What does it mean to win a Heisman Trophy? This question is being dissected, answered, and argued as never before. People, along with this writer, are asking, "Should Jameis Winston receive the Heisman Trophy while the spectre of alleged sexual assault charges circle around him like foreboding buzzards?"
Let us begin with this thought. An accused individual is supposed to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Heisman voters are under no such obligation. Personally, I consider the "presumption of innocence" a fundamental building block in a democratic society that claims to hold documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence sacred. Perhaps, to some, this is an 'old school' way of thinking. This leads to another question. "Can we award the Heisman Trophy to the best college football player in the land and dismiss all the 'old school' elements that are associated with an award that has been given away annually since 1935?"
Posted on the Heisman Trophy website is the Heisman Trust Mission Statement. It reads, in part, as follows:
The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust ensures the continuation and integrity of this award. The Trust, furthermore, has a charitable mission to support amateur athletics and to provide greater opportunities to the youth of our country. Our goal through these charitable endeavors is for the Heisman Trophy to symbolize the fostering of a sense of community responsibility and service to our youth...
This mission statement clearly says that character and 'integrity' are tied to the recipient of this award. The trustees of the trophy seem to be saying that any athlete that earns it should set an example for the young people of this country. That seems like a nice idea to me.
This may seem prudish to some. I don't know the exact number, but it's a safe bet that quite a few Heisman winners never received degrees from their respective universities. All young people make bad decisions. When I was in college I made plenty and some were more costly than others. Fortunately, for me, my mistakes were never fodder for talk radio or the Internet. Jameis Winston, his accuser, and their respective families are going through the darkest days of their lives. It's a tragedy and there will be no winners. Sadly, I think that will have to include the Heisman Trophy.
College athletics has never been pure as new fallen snow, but the Heisman Trophy is a touchstone that takes us back to a time that seems more clean, more earnest and more heroic. The first decade of winners belonged to that group of people that Tom Brokaw calls our "Greatest Generation." People that learned about sacrifice and hardship during the Great Depression and World War II.
One such person was Nile Kinnick Jr.. He was the 1939 Heisman recipient from Iowa. He was briefly a WWII veteran. Kinnick became a Naval aviator, but was killed in a plane crash in 1943. In the book After the Glory Heismen, Dave Newhouse described him as "...a talented football hero and a tribute to the Great American Dream."
Newhouse's book included this excerpt from a letter that Nile Kinnick wrote to his parents just days before his death. Demonstrating a wisdom and sensitivity well beyond his 25 years, he wrote:
This task which lies ahead is adventure as well as duty, and I am anxious to get at it. I feel better in mind and body than I have for 10 years, and am quite certain that I can meet the foe confident and unafraid...Truly we have shared to the full life, love and laughter. Comforted in the knowledge that your thought and prayer go with us every minute, and sure that your faith and courage will never falter no matter the outcome...
College athletics has never been pure as new fallen snow, but the Heisman Trophy is a touchstone that takes us back to a time that seems more clean, more earnest and more heroic. The first decade of winners belonged to that group of people that Tom Brokaw calls our "Greatest Generation." People that learned about sacrifice and hardship during the Great Depression and World War II.
One such person was Nile Kinnick Jr.. He was the 1939 Heisman recipient from Iowa. He was briefly a WWII veteran. Kinnick became a Naval aviator, but was killed in a plane crash in 1943. In the book After the Glory Heismen, Dave Newhouse described him as "...a talented football hero and a tribute to the Great American Dream."
Newhouse's book included this excerpt from a letter that Nile Kinnick wrote to his parents just days before his death. Demonstrating a wisdom and sensitivity well beyond his 25 years, he wrote:
This task which lies ahead is adventure as well as duty, and I am anxious to get at it. I feel better in mind and body than I have for 10 years, and am quite certain that I can meet the foe confident and unafraid...Truly we have shared to the full life, love and laughter. Comforted in the knowledge that your thought and prayer go with us every minute, and sure that your faith and courage will never falter no matter the outcome...
It's understandable that many may view my perspective as naive and out of date, but I think most would concede that the feats of Heisman winners were often epic and heroic. This would include Army recipients like Pete Dawkins, Glenn 'Mr. Inside' Davis, and Doc 'Mr. Outside' Blanchard, all three lived up to the Heisman legacy. Roger Staubach's defeat of Notre Dame would be one such moment. It took Navy more than 40 years to repeat the achievement. The magic of Doug Flutie's arm as he led Boston College in a win over the powerful Miami Hurricanes is another. I will never forget the first time I saw the combination of speed and power that Bo Jackson demonstrated, these moments are the "stuff of dreams."
A friend of mine recently asked me, "Do you think the word 'great' is over used?" I agreed with him that it is, but the Heisman trophy connotes greatness.
The Heisman Trophy resonates with a greatness that goes well beyond the football field and the college campus. It would be a terribly sad thing if character and integrity were separated from the trophy. If there's no truth to this then why did Johnny Manziel's behavior over the past year draw so much attention. As I watched his antics, I thought of Victor Hugo's quote, "Fame and popularity are the crumbs of greatness."
I'm big on quotes. Robert Browning wrote, "...a man's reach should exceed his grasp--or what's a heaven for?" For me, the elusive 'greatness' of the Heisman trophy lies in the combination of athletics, academics, character, and integrity. If you remove one of those elements then you need to call it something else.
Sadly, we live in a world where technology so permeates our existence that the most embarrassing and intimate moments of the human experience are often made public for all. I agree that it's not fair, but the decisions of Jameis Winston whether intentional, unintentional or consensual cast a shadow. It's too bad we know so much about Mr. Winston's encounter. I really do wish him well, but I also understand the "old school" voters that won't cast their Heisman ballots for him because I would do the same. When a young man stands up to receive a Heisman trophy it would be nice to think that he knows how to treat the daughters, the sisters, and the future mothers of his fellow man with respect. Perhaps Jameis Winston will return to Florida State and play as he did this year and show us that he is truly worthy of the greatness that should be associated with the trophy. I truly hope that he does.
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