Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or the Heisman), is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman (former Brown University and University of Pennsylvania player; head football coach at Auburn University, Clemson University, Rice University, and the University of Pennsylvania; and football, basketball, and baseball head coach and athletic director at Georgia Tech).

The award is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust in early December (tonight, at 8 pm at the Best  Buy Theater in NYC) before the postseason bowl games. It is the oldest of several overall awards in college football, including the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and the AP Player of the Year. The Heisman and the AP Player of the Year are the only awards to honor the most outstanding player, while the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award recognize the best player.

Here is a look at the very deserving finalists:

 

 Collin Klein  Kansas State

Quarterback,  Senior, 6-5, 226

 Loveland, Colo.

A three-time team captain, Klein has accounted for 37 of the 56 touchdowns generated by the Wildcats' offense. He has passed for 2,490 yards and 15 touchdowns and run for 890 yards and 22 touchdowns — second in the nation in rushing touchdowns among all players and the leader among quarterbacks. Klein is the first quarterback from a BCS conference to run for at least 20 touchdowns and pass for at least 10 in back-to-back seasons. Three others did it once: Cam Newton (2010), Tim Tebow (2007) and Eric Crouch (2000), all Heisman winners.

 

Johnny Manziel Texas A&M

Quarterback, Freshman, 6-1, 200

Kerrville, Texas

"Johnny Football" could become the first freshman — he redshirted last season — to win the Heisman. He has passed for 3,419 yards and run for 1,181 yards, giving him a Southeastern Conference-record 4,600 yards. Heisman winner Cam Newton held the previous record and played two more games. Manziel is the first freshman and first SEC player to pass for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000 in the same season. He became a top candidate in November when he engineered a 29-24 win over then-top-ranked Alabama, passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns and running for 92 yards.

 

 Manti Te'o  Notre Dame

Linebacker, Senior, 6-2, 255

Laie, Hawaii

Only the second Notre Dame player to record at least 100 tackles in three consecutive seasons, Te'o already overcame the odds to win the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp player of the year as the nation's most outstanding player. He was the first defensive player since 1980 to win the Maxwell Award and only the third player to ever win the Walter Camp award. Te'o is the undisputed leader of the top-ranked Irish's stellar defensive unit, which has allowed a national-best 10.3 points per game and only 286.8 yards. He has 103 tackles and seven interceptions.