Three Heisman finalists took the stage at the Nokia Theater on Saturday and only one was anointed the 74th Heisman Trophy winner. Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was flanked by Colt McCoy of Texas and Tim Tebow of Florida during the presentation ceremony. He is the fifth Oklahoma player to win the award, the first since Jason White in 2003.
The voter turnout, the highest in Heisman history (904 of 926 ballots) saw Bradford (1,726 ) top McCoy (1,604) and Tebow (1,575). Interestingly, Tebow landed the most first-place votes (309) of the three and the most total points ever for a third-place finisher.
Bradford, the third-year sophomore, threw for 4,464 yards, 48 touchdowns and six interceptions to lead the country in pass efficiency for a second straight season. Bradford’s coach, Bob Stoops said, “It’s definitely remarkable, and he’s only three years into it. He’s far from a finished product.”
Sam is only the second sophomore to win the iconic stiff-arm statue. Tebow was the first, winning it last year. The two, forever linked in history, will meet again when the No. 2 Sooners (12-1) face No. 1 Gators (12-1) in Miami. Said Bradford, “We’re ready to get back to work to get ready for the 8th. When we started this season, winning the national championship was the first goal we put down as a team.”
Check out the entire story at Sports Illustrated here.
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