My 46th Heisman Dinner

By: Jimmie McDowell
NEW YORK CITY---For the second successive year a Sophomore won the Heisman Trophy. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma shaded Colt McCoy of Texas and last year's winner Tim Tebow of Florida for the award. Over two dozen former winners were on hand to salute the 2008 winner. It was my 45th sucessive Heisman Dinner in New York dating back to 1962 when Oregon State's Terry Baker was the recipient and I was the Executive Sports Editor-Columnist of the Trenton (N.J.)Times.
Dick Kazmaier of Princeton was the senior member returning followed by Hop Cassady of Ohio State, Paul Hornung of Notre Dame, and John David Crowe of Texas A&M.Bradford and Tebow cross swords in post-season play. In regular season McCoy bested Bradford when Texas and Oklahoma collided. Florida's only loss was to Ole Miss, who now plays Texas Tech, the team that edged Texas in the Longhorns' only blemish of the season in the Cotton Bowl.
Bradford and McCoy return in 2009 and perhaps Tebow too. He is checking out his NFL possibilities in the upcoming pro draft.
Kazmaier is not the oldest living Heisman winner. The fabled Doc Blanchard of Army and Johnny Lujack of Notre Dame are still alive but not traveling much. When the two locked horns at Yankee Stadium in 1946 the Cadets and Black Knights battled to a scoreless tie. On one play Blanchard, nursing a bad leg, broke clear but was tackled by Lujack, saving the day for the Irish.
In later years Blanchard told Lujack he scared the hell out of him. Lujack was elated to hear the remark and then Blanchard added: "I thought I had killed you.
After the Heisman I returned to Mississippi for one day before my flight to Las Vegas for the All-American Football Foundation's 98th Banquet of Champions honoring Dr. Bill McColl and his son Rev.Ducnan McColl, both Stanford All-Americans and Notre Dame All-American George Kunz.
A sudden snowstorm hit Vegas, shutting down the airport. I had to fly to San Diego, spend a night at the airport in a chair for five hours before catching an early flight to Vegas. The McColls were there, as was Kunz. Bill later played for the Chicago Bears and his teammates included Joe Fortunato and Harper Davis of Mississippi State and Modest John Dottley of Ole Miss.
The Foundation's next two Banquets of Champions will be in Jackson, Feb. l6 and in Princeton March 9 following the Maxwell Club Dinner in Atlantic City Marech 6.At the Jackson Dinner Johnny Vaught's Glory Year Field Generals will honored. They include the late Charlie Conerly, Farley Salmon, Jimmy Lear,the late Eagle Day, Raymond Brown, Bobby Franklin, Jake Gibbs, the late Doug Elmore and Glynn Griffing.
Ole Miss has not won a SEC Championship since,including the Archie Mannng years
The Sugar Bowl is observing its 75the Anniversary this year and has invited the Most Valuable players over the years. The Sun Bowl in El Paso is also 75 years old.
The Grand Daddy of all Bowl games features two once beaten teams Penn State and the University of Southern California, pitting two great coaches, Joe Paterno and Pete Carroll. Joe Pa has a new three year contract at age 82 and has recovered from recent hip surgery. I wrote and wished him well, predicting that by the time of the Rose Bowl he would be twisting again like he did last summer.
Southern Mississippi concluded its season with a come from behind victory over Troy University in New Orleans, giving Larry Fedora a 7-6 mark in his initial season at USM. Ole Miss is the underdog in its battle with once beaten Texas Tech Jan. 2 in Dallas The Rebels lost two early season games with Wake Forest and Vanderbilt on the last play of both games. They could have been 10-2 instead of 8-4. Now will Houston Nutt's Red and Blue wind up 9-4 of 8-5?
When Ole Miss came back to beat TCU in an earlier Cotton Bowl Hermand Sidney (Eagle) Day became the Mississippi Gambler with his heroic performance. In another Cotton Bowl Eli Mannng sparked Ole Miss to victory and got a high NFL draft choice in the process. Will Jevan Snead become another Ole Miss Cotton Bowl hero? I think he might.
If he does he could be in the 2009 Heisman picture as a Junior.
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