Even Heisman Trophy Takes a Hit

On a day when college football was shadowed by computer rankings and controversial votes, not even the venerable Heisman Trophy escaped scrutiny.

It already was known that Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch prevailed in one of the closest votes in the award’s 67-year history. On Sunday, Heisman executives said the selection process also was marked by an unusually high number of unreturned ballots.

The exact proportion of the irregularity might not be known until later this week when full results are released by the accounting firm entrusted with handling the ballots. But an analysis of totals among top vote-getters suggests that less than 65% of the possible 924 votes were cast.

Over the last decade, response has averaged 86%, Heisman executives said. Even without final numbers, the shortfall was great enough to be obvious.

The lack of a clear-cut choice among Crouch and his closest competitors, including Florida’s Rex Grossman and Miami’s Ken Dorsey, might have caused voters to hold onto their ballots a little too long, wanting to see one more game, executives said. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks also might have played a role.

“Maybe because of the slowdown in the mail,” said Tim Henning, a spokesman for the Downtown Athletic Club, which established the trophy. “There could be a number of reasons.”

The award already had been touched by the events of Sept. 11. With the athletic club damaged in the attacks, the presentation was moved to a nearby hotel in Times Square.

But that did not affect the processing of ballots, which were mailed to voters in early November and were to be returned to an address in Connecticut.

As it turned out, Crouch won with 770 points, the smallest total since Oregon State’s Terry Baker won in 1962. Selected sportswriters, broadcasters and former Heisman winners marked three choices on their ballots--for first, second and third place--and points were awarded accordingly.

Grossman finished second with 708 points and Dorsey third with 638.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Crouch, a senior from Omaha, is the first option quarterback to win the trophy. He is one of only three major college quarterbacks to rush for 3,000 yards and pass for 4,000 yards in a career. Yet, only two seasons ago, he considered quitting the team after being demoted.

“I never thought that in a million years I’d stick through it and be sitting here,” he said. “I beat the odds. I’m proud of myself.”

This season, while he ran for 18 touchdowns and passed for seven more, his most memorable score came on a trick play when he caught a 63-yard touchdown pass to defeat Oklahoma.

All of that seemed for naught when the Cornhuskers lost to Colorado two weeks ago and figured to be eliminated from the national championship race. But hours after accepting the award, Crouch got another gift as Tennessee was knocked out of contention with a loss to Louisiana State.

On Sunday, the 11-1 Cornhuskers were selected to play in the championship game at the Rose Bowl even as some college football watchers wondered about the low ballot totals in the Heisman race.

This was the fourth-closest Heisman vote, with Crouch prevailing in only one of the six geographical regions. Grossman won two regions and Dorsey won one.

Might the unreturned or late ballots have made a difference? The question is moot because the result is final. Or, as Crouch said after winning, “I just made history.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.