Horvath, 74, Dies at Home in Glendale : College football: He won Heisman Trophy in 1944 as a multipurpose back at Ohio State.

Les Horvath, the 1944 Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, died of what appear to be natural causes at his home in Glendale. He was 74.

Horvath, a multipurpose back who played quarterback, halfback and defensive back, graduated from Ohio State in 1945 with a degree in dentistry.

He was the first of four Ohio State players to win the Heisman, leading the Buckeyes to a 9-0 record and a No. 2 ranking in 1944.

He received 412 points in the Heisman balloting, edging the Army inside-outside duo of Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis.

The native of Parma, Ohio, played three years of pro football with the Rams and the Cleveland Browns before starting a dentistry practice in the Los Angeles area.

He was selected to the National Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

Glendale police detective Will Currie said Wednesday that Horvath appeared to have had some type of coronary disease.

Horvath had lunch with a friend Monday and missed a dinner appointment Tuesday, Currie said. Police found his body that night after being alerted by a friend who was to meet him for dinner.

Funeral arrangements are pending.