Heisman Vote Expected to Be One of Closest

Eddie George, Tommie Frazier and Danny Wuerffel have won major postseason awards. Now they’re involved in a tight three-way battle for the biggest individual prize in college football.

The race for the Heisman Trophy, which will be awarded tonight night at the Downtown Athletic Club, is too close to call.

“I think we’re all good candidates,” Wuerffel said. “Whoever wins will be a good choice.”

Bo Jackson’s 45-point margin over Chuck Long in 1985 was the slimmest in the Heisman’s 60-year history. The closest three-man race was in 1956, when Paul Hornung beat runner-up Johnny Majors by 72 points and third-place Tommy McDonald by 93 points.

Recent races haven’t been that close. Since 1985, the average winning margin has been 872 points. Only Andre Ware, who beat Anthony Thompson by 70 points in 1989, won by fewer than 300 during that span.

Nebraska’s Frazier, Ohio State’s George and Florida’s Wuerffel had splendid seasons for high-profile teams, making it a difficult choice for voters.

“I voted for Frazier, but I had a hard time making up my mind,” said Ivan Maisel of Newsday.