Oregon Ducks Football Heisman winners

The University of Oregon, in the state of Oregon, is the home of the Oregon Ducks football program. The team is a part of the Big Ten Conference (B1G) and plays at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

In 1894, the program fielded its first football squad. Autzen Stadium in Eugene, which has 54,000 seats, is the home field for Oregon.

Oregon Ducks Football Heisman winners

Oregon Ducks, despite being a big name in college football, have had only one player winning the prestigious Heisman Memorial Trophy.

Marcus Mariota

Marcus Mariota is the first athlete from Hawaii and the first player from Oregon to win the Heisman Trophy, according to the Oregon Ducks' official website. Born in Honolulu, Mariota attended St. Louis High School.

In his final year of high school, he was named the All-ILH first-team quarterback and the Offensive Player of the Year by the Interscholastic League of Honolulu after leading St. Louis to an 11-1 record and the state championship, according to the Oregon Ducks website. After becoming the quarterback MVP at the 2010 National Underclassman Combine, two FBS colleges offered him scholarships, Memphis and Oregon.

Mariota became the No.3 quarterback in the travel squad during the 2011 campaign. In 2012, he earned an honorable mention on the All-American and Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. The following year, Mariota enjoyed another successful season, leading the Ducks to an 11-2 record and earning a spot on the first team of the Pac-12 all-league signal-caller.

He had an incredible season as a junior Heisman winner, concluding the regular season with a 13-2 record, throwing for 3,783 yards and 38 touchdowns with two interceptions and running for 669 yards and 14 touchdowns (including a touchdown pass), according to ESPN. To be eligible for the 2015 NFL draft, Mariota skipped his senior year. The Tennessee Titans selected him as the second overall pick.

What is a Heisman award?

The Heisman Memorial Trophy is awarded to the best collegiate football player every year, according to the official website of the Heisman Trust. Travis Hunter, a wide receiver and cornerback for Colorado, is the most recent winner.

Jay Berwanger, a University of Chicago halfback, was the first recipient of the trophy. Initially awarded to college football players hailing from teams east of the Mississippi, the prize was modified in 1936 to recognize athletes west of the river following the passing of John Heisman, the club's athletic director.