Heisman trophy winners are forever etched in college football immortality, but there are also several other players who have reached legendary status and were snubbed from winning the award. Here are the five best college football players over the past 15 years that failed to win the Heisman:
5) WR Larry Fitzgerald, Pitt Panthers
Fitzgerald finished just 127 votes shy of winning the award over Oklahoma's Jason White, catching 92 passes for a NCAA-high 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns. He did win the Biletnikoff Award (nation's best WR) and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
4) RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford Cardinal
McCaffrey lost last year's Heisman vote to Alabama running back Derrick Henry, and while Henry is a deserving winner, it's hard to deny how great of a season McCaffrey had. He broke Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season record for all-purpose yards, a mark that many thought would never be broken. Luckily for him, he's only a junior and is the favorite to claim the award this year.
3) QB Colt McCoy, Texas Longhorns
McCoy lost out on the Heisman to Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford in 2008, who McCoy's Texas team had beaten in the regular season. He also won the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and Walter Camp Award over Bradford, but somehow lost out on the Heisman. McCoy then finished third behind Mark Ingram and Toby Gerhart in 2009, his senior year.
2) RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma Sooners
Peterson nearly became the first (and only) true freshman to win the award, running for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns on 339 carries, but finished as the runner-up in Heisman voting that season. He led the Sooners to the national championship game, where they ended up losing to USC and Heisman winner Matt Leinart.
1) QB Vince Young, Texas Longhorns
Young lost to USC RB Reggie Bush by nearly 1,000 votes, but it's impossible to forget how great Young was for the Longhorns. He led the nation in total touchdowns, passed for 3,036 yards, and rushed for 1,050 more, winning the Maxwell Award (over Bush) for best offensive player. Young also got the last laugh, leading Texas to an upset victory over Bush's heavily-favored USC team in the 2005 national championship.
Bush has since been forced to vacate his Heisman trophy win due to NCAA violations, but Young still doesn't get the award.
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