It’ll keep you busy, but it may not be as expensive as you’d think. Whether you prefer trying to chase down every winner since Jay Berwanger (and he’s not expensive) or follow a school that has had several of them, collecting autographs of Heisman Trophy winners is easy.
Collecting Heisman Winners by School
The list of Heisman Trophy winners is pretty varied but if you’re a collector of one of the most storied programs in college football, you’ll need to track down multiple autographs. As of this writing, the schools with the most Heisman winners include:
- University of Notre Dame – 7
- University of Southern California – 7
- Ohio State University – 8
- University of Oklahoma – 5
The earliest winner on that list is Angelo Bertelli, who won it while at Notre Dame in 1943. Other Irish who topped the ballot included:
- Johnny Lujack (’47)
- Leon Hart (’49)
- Johnny Lattner (’53)
- Paul Hornung (’56)
- John Huarte (’64)
If collecting Heisman Trophy winner autographs by school, you’ll need to decide if you care whether all of the items signed are consistent (all mini helmets, all photos, all footballs, etc.) or if you want them all on one team.
Obviously, if one or more of the players on your list are deceased, you’ll have to start with an item that’s already signed and see if you can collect the remainder of the players on the list. Determining how easy or difficult it will be to add them to your collection will help you decide how to go about the process.
Collecting Heisman Winners by Conference
If the list of Heisman winners from your favorite school or schools is a short one (Lamar Jackson was Louisville’s first in 2016), you might consider collecting Heisman Trophy winner autographs from players from the same conference. The Big Ten has had the most players who took the Downtown Athletic Club’s award but you’ll only need 16 autographs to have a “complete set.” The SEC seems to have a Heisman winner about every other year and many of them have some relatively recently.
Focus on landing some of the earliest winners first as they will most likely be the most difficult to obtain.
Collecting Heisman Winners Who Are Also Hall of Famers
Not every great college football player goes on to have a similarly outstanding career on the pro level. For many, the Heisman winds up being their ultimate achievement. For others, though, it’s just a springboard to stardom in the NFL.
Collecting Heisman Trophy winner autographs of players who also made the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a fun challenge. While some will require a little hunting, many of the greatest players to have hoisted the Heisman have done so in the last 30 years and are very much alive and well. Their autographs are relatively accessible including some of the greatest running backs ever like Barry Sanders, Tony Dorsett, and Earl Campbell. Yes, O.J. Simpson is in this group as well.
Collecting College Football Royalty
Some of the winners are relatively obscure today and some of the autographs are challenging to locate so many years later but with only one name per year to collect and many of the autographs still relatively inexpensive, collecting Heisman Trophy winner autographs is a fun challenge.
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