The list of Heisman Trophy winners who have also won a college national championship and Super Bowl is very exclusive. Indeed, only three football players have ever accomplished this feat. Today, we’ll take a look back at this very talented trio.

Who has won a national championship and Super Bowl? Winning both the NCAA championship and the Super Bowl is no easy feat, and there is a reason very few players have done it.

The list contains several prestigious Hall of Famers, including Joe Montana, Michael Irvin, Joe Namath, and Derrick Brooks.

Has any QB won a national championship and a Super Bowl?

The answer to that question is a resounding yes.

Joe Namath quarterbacked the Alabama Crimson Tide to the national championship in 1964 and then famously called his own shot by accurately guaranteeing the New York Jets would win Super Bowl III.

In his fourth of five years at Notre Dame, Joe Montana started the 1977 season as the Fighting Irish’s third-string quarterback. Injuries to both players ahead of him on the depth chart eventually led to Montana taking over the starting role. Notre Dame went on to win all nine of its remaining games to claim the national title.

Of course, Montana then went on to become a four-time Super Bowl winner with the San Francisco 49ers, joining Namath on an elite list. To this day, they remain the only two quarterbacks to have won both championships.

Football Players who won the Heisman, National Championship and Super Bowl

Tony Dorsett

College Team: Pittsburgh
NFL Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos
Career Span: 1973 to 1976 (College); 1977 to 1988 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: NCAA National Championship (1976), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XII, 1977 season with Dallas), Heisman Trophy (1976), Maxwell Award (1976), Walter Camp Award (1976), Sporting News College Player of Year (1976), First Team All-America (1973, 1976-unanimous), Second team All-America (1975), Third Team All-America (1974), NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1977), NFL All-Pro First Team (1981), NFL All-Pro Second Team (1982, 1983), Pro Bowl (1978, 1981, 1982, 1983), Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor (1994), College Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 1994), Pro Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 1994)

Running back Tony Dorsett was the first player to win the Heisman Trophy, collegiate national championship, and Super Bowl. He set the tone for his remarkable career in his first year at the University of Pittsburgh, when he became the first freshman in 29 years to claim First Team All-America honors. He posted 1,581 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns during that 1973 season, and by the third game of his sophomore year, he had already broken his school’s rushing record.

Dorsett still holds Pitt career records for both rushing yards (6,082) and rushing touchdowns (58). He remains one of the greatest running backs in college football history and is No. 5 on the NCAA career rushing list.

In 1976, Dorsett enjoyed the best season of his college career by leading the nation with 2,150 rushing yards. He won the Heisman trophy, while also helping the Panthers claim the national championship with a sensational 12-0 season under head coach Johnny Majors.

Majors was quoted as saying “no one player had a greater impact on a college football program than Tony Dorsett,” and he just might be right about that.

Following his stupendous college career, Dorsett was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1977 NFL Draft. He joined quarterback Roger Staubach on the Cowboys offense, and it didn’t take long for him to add the ultimate NFL prize to his collection of achievements.

In Dorsett’s rookie season, Dallas beat the Denver Broncos 27-10 to win Super Bowl XII. He rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown in that game to become the first football player to win the national championship and the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons.

Dorsett had a career-high 12 touchdowns that season, and went on to post eight 1,000-yard rushing seasons over his first nine years in the league. He had a total of 90 career touchdowns in the NFL, where he spent all but his final year in Dallas. Now a proud member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, Dorsett is remembered as one of the best college football players of all time whose talent hardly faded when he turned pro.

Marcus Allen

College Team: University of Southern California
NFL Teams: Los Angeles Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs
Career Span: 1978 to 1981 (College); 1982 to 1997 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: NCAA National Championship (1978), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XVIII, 1983 season with L.A. Raiders), Heisman Trophy (1981), Maxwell Award (1981), Walter Camp Award (1981), Sporting News College Player of Year (1981), First Team All-America (1981, unanimous), Second Team All-America (1980), Super Bowl MVP (Super Bowl XVIII), NFL MVP (1985), NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1985), NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1982), NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1993), NFL All-Pro First Team (1982, 1985), NFL All-Pro Second Team (1984), Pro Bowl (1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993), NFL Rushing Yardage Leader (1985), NFL Rushing TDs Leader (1982, 1993), College Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 2000), Pro Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 2003)

Marcus Allen’s college career at the University of Southern California began with a role that saw him often blocking for Charles White, who was the team's primary running back at the time. The Trojans won the national championship at the end of Allen’s freshman year, and while he didn’t carry the football all that much, he was still a contributor. White would go on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1979, leaving Allen primed and ready to become USC’s No. 1 running back.

Two years later, in 1981, Allen won his own Heisman after breaking White's USC single-season rushing record. Allen ran for 2,427 yards as a senior, and that rushing record still stands today. In addition to the Heisman, Allen claimed the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards as well as Sporting News College Player of the Year honors. He was a unanimous First Team All-American, and would later see his No. 33 jersey retired by the USC football program.

Although he was a starter for just two seasons, Allen rushed for 45 touchdowns during his college career and was also a key threat in the passing game. He had 79 career receptions for the Trojans and left for the NFL with a very favorable skill set.

Selected with the 10th overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, Allen joined a Los Angeles Raiders team that quarterback Jim Plunkett had led to a Super Bowl title just one year earlier.

Allen immediately impacted the franchise, leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns during the strike-shortened 1982 season. He won that year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and was clearly ready to continue his success at the pro level.

At the conclusion of the 1983 season, Allen was part of the Raiders team that beat Washington 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII. He was named the Super Bowl MVP after turning in one of the best individual championship-game performances in NFL history. Allen ran for 191 rushing yards that day, and his two touchdowns included one of the best improvised runs in Super Bowl history.

Allen took a handoff to the left, only to find his outside lane already shut down by an incoming defender. He spun back around, broke a tackle, and cut back inside before bursting up the middle and breaking away from the defense.

Many regard the team that won Super Bowl XVIII as the best in Raiders franchise history, so it’s no small achievement to have been the team’s Super Bowl MVP. Allen would go on to play a total of 16 NFL seasons, and by the time he retired, he was the league’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (since passed by Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson).

Allen is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and he is remembered fondly as one of the greatest backs in the history of the game.

Charles Woodson

College Team: University of Michigan
NFL Teams: Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers
Career Span: 1995 to 1997 (College); 1998 to 2015 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: NCAA National Championship (1997), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XLV, 2010 season with Green Bay), Heisman Trophy (1997), Walter Camp Award (1997), Bronco Nagurski Trophy (1997), Chuck Bednarik Award (1997), Jim Thorpe Award (1997), Jack Tatum Trophy (1997), Sporting News College Player of the Year (1997), Big Ten Player of the Year (1997), Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (1997), First Team All-America (1996, 1997-unanimous), Big Ten Freshman of the Year (1995), NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2009), NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (1998), NFL All-Pro First Team (1999, 2001, 2009, 2011), NFL All-Pro Second Team (2000, 2008, 2010, 2015), Pro Bowl (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015), NFL Interceptions Leader (2009, 2011), NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, College Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 2018), Pro Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 2021)

Charles Woodson became an immediate star after his arrival on the Michigan campus. Former Wolverines quarterback Brian Griese has said that it was evident from the very first snap in Woodson’s freshman year that he was going to be special, and Griese would turn out to be absolutely right.

In the final game of Woodson’s 1995 freshman season -- a critical clash with rival Ohio State -- Woodson intercepted a pass in the third quarter. He picked off the Buckeyes again in the fourth quarter to end a potential game-tying drive and seal an upset victory for the Wolverines.

Woodson’s impact as a freshman set the tone for his college career, and he went on to become a true college football legend and the greatest Michigan defensive player of all time.

Heading into Woodson’s sophomore season, the Wolverines were set to lose two key playmakers on offense, and the coaching staff considered having Woodson play on both sides of the ball to help Michigan win. Woodson was more than happy to do it, but only as a wide receiver since he didn’t want to play running back. As a sophomore, Woodson was making big plays on both sides of the ball, and by 1997 he put together one of the most outrageous college football seasons any fan will likely ever see.

Still primarily a defensive player at his traditional cornerback position, Woodson intercepted seven passes and notched 43 tackles for the Wolverines defense in 1997. He added 11 catches for 231 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also serving as a phenomenal punt returner.

Michigan ended the 1997 regular season undefeated, and Woodson was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He was a long shot to win the award however, since it had never been given to a defensive player, and Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning appeared to be the obvious choice. In a big surprise, Woodson won the award, as well as just about every other college football honor he could win that year.

Woodson maintained his position as a lockdown corner after being drafted into the NFL by the Oakland Raiders with the fourth overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. He would go on to become an NFL defensive legend with eight All-Pro selections and nine trips to the Pro Bowl.

After winning the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 1998, Woodson was named a First Team All-Pro for the first time in 1999. He spent the first eight seasons of his career in Oakland before heading to Green Bay in 2006. Playing for the Packers in the 2010 season, he was part of the team that beat Pittsburgh 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV.

Woodson retired after the 2015 season with 65 career interceptions (11 returned for touchdowns), 33 forced fumbles, 18 fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns off those recoveries. He was a lockdown corner throughout his career and one of the best athletes the game has ever seen.

Woodson is a proud member of the College Football Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He remains the only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, and one of only three players who have won the Heisman, NCAA national championship, and Super Bowl.

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