Where did the Heisman pose come from? Exploring the prestigious trophy's history

The Heisman Trophy is the most coveted of college football awards, with players who earn the prize getting a legendary status in the game.

The likes of Hershell Walker, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, OJ Simpson and Tim Tebow have won the prestigious award. There are only a few things a student-athlete dreams more about than winning this award.

The prize was first awarded in 1935 when the Downtown Athletic Club gave it to Jay Berwanger, a halfback with the University of Chicago. The trophy was originally given to "the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi".

It was only after 1936, when the club director John Heisman died, that the award was expanded to the most valuable player on a national scope. As you can imagine, it was this individual who gave the trophy its name.

The trophy was designed by Frank Eliscu, who modeled it after Ed Smith, who was a leading player from the defunct NYU football program. Smith had been a classmate of Eliscu at George Washington High School. Smith didn't know he was the model for the trophy until 1982. The Downtown Athletic Club gifted him one of his own in 1985. The trophy was modeled around a stiff-arm pose by Smith.

The selection of the award is based on three sets of voters, which include sports journalists, previous Heisman winners and fans. There are 870 voting journalists, divided into 145 voters from all six regions of the United States. There are currently 57 eligible previous winners who can vote, but they aren't obliged to.

Finally, the fan voting is a rather recent addition. As the premier partner of the Heisman Trophy, Nissan is given a vote for the selection of the winner. The company gives it to the fans, with the survey done by ESPN.

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Who won the Heisman trophy in 2022?

USC superstar Caleb Williams won the Heisman trophy in his first season with the Trojans last year.

Williams had a season for the record books with 4537 passing yards, 42 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He led them to a 11-3 record but was unable to get a victory in the Pac-12 championship game and the Alamo Bowl.

He had a passer rating of 168.5 and completed 66.6% of his passes. Williams proved to be a true dual-threat quarterback with 382 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.