Heisman Vote Margins
Sometimes, folks like to talk about the "largest margin" or "closest race" in Heisman history.
Using the raw points scored would be mistake. After all, the more voters there are, the more points there are to go around - and the bigger margins you're going to have.
Instead, analysts should look at the points scored as a percentage of points possible - and then compare those percentages. That's an apples-to-apples comparison.
So, who had the largest landslide win over the second-place finisher? That's Troy Smith, in 2006, over Darren McFadden - by a 60% margin. And the closest race? In 2009, Mark Ingram defeated Toby Gerhart by just 1.0% (an outcome which, coincidentally, also happens to be the smallest raw point margin.)
Heisman Vote Margins from Largest Margin to Closest Race
Note: We're not able to include the years 1941-43 or 1946-47 - as the Trophy Trust website does not have the total number of voters listed for those years. In 2010, we were - after several years - able to add 1988, thanks to a contemporaneous note revealed in a (surprisingly good) 1988 issue of Sports Illustrated.
| year | voters | trophy winner | points | pct. | runnerup | points | pct. | margin pts | margin pct |
| 2006 | 924 | Troy Smith | 2540 | 91.63% | Darren McFadden | 878 | 31.67% | 1662 | 59.96% |
| 1993 | 919 | Charlie Ward | 2310 | 83.79% | Heath Shuler | 688 | 24.95% | 1622 | 58.83% |
| 1991 | 917 | Desmond Howard | 2077 | 75.50% | Casey Weldon | 503 | 18.28% | 1574 | 57.22% |
| 1998 | 921 | Ricky Williams | 2355 | 85.23% | Michael Bishop | 792 | 28.66% | 1563 | 56.57% |
| 2013 | 929 | Jameis Winston | 2205 | 79.12% | AJ McCarron | 704 | 25.26% | 1501 | 53.86% |
| 1968 | 1200 | O.J. Simpson | 2903 | 80.64% | Leroy Keyes | 1103 | 30.64% | 1800 | 50.00% |
| 1986 | 1050 | Vinny Testaverde | 2213 | 70.25% | Paul Palmer | 672 | 21.33% | 1541 | 48.92% |
| 1951 | 987 | Richard Kazmaier | 1777 | 60.01% | Hank Lauricella | 424 | 14.32% | 1353 | 45.69% |
| 2010 | 925 | Cam Newton | 2263 | 81.55% | Andrew Luck | 1079 | 38.88% | 1184 | 42.67% |
| 1963 | 1123 | Roger Staubach | 1860 | 55.21% | Billy Lothridge | 504 | 14.96% | 1356 | 40.25% |
| 1999 | 922 | Ron Dayne | 2042 | 73.83% | Joe Hamilton | 994 | 35.94% | 1048 | 37.89% |
| 1955 | 1324 | Howard Cassady | 2219 | 55.87% | Jim Swink | 742 | 18.68% | 1477 | 37.19% |
| 1959 | 1197 | Billy Cannon | 1929 | 53.72% | Richie Lucas | 613 | 17.07% | 1316 | 36.65% |
| 1988 | 917 | Barry Sanders | 1878 | 68.27% | Rodney Peete | 912 | 33.15% | 966 | 35.11% |
| 1975 | 1041 | Archie Griffin | 1800 | 57.64% | Chuck Muncie | 730 | 23.37% | 1070 | 34.26% |
| 1974 | 1075 | Archie Griffin | 1920 | 59.53% | Anthony Davis | 819 | 25.40% | 1101 | 34.14% |
| 2005 | 923 | Reggie Bush | 2541 | 91.77% | Vince Young | 1608 | 58.07% | 933 | 33.69% |
| 1976 | 1048 | Tony Dorsett | 2357 | 74.97% | Ricky Bell | 1346 | 42.81% | 1011 | 32.16% |
| 1984 | 1050 | Doug Flutie | 2240 | 71.11% | Keith Byars | 1251 | 39.71% | 989 | 31.40% |
| 1960 | 1130 | Joe Bellino | 1793 | 52.89% | Tom Brown | 731 | 21.56% | 1062 | 31.33% |
| 1994 | 920 | Rashaan Salaam | 1743 | 63.15% | Ki-Jana Carter | 901 | 32.64% | 842 | 30.51% |
| 1979 | 1050 | Charles White | 1695 | 53.81% | Billy Sims | 773 | 24.54% | 922 | 29.27% |
| 1936 | 195 | Larry Kelley | 213 | 36.41% | Sam Francis | 47 | 8.03% | 166 | 28.38% |
| 1935 | 65 | Jay Berwanger | 84 | 43.08% | Monk Meyer | 29 | 14.87% | 55 | 28.21% |
| 1949 | 908 | Leon Hart | 995 | 36.53% | Charlie Justice | 272 | 9.99% | 723 | 26.54% |
| 1966 | 1160 | Steve Spurrier | 1679 | 48.25% | Bob Griese | 816 | 23.45% | 863 | 24.80% |
| 1977 | 1050 | Earl Campbell | 1547 | 49.11% | Terry Miller | 812 | 25.78% | 735 | 23.33% |
| 1982 | 1050 | Herschel Walker | 1926 | 61.14% | John Elway | 1231 | 39.08% | 695 | 22.06% |
| 1970 | 1264 | Jim Plunkett | 2229 | 58.78% | Joe Theismann | 1410 | 37.18% | 819 | 21.60% |
| 1983 | 1050 | Mike Rozier | 1801 | 57.17% | Steve Young | 1172 | 37.21% | 629 | 19.97% |
| 1987 | 1050 | Tim Brown | 1442 | 45.78% | Don McPherson | 831 | 26.38% | 611 | 19.40% |
| 1940 | 800 | Tom Harmon | 1303 | 54.29% | John Kimbrough | 841 | 35.04% | 462 | 19.25% |
| 1981 | 1050 | Marcus Allen | 1797 | 57.05% | Herschel Walker | 1199 | 38.06% | 598 | 18.98% |
| 1973 | 1075 | John Cappelletti | 1057 | 32.78% | John Hicks | 524 | 16.25% | 533 | 16.53% |
| 1937 | 531 | Clinton Frank | 524 | 32.89% | Byron White | 264 | 16.57% | 260 | 16.32% |
| 1957 | 1267 | John David Crow | 1183 | 31.12% | Alex Karras | 693 | 18.23% | 490 | 12.89% |
| 1938 | 584 | Davey O'Brien | 519 | 29.62% | Marshall Goldberg | 294 | 16.78% | 225 | 12.84% |
| 1948 | 908 | Doak Walker | 778 | 28.56% | Charlie Justice | 443 | 16.26% | 335 | 12.30% |
| 1950 | 958 | Vic Janowicz | 633 | 22.03% | Kyle Rote | 280 | 9.74% | 353 | 12.28% |
| 2004 | 923 | Matt Leinart | 1325 | 47.85% | Adrian Peterson | 997 | 36.01% | 328 | 11.85% |
| 1939 | 700 | Nile Kinnick | 651 | 31.00% | Tom Harmon | 405 | 19.29% | 246 | 11.71% |
| 1992 | 918 | Gino Torretta | 1400 | 50.84% | Marshall Faulk | 1080 | 39.22% | 320 | 11.62% |
| 2012 | 927 | Johnny Manziel | 2029 | 72.88% | Manti Te'o | 1706 | 61.27% | 323 | 11.61% |
| 1965 | 1160 | Mike Garrett | 926 | 26.61% | Howard Twilley | 528 | 15.17% | 398 | 11.44% |
| 1990 | 917 | Ty Detmer | 1482 | 53.87% | Raghib Ismail | 1177 | 42.78% | 305 | 11.09% |
| 1958 | 1191 | Pete Dawkins | 1394 | 39.01% | Randy Duncan | 1021 | 28.58% | 373 | 10.44% |
| 1972 | 1127 | Johnny Rodgers | 1310 | 38.75% | Greg Pruitt | 966 | 28.57% | 344 | 10.17% |
| 2011 | 927 | Robert Griffin III | 1687 | 60.66% | Andrew Luck | 1407 | 50.59% | 280 | 10.07% |
| 1997 | 921 | Charles Woodson | 1815 | 65.69% | Peyton Manning | 1543 | 55.85% | 272 | 9.84% |
| 1995 | 921 | Eddie George | 1460 | 52.84% | Tommie Frazier | 1196 | 43.29% | 264 | 9.55% |
| 2007 | 925 | Tim Tebow | 1957 | 70.52% | Darren McFadden | 1703 | 61.37% | 254 | 9.15% |
| 1945 | 848 | Felix "Doc" Blanchard | 860 | 33.81% | Glenn Davis | 638 | 25.08% | 222 | 8.73% |
| 1980 | 1050 | George Rogers | 1128 | 35.81% | Hugh Green | 861 | 27.33% | 267 | 8.48% |
| 2002 | 922 | Carson Palmer | 1328 | 48.01% | Brad Banks | 1095 | 39.59% | 233 | 8.42% |
| 1967 | 1033 | Gary Beban | 1968 | 63.50% | O.J. Simpson | 1722 | 55.57% | 246 | 7.94% |
| 1996 | 920 | Danny Wuerffel | 1363 | 49.38% | Troy Davis | 1174 | 42.54% | 189 | 6.85% |
| 1954 | 1318 | Alan Ameche | 1068 | 27.01% | Kurt Burris | 838 | 21.19% | 230 | 5.82% |
| 1944 | 750 | Les Horvath | 412 | 18.31% | Glenn Davis | 287 | 12.76% | 125 | 5.56% |
| 2003 | 922 | Jason White | 1481 | 53.54% | Larry Fitzgerald | 1353 | 48.92% | 128 | 4.63% |
| 2008 | 926 | Sam Bradford | 1726 | 62.13% | Colt McCoy | 1604 | 57.74% | 122 | 4.39% |
| 1952 | 1222 | Billy Vessels | 525 | 14.32% | Jack Scarbath | 367 | 10.01% | 158 | 4.31% |
| 1969 | 1212 | Steve Owens | 1488 | 40.92% | Mike Phipps | 1334 | 36.69% | 154 | 4.24% |
| 1971 | 1260 | Pat Sullivan | 1597 | 42.25% | Ed Marinaro | 1445 | 38.23% | 152 | 4.02% |
| 2000 | 922 | Chris Weinke | 1628 | 58.86% | Josh Heupel | 1552 | 56.11% | 76 | 2.75% |
| 1962 | 1109 | Terry Baker | 707 | 21.25% | Jerry Stovall | 618 | 18.58% | 89 | 2.68% |
| 1989 | 918 | Andre Ware | 1073 | 38.96% | Anthony Thompson | 1003 | 36.42% | 70 | 2.54% |
| 1978 | 1050 | Billy Sims | 827 | 26.25% | Chuck Fusina | 750 | 23.81% | 77 | 2.44% |
| 1964 | 1104 | John Huarte | 1026 | 30.98% | Jerry Rhome | 952 | 28.74% | 74 | 2.23% |
| 2001 | 925 | Eric Crouch | 770 | 27.75% | Rex Grossman | 708 | 25.51% | 62 | 2.23% |
| 1956 | 1318 | Paul Hornung | 1066 | 26.96% | John Majors | 994 | 25.14% | 72 | 1.82% |
| 1961 | 1091 | Ernie Davis | 824 | 25.18% | Bob Ferguson | 771 | 23.56% | 53 | 1.62% |
| 1953 | 1255 | John Lattner | 1850 | 49.14% | Paul Giel | 1794 | 47.65% | 56 | 1.49% |
| 1985 | 1050 | Bo Jackson | 1509 | 47.90% | Chuck Long | 1464 | 46.48% | 45 | 1.43% |
| 2009 | 925 | Mark Ingram | 1304 | 46.99% | Toby Gerhart | 1276 | 45.98% | 28 | 1.01% |
If you want to give credit, please credit "analysis by Kari Chisholm, a political consultant who operates StiffArmTrophy.com".