Heisman Trophy winners to flop in the NFL

These Notre Dame quarterbacks just don’t seem to have much success in the NFL. 1943 Heisman winner Angelo Bertelli was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1944 NFL Draft but played just three seasons before retiring due to knee injuries. Bertelli ended his NFL career with eight touchdown passes, 19 interceptions and a mere 972 passing yards.

After winning the 1947 Heisman Trophy as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, the Chicago Bears selected Johnny Lujack with the fourth overall pick of the 1946 NFL Draft. Lujack’s NFL career got off to a hot start, but after just four years with the Bears, he decided to call it quits. Lujack finished his pro career with 41 touchdown passes and 54 interceptions.

A dominant running back at Ohio State, Vic Janowicz won the 1950 Heisman Trophy. Janowicz was drafted by the Washington Redskins but was tragically paralyzed in a car accident in 1956. He played just two seasons in the NFL, ending his career with just 410 rushing yards.

Navy tailback Joe Bellino won the 1960 Heisman Trophy. After being discharged in 1964, Bellino played threes seasons in the AFL for the Boston Patriots, but the magic that made him the best runner in the nation with Navy was gone. Bellino ran for just 64 yards in 35 career games.

A multi-sport athlete, Terry Baker won the 1962 Heisman Trophy for his efforts as Oregon State’s starting quarterback. Baker went on to play three seasons in the NFL for the Rams but failed to throw a single touchdown pass. He finished his NFL career with 210 passing yards, and four interceptions.

After winning the Heisman Trophy in 1964, former Notre Dame quarterback John Huarte played seven lackluster seasons in the NFL. A journeyman backup quarterback, Huarte threw only one touchdown pass in his career. He finished his pro football career with the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League.

A jack of all trades at Florida, 1966 Heisman winner Steve Spurrier failed to have much of a career in the NFL. Although he was a good punter, Spurrier was never more than a backup quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers. He finished his pro career with a record of 12-20. Spurrier would go on have tremendous success as a head coach in college football after he hung up his cleats.

A Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Auburn, life in the NFL was not kind to Pat Sullivan. Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, Sullivan played just five years in the NFL, finishing with a career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 5-16.

The 1972 Heisman Trophy winner with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Johnny Rodgers was versatile enough to play both running back and wide receiver in college. Unfortunately, Rodgers wasn’t good enough to play one position as a pro. Although he had some successful years playing in the CFL, Rodgers played only 17 career games in the NFL.

Heisman Trophy-winning running back John Cappelletti played his best football while he was with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Although Cappelletti did manage to play nine seasons in the NFL, he was never more than an average running back. He finished his NFL career with a yards per carry average of just 3.6 yards.

Despite having the unique distinction of being the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, a successful career in the NFL was not meant to be for former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin. Drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, Griffin played seven injury-plagued seasons in the NFL before retiring in 1983.

The 1989 Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Houston, quarterback Andre Ware was supposed to be the Lions' franchise quarterback when they used the seventh overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft on him. Instead, Ware turned out to be a total bust as a pro. Ware threw a mere five touchdown passes in four years with the Lions and was out of the NFL entirely by 1993.

The 1990 Heisman Trophy winner, former BYU quarterback Ty Detmer had a long career in the NFL. The only problem is he was never more than a backup quarterback. Detmer is remembered by most NFL fans for throwing seven interceptions in a game in 2001 for the Detroit Lions.

1992 Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta led the Miami Hurricanes to a national championship as their starting quarterback. In the NFL, Torretta could hardly catch on as a backup quarterback. In five NFL seasons, Torretta passed for a grand total of 41 yards.

The first and only Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Colorado, running back Rashaan Salaam played a grand total of 33 games in the NFL. A first-round pick by the Bears, injuries derailed Salaam’s NFL career.

Selected in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Danny Wuerffel failed to experience any sort of success as a pro. The 1996 Heisman Trophy winner, Wuerffel led the Florida Gators to four straight SEC titles. In the NFL, Wuerffel started a total of 10 games, throwing 22 interceptions. He retired from football in 2002.

After tearing up the record books at Wisconsin, 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants. The running back could never make his mark in the NFL, however, as he never rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season over the course of his eight-year career.

After spending several years playing minor league baseball, quarterback Chris Weinke chose to attend Florida State, where he became the oldest Heisman winner in 2000 at the age of 28. Weinke would go on to play seven years in the NFL but was never anything more than backup.

Despite winning the Heisman Trophy as quarterback of the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2001, a career in the NFL was not meant to be for Eric Crouch. Drafted in by the St. Louis Rams, Crouch was deemed too short to play quarterback, so he attempted to make it in the NFL as a wide receiver. It never happened. Crouch sustained an injury in a preseason game and never played a down in an NFL regular-season game.

An All-American at Oklahoma, quarterback Jason White won the Heisman Trophy in 2003. Despite his accomplishments in college, the NFL wanted nothing to do with White. The quarterback went undrafted and signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent. White would choose to retire after failing to make the Titans roster.

Seemingly a can’t-miss prospect, 2004 Heisman winner and USC quarterback Matt Leinart was a top 10 pick by the Arizona Cardinals. His career in the NFL never materialized, however. Leinart adjusted to the pace of play in the NFL very slowly, and injuries also hampered his growth. Leinart is now a college football analyst.

After winning the Heisman Trophy for his play at Ohio State in 2006, quarterback Troy Smith was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Smith never amounted to more than a backup quarterback in the NFL. He finished his career with eight touchdown passes and five interceptions before going on to play in the Canadian Football League.

One of the greatest players in college football history, 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow’s NFL career has been a fun one for the media. After one successful season with the Broncos, concerns over Tebow’s long-term potential led the Denver to trade the quarterback to the New York Jets. Tebow has not played in an NFL game since 2012, and his career is likely over.

Although he has shown glimpses of what made him a Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma, Sam Bradford’s NFL career has largely been a bust. After being selected by the St. Louis Rams with the No. 1 overall pick of 2010 NFL Draft, repeated knee injuries hindered Bradford’s development. Now with the Philadelphia Eagles, Bradford is still struggling to prove he is a legit NFL quarterback.

After a dazzling rookie season with the Washington Redskins in 2012, nothing has gone right for former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. Knee injuries, criticism from teammates and poor play on the field led the Redskins to bench RG3 in favor of Kirk Cousins this season. As it currently stands, Griffin’s NFL career is on life support.