George Wins Heisman In A Rout Beats Qbs Frazier, Wuerffel

It wasn’t a three-way race or even a two-way race. This Heisman Trophy was all Eddie George’s.

The senior tailback, who led the nation with 24 touchdowns and rushed for an Ohio State-record 1,826 yards, won the award Saturday night by a wide margin, finishing ahead of Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier and Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel in balloting.

Many thought it might be one of the closest races in history.

No way.

After hearing his name called during the nationally televised ceremony at the Downtown Athletic Club, George buried his head in his hands.

“I’m glad this is over,” he said after hugging his mother, coach and the four other Heisman finalists. “I’m just overwhelmed right now.”

Winning college football’s most coveted trophy may take the sting out of what happened just two weeks ago: Ohio State’s perfect season and national championship hopes were dashed by a 31-23 loss to Michigan.

“It’s going to take some time to sink in,” George said. “I think once I’m with my family and we laugh a little bit and cry a little bit, it will probably hit me.”

George is the fifth Ohio State player to win the Heisman, joining Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Howard “Hopalong” Cassady and two-time winner Archie Griffin. Only Notre Dame, with seven, has more Heisman winners.

George beat runner-up Frazier by 264 points and third-place Wuerffel by 473 points. George received 268 first-place votes and 1,460 points in balloting by the media and former Heisman winners.

Frazier, who passed and ran for 31 touchdowns and led top-ranked Nebraska to its third straight undefeated regular season, got 218 first-place votes and 1,196 points.

Wuerffel, who set an NCAA record for passing efficiency and helped No. 2 Florida go 12-0, received 185 firsts and 987 points.

The closest Heisman vote was in 1985, when Auburn’s Bo Jackson edged Iowa’s Chuck Long by 45 points. The closest three-man race was in 1956, when Notre Dame’s Paul Hornung beat runner-up Johnny Majors of Tennessee by 72 points and Tommy McDonald of Oklahoma by 93 points.

Northwestern running back Darnell Autry finished fourth this year, followed by Iowa State running back Troy Davis and Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning.

Rounding out the top 10 were Southern Cal receiver Keyshawn Johnson, Michigan running back Tim Biakabutuka, Florida State running back Warrick Dunn and Ohio State quarterback Bobby Hoying.

Wuerrfel, Frazier, George, Autry and Davis attended the announcement at the Downtown Athletic Club.

George finished first in three of the six voting regions: the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Frazier carried the Southwest and Far West, while Wuerffel won the South.

George was the featured star on a team that included All-American receiver Terry Glenn and All-Big Ten quarterback Hoying. George was a versatile performer, carrying the ball 303 times and catching 44 passes for 399 yards.

Hardy wins Butkus Award

Illinois senior Kevin Hardy won the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation’s top linebacker.

Ray Lewis, a junior from the University of Miami, and Zach Thomas, a senior from Texas Tech, were the other finalists, selected by a panel of 23 media members throughout the United States.

Based on a 5-3-1 system, Hardy finished with 81 points. Lewis had 77 points and Thomas had 49.

Hardy, 6 feet 4 and 240 pounds, finished his career with 51 sacks, including 11 this season. He finished this season with 105 tackles (64 solo).

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: HEISMAN VOTING Voting for the 1995 Heisman Trophy, with first-, second- and third-place votes and total points (voting on 3-2-1 basis):

1st 2nd 3rd Total George, Ohio St. 268 248 160 1,460 Frazier, Nebraska 218 192 158 1,196 Wuerffel, Florida 185 152 128 987 Autry, Nthwestern 87 78 118 535 Davis, Iowa State 41 80 119 402