There have been a number of egregious Heisman Trophy injustices over the years. When tasked with writing about some of the biggest, Vince Young came to mind. As a lifelong Florida fan, Rex Grossman finishing second to Eric Crouch also came to mind (I realize very few people agree with me on that one). Few, however, think about what was one of, if not the biggest snub, Tommie Frazier not winning the Heisman Trophy in 1995.
Though there have been a number of great option quarterbacks in the history of college football, I believe Tommy Frazier is without question the greatest option quarterback of all time. I had the privilege of seeing Frazier plat at Bradenton Manatee high school when I was a little kid. The system was very similar to the one he ran at Nebraska and his teams even then were absolutely unstoppable. His decision to go to Nebraska and play in Tom Osborne's option offense made perfect sense to me at the time.
Frazier's 1995 season will forever live in infamy because of the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, which pitted Nebraska against undefeated Florida, with the winner taking home the national title. Florida really never had a chance in the game and Frazier's touchdown run with literally thousands of broken tackles became the iconic moment of his career, the season, and perhaps Tom Osborne's long career at Nebraska.
This is in no way a criticism of Eddie George or his amazing 1995 season. He put up huge numbers against great competition. But, to me, Tommie Frazier dominated college football in 1995 and should've won the Heisman that year.
This post was sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 13. Check out the video for the game below.
EA SPORTS NCAA Football 13 TV: "Son" (via EASPORTS)