Overview

To the select fraternity of men who have won the Heisman Trophy since its inception in 1935, the award is so much more than just a football trophy. The Heisman is a national symbol of collegiate football experience and competitiveness. Over time, it has become the single most celebrated individual award in all of American sports. Although the Heisman Trophy is old, it does not age. If anything, its impact gets stronger every year. No other individual award captures the country's imagination like the Heisman does. From the very first time toe meets leather to kick off a college football season, fans across the country begin debating which players will be the top Heisman Trophy candidates. While the Heisman Trophy is the most famous individual award in sports, very little is known about John W. Heisman, the man the Downtown Athletic Club of New York chose to honor in 1936 by naming its national player of the year award for him. In Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy, John M. Heisman, the legendary coach's great-nephew, and New York Times bestselling author Mark Schlabach offer college football fans across the country the first authorized and definitive biography of the man whose life has been memorialized by the Heisman Trophy. After combing through thousands of pages of Heisman's personal documents, writings, playbooks, and never-before-published correspondence with some of college football's most famous coaches, the authors have chronicled Heisman's life from a young boy growing up on the oil fields of northwest Pennsylvania to eventually becoming one of the sport's most innovative and successful coaches.

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9781451682915

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Leon never put a monetary value on the Heisman Trophy. He never felt comfortable trying to capitalize on receiving it. To him, that trophy represented the hard work of his teammates and his coaches. He felt there were a dozen guys on his 1949 team who were befitting of the honor. To him, the trophy stood for character, <p> perseverance, and integrity, and it marked him for the rest of his life. He felt an obligation and a reverence to the tradition of the Heisman. To never disgrace what it stood for. To bring honor to those who came before him and to those who would come after him. He lived his life with that heavy responsibility and he instilled those values in his children and grandchildren. ----Kevin Hart, on behalf of Leon Hart, University of Notre Dame Heisman winner, 1949

Winning the Heisman Trophy made me appreciate the importance of coaching and teamwork. You don t win Heismans by yourself and you don t win national championships by yourself; it s always in conjunction with others that you make your greatest accomplishments and teamwork makes your dreams work! John W. Heisman taught us that success in athletics is more about finding a world-class coach and studying him like a scientist. It s not about being brilliant or bright, it s about surrounding yourself with the right people. It worked for me. -- Johnny The Jet Rodgers, University of Nebr ask a Heisman winner, 1972

<p> Like many young boys, I dreamed of winning a Heisman Trophy. But I never once considered the impact it could have on one's life. Now I can almost imagine one of us winning something like the Nobel Peace Prize and still getting introduced as a former Heisman Trophy winner. It's an honor and a title that sticks, and it opens many doors in life. I pray I am a good steward of the platform I've received from winning this prestigious award. I can't wait to learn more about John Heisman, the man behind the trophy. <p> <p><p>

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