Bradford wins Heisman Trophy

December 14th, 2008 by Vince Mullins

Bradford takes the podium

When I got the text the Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford had won the Heisman, I thought back to all the articles I read ahead of him grabbing the starting job last year.

In retrospect, he sounded like another Tebow.

Shoots par golf. Good basketball player. Solid A-grades student. Gets his pick of the Sooner female population. Walked on puddles – working up to bodies of water. Sooner Nation can get excited.

In the spring of 2007 most saw the gig going to Joey Halzle, the big Junior who had done his time behind Rhett Bomar and Paul Thompson and deserved the shot. The immortal Phil Steele of course was ahead of the curve and had penciled in rFr Sam Bradford PS#20 HT.

As Drew Smith penned with his usual rigorous research, Sam Bradford was the most deserving candidate and the Sooner took home the award. ON TO THE BANQUETS!

Some quick hits and links on the award to go with your Breakfast Burrito:

Tim Tebow received more first place votes than Bradford in his attempt to be the first back-to-back winner. Perhaps he will return and aim to be only the second to win it twice (Archie Griffin, 1977-1979; remember our Daniel Freer called that a specious repeat at best.)

Not since 1956, when Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung won the Heisman, has the player with the most first place not won.

Regional voting and full voting results at theSpread.com

John Rhode of The Oklahoman lays out many great tidbits about Heisman Trophy winners in the bowls – it is not pretty. I wonder if Bradford will put on the Heisman 15…

No sophomore had ever won the Heisman, now we have back-to-back undergrads.

WIKIWIKIWIKIWIKI

Cherokee Nation has embraced the 1/16 bloodline of the Sooner QB, something that Bradford is getting more comfortable with.

Sports Illustrated’s Mike Beacom goes deep with a piece that our Historian will likely enjoy – who would have won the Heisman Trophy before 1935′s debut award? [SI.com]

And my favorite Sam Bradford play of the season, mainly because he has rarely been touched yet still showed he was not afraid of contact when it mattered.