Bush Passes Credit Out to USC

A few moments before he officially took possession of college football’s most prestigious individual award Monday night, USC running back Reggie Bush deftly widened the scope of the spotlight.

“Everybody’s saying I’m the Heisman Trophy winner,” Bush told a crowd of about 1,000 at a black-tie dinner at the Hilton New York hotel. “But deep down inside I feel like I didn’t win this Heisman Trophy. USC won this Heisman Trophy.”

That remark ended a short speech by Bush and concluded an event that has turned into an almost yearly preamble to USC’s annual awards banquet in Los Angeles.

Bush, who on Saturday became the 71st Heisman winner in one of the biggest landslide votes in history, is the third Trojan in the last four years to leave Manhattan with the 25-pound bronze statuette in tow.

Carson Palmer won in 2002, Matt Leinart in 2004.

“It’s amazing it’s turned out the way it’s turned out,” said USC Coach Pete Carroll, who arrived by private plane with many of USC’s assistant coaches on Monday afternoon.

Bush is the seventh USC player to win the Heisman, joining 1965 winner Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981), Palmer and Leinart.

Garrett, White and Leinart were among 25 Heisman winners who were seated in the first row of a two-tiered dais for Monday night’s program, which also honored 1955 winner Howard “Hopalong” Cassady and 1980 winner George Rogers.

Just as Palmer and Leinart had done after their Heisman dinners, Bush said he was still comprehending what it meant to join the exclusive fraternity.

“I never thought in a million years I would have been in the same fraternity class as a Marcus Allen or O.J. Simpson or Herschel Walker or Barry Sanders,” Bush said.

Bush is the first running back to win the award since Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne in 1999.

He garnered the largest percentage of first-place votes in Heisman history to win over Texas quarterback Vince Young and Leinart.

Johnny Rodgers, who won the Heisman at Nebraska in 1972 with all-purpose skills similar to Bush, said the USC junior was the obvious choice.

“We’ve had five quarterbacks in a row and a whole host of just regular-type runners,” Rodgers said. “To have one that’s 30 years past when I played, that comes back around for a cycle, is very gratifying.”

Garrett said he was not surprised that Bush, who finished fifth in Heisman balloting last year, made a triumphant return to New York.

“Last year when he was here, I looked at him and I said, ‘You know, you’re going to be up there one year,’ because he looked kind of upset about not winning,” Garrett recalled. “He said, ‘I know.’ ”

White said he was happy that Bush had helped restore the running back tradition to a program that was known as “Tailback U.” in the 1960s and 1970s.

“He’s a part of something, a legacy that’s been missed for a long time,” White said.

Leinart appeared relaxed and happy to enjoy the experience as an observer.

“I’m kind of a veteran, I’m a year older now, so to see Reggie initiated into the whole group, it couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” Leinart said.

During Bush’s speech, he paid tribute to “all these fine young men sitting in front of me,” and thanked Carroll and the Trojan assistants, especially running backs coach Todd McNair.

“T-Mac, man, you’ve turned into like a best friend. It’s been great,” Bush said.

Bush later said he was looking forward to returning to L.A. The Trojans will hold their awards banquet tonight.

“I’m so tired,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my stay, but it’s time to go home.”