heisman

THE HEISMAN MEMORIAL TROPHY
Awarded annually to the outstanding college football player
in the United States by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York City, Inc.

A great star on a star-studded Sooner team, Vessels scored 18 touchdowns, gained over 1,000 yards rushing and caught eight passes for 200 yards. In his senior year he threw 18 passes and completed seven for 209 yards and three touchdowns. A fierce competitor, he is best remembered for his running savagery against Notre Dame. In this game he scored three touchdowns. Against the Irish, he surged 195 yards rushing in 17 carries, for an average of 11.5 yards per carry. In 1953, Vessels turned pro for the Edmonton Eskimos and won the Schenley Award as the top player in Canada. Then Billy served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He spent one year (1956) with the Baltimore Colts, but moved in 1957 to Florida and became assistant to the president of Mackle Company, a major real estate developer. Billy has been active in fund raising, alumni association work, and served on President Kennedy's Physical Fitness Program for two years. Vessels is married with three children and currently resides in Coral Gables, Florida.

Billy was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1974.

While playing football at the University of Oklahoma, Steve Owens was All-American for two years; All Big Eight conference in 1967, 1968 and 1969; and Big 8 Player of the Year in 1968 and 1969. Steve was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions. He was the first Detroit Lion to gain over 1,000 yards in a season and was an All-Pro selection in 1971 and 1972. After six years with Detroit, Steve retired due to a serious knee injury. In 1991, Owens was honored by being named to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, and was named the Walter Camp Foundation Alumnus of the Year. Steve was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Honor in 1992. Steve is CEO of Steve Owens Associates and President of Owens-Powell & Associates, both of which offer full range of insurance and service related products. Steve is also CEO of FORESIGHT, Inc., which provides services to the rent-to-own industry on a national level. Steve has given his time to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Child Welfare Citizens Advisory Board and the Advisory Board for the Norman Family. Steve is on the Board of Directors of Security National Bank in Norman, Jim Thorpe Foundation, Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, and the Heisman Foundation. Owens served as Athletic Director at the University of Oklahoma from September 1996 until his resignation in March 1998. Steve & Barbara have a son Michael who lives in Norman, with his wife Cory, and their beloved son Blake.

Billy Sims of The University of Oklahoma became the sixth junior to win the coveted Heisman Memorial Trophy Award. Sims was the nation's leading rusher and scorer for 1978, averaging 160.1 yards and 10.9 points. He set the Big Eight Conference single season rushing record of 1,762 yards on 231 carries for a phenomenal average of 7.6 yards every time he touched the ball. Sims was the only back in the nation's top 50 to average 7.0 per carry, and became the first player in Big Eight history to rush for more than 300 yards in three straight games. Sims compiled these statistics in only one full season of play-injuries kept him out of play in his freshman year, and most of his sophomore year as well. In 1978, Sims was the Associated & United Press College Player of the Year, he was also consensus All-American, Walter Camp Foundation's Player of the Year, and Sports Magazine's Player of the Year. Billy was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1994. He is now retired from the NFL.

Billy was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1995.

At 6-foot 2-inches and 220 pounds, Jason White became the fourth Sooner to win the Heisman Trophy following Billy Vessels (1952), Steve Owens (1969), and Billy Sims (1978). White led his team to 12 straight victories, throwing for a school record forty (40) touchdown passes in a season and securing a spot for the Sooners to play in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship. At Oklahoma, White is ranked second for passing yards in a season with 3,744. In 2003, White was the recipient of the Associated Press Player of the Year, consensus All-American, consensus Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, the Davey O'Brien Award and the Jim Thorpe Courage Award. White returned to University Oklahoma for the 2004 season to complete his NCAA eligibility. Jason Led the Sooners to an undefeated regular season again in 2004 and another national championship birth in the Orange Bowl against USC.