become a star in the NFL with the Houston Oilers. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

Marcus Allen
The University of Southern California had one of the best all around running backs ever during the early 1980′s in Marcus Allen. Following his college career, and his Heisman Trophy which he won in 1981, he was a star throughout the 1980′s for the Raiders. He played for the team in both Oakland and Los Angeles before ending his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders put up incredible numbers at Oklahoma State University and won the Heisman Trophy in 1988. He would go on to play his entire career with the Detroit Lions, establishing himself as possibly the best to ever play the game. He was elected to be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

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When contemplating which San Francisco 49ers player was the first one inducted into the Hall of Fame, it can be quite difficult. Both Leo Nomellini and Joe Perry were both inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the class of 1969. Other former 49ers would later join them including Ronnie Lott, Dave Wilcox, Fred Dean, and Joe Montana; but in 1968 there had been no one representing the team in the Hall of Fame, and the very next year there were two former players there.

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The two players put forth by the Seniors Committee are Dick LeBeau, who played defensive back for the Detroit Lions from 1959 to 1972, and Floyd Little who played running back for the Denver Broncos from 1967 through 1975.

Since many current football fans don’t know a great deal about these two men, we’ll do a special IQFB Profile on them this coming weekend. Look for Floyd Little’s profile to be up on Saturday and Dick LeBeau’s to be online on Sunday. We might even sneak in a Little Known Facts about these two great players too.

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The Mascot Hall of Fame is an online only hall of fame that was founded by David Raymond who just happened to be the original Phillie Phanatic, debuting for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978. The main requirement to be eligible for the Mascot Hall of Fame is that the mascot has to have been around for at least ten years.

Here is a link to the official Mascot Hall of Fame website.

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The answer is: 8

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Jim Ballard – QB – Mount Union (Ohio) – 1991-93
Tom Brahaney – Center – Oklahoma – 1970-72
Dave Brown – Defensive Back – Michigan – 1972-74
Jeff Davis – Linebacker – Clemson – 1978-81
Doug Flutie – QB – Boston College – 1981-84
Johnnie Johnson – Defensive Back – Texas – 1976-79
Rex Kern – QB – Ohio State – 1968-70
Ronald McKinnon – Linebacker – North Alabama – 1992-95
John Randle – Defensive End – Texas A&M-Kingsville – 1988-89
Ahmad Rashad – RB/WR – Oregon – 1969-71
Brad Rowland – HB – McMurry College – 1947-50
Anthony Thompson – RB – Indiana – 1986-89
Wilson Whitley – Defensive Tackle – Houston – 1973-76
Reggie Williams – Linebacker – Dartmouth – 1973-75
Richard Wood – Linebacker – Southern California 1972-75
Chris Zorich – Defensive Tackle – Notre Dame – 1988-90

The most successful NFL‘ers out of that group by far are Ahmad Rashad and Doug Flutie. After that, Chris Zorich, Reggie Williams, and Dave Brown also had long and successful careers. All of these players though made a huge impact on the world of college football.

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Bill Cowher – Pittsburgh Steelers 1993-2006
If Bill Cowher stays retired and doesn’t re-enter the head coaching ranks, however likely that is, he may just join this list of one-team Hall-of-Fame coaches.

Jeff Fisher – Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans 1995-Present
While Fisher has yet to win a Super Bowl, his teams are always very competitive and prepared and his longevity is unmatched among current NFL coaches.

Most other coaches on the landscape right now either don’t appear to be headed for the Hall-of-Fame or have coached for multiple teams. Are we forgetting anyone?

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