Dayne’s Victory a Clear Runaway

Ron Dayne, the bruising Wisconsin senior tailback who turned hard knocks off the field into hard knocks on it, won the Heisman Trophy at ceremonies held Saturday at New York’s Downtown Athletic Club.

Victory was as predictable as a Dayne run: a straight-forward runaway.

Dayne won with 2,042 votes, followed by Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton with 994, Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick, 319, Purdue quarterback Drew Brees, 308, and Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington with 247.

Dayne is a man of action, not words, a media mystery for much of his collegiate career, a player who ultimately wore down his critics the way he did opposing defenses.

But it was an emotional and humbled Dayne who stood before peers and accepted college football’s most prestigious award.

His career has been a steady, relentless push toward respect. Legs churning, Dayne kept moving the pile toward New York until it became inevitable he would end up holding the coveted statue.

Dayne thanked his coach, Barry Alvarez, “for always being there, no matter what goes on,” and Steve Malchow, Wisconsin’s sports information director, for “helping me with all my media hoopla.”

His most touching tribute went to Rob Reid, the uncle who helped raise him in Berlin, N.J., a suburb of Philadelphia.

“Finally, I’d like to thank the real Heisman winner, to me, my Uncle Rob,” Dayne said on the live ESPN telecast, “for always being there for me, having somebody to come talk to, to call on the phone, make jokes, everything. I love you.”

Dayne rushed for 6,397 yards in four seasons, breaking the Division I-A career mark Ricky Williams set last year, yet Dayne’s Heisman was not, as some have suggested, a lifetime achievement award.

He ran for 1,834 yards and 19 touchdowns this season while averaging 6.1 yards a carry in leading the Badgers to the Big Ten title and their second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance.

Dayne could have easily topped the 2,000-yard mark had Alvarez allowed his back to pad his statistics against inferior opponents.

Although reluctant to tell it, the 5-10, 254-pound Dayne is an unqualified success story. His parents divorced when he was 8, and Dayne later moved in with his aunt and uncle because of his mother Brenda’s addiction to cocaine.

Recently, Dayne penned a note to his uncle, which read in part: “For never making me feel like a nephew, but always making me feel like a son, for that, Uncle Rob, you win the Heisman.”

Dayne more than doubled the vote total on Hamilton, a prolific passer and runner who amassed 3,798 total yards for the Yellow Jackets this season and won the Davey O’Brien Award, given to nation’s top quarterback.

Vick, a freshman who led the Hokies to an 11-0 record, picked up Heisman steam in recent weeks and edged Brees for third place.

Vick is the first freshman to flirt with the Heisman since Georgia back Herschel Walker’s third-place finish in 1980.

Vick and Brees, who announced he will return for his senior season, will be the 2000 Heisman front-runners.

Pennington, who finished fourth, led the nation with 37 touchdowns in leading Marshall to a 12-0 record.

Conspicuously missing from festivities was Florida State receiver Peter Warrick, arguably the nation’s best college player, who was not among the top five vote-getters. Warrick finished sixth with 203 votes.

Warrick’s snub was no doubt punitive, the 922 Heisman voters’ rebuke of the receiver for his October arrest in connection with a discount clothes-purchase scam at a Tallahasse department store.

Warrick sat out two games as a result and later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.

Warrick told reporters this week he was “very hurt” at not being invited to Heisman ceremonies.

“They say it’s supposed to be for the best college player,” Warrick said. “Every time I read the paper they say it’s me.”

Warrick will reap his rewards elsewhere. The Florida State senior is rated the top prospect by the National Football Scouting, Inc, a service the NFL uses to evaluate college talent, and will likely be the first pick in the NFL draft.

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Heisman Winners by College

Schools with most Heisman Trophy winners:

Notre Dame: 7

Ohio State: 6

USC: 4

Michigan, Army, Oklahoma: 3

Wisconsin, Yale, Georgia, Navy, Florida, Auburn, Nebraska, Texas, Miami: 2

21 schools with: 1

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Halfback: 38

Quarterback: 19

Receiver: 3

Fullback: 2

End: 2

Defensive back: 1

Heisman Trophy Voting

Voting points based on 3-2-1 basis:

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Player 1st 2nd 3rd Total Ron Dayne, Wisconsin 586 121 42 2,042 Joe Hamilton, Georgia Tech 96 285 136 994 Michael Vick, Virginia Tech 25 72 100 319 Drew Brees, Purdue 3 89 121 308 Chad Pennington, Marshall 21 45 94 247 Peter Warrick, Florida State 14 50 61 203 Shaun Alexander, Alabama 11 43 52 171 Thomas Jones, Virginia 10 32 46 140 LaVar Arrington, Penn State 3 14 17 54 Tim Rattay, Louisiana Tech 1 5 16 29

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