Have you ever wondered how many men who won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football players went on to win a Super Bowl in the NFL? Well, here is your chance to learn about a select group of players who have claimed the most prestigious award in college football (the Heisman) and one of the most difficult trophies to win in all of pro sports (the Lombardi Trophy that goes to the Super Bowl champion).

Many great players who fell just short in the Heisman voting went on to win the Super Bowl, but there are only 10 football legends who managed to claim both the Heisman and a Super Bowl ring. It’s an exclusive list indeed. 

Has any player ever won two Heisman trophies?

Former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin remains the only player to have won the Heisman Trophy twice.

Griffin had three outstanding seasons as the Buckeyes’ primary running back and claimed the Heisman trophy in back-to-back seasons as a junior and senior. He rushed for 1,695 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1974 before adding another 1,450 yards and four touchdowns in 1975. He was far and away the best player in college football at that time, and he won just about every available award as a result.

How many defensive players have won the Heisman Trophy?

Former Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson remains the only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, a feat he achieved by beating out Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning in the 1997 voting. Woodson was also a member of that year’s national championship team with Michigan, and he won every college award possible for his phenomenal season.

Woodson was a game-changer who even contributed to the Wolverines’ offense on occasion during his final two seasons at the school.

What QB won the national championship and Super Bowl?

Joe Namath and Joe Montana remain the only two quarterbacks to lead a college team to the national championship and an NFL team to a Super Bowl victory.

“Broadway Joe” Namath did it with the Alabama Crimson Tide and New York Jets, while “Joe Cool” Montana repeated the feat by winning the national championship at Notre Dame and claiming four Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers.

These 10 Football Players won both the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl

Paul Hornung

College Team: Notre Dame
NFL Team: Green Bay Packers
Career Span: 1954 to 1956 (College); 1957 to 1966 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: Heisman Trophy (1956), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl I, 1966 season), First Team All-America (1955, unanimous), Second Team All-America (1956), NFL Championship (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966), NFL MVP (1961), NFL All-Pro First Team (1960, 1961), NFL All-Pro Second Team (1959), Pro Bowl (1959, 1960), NFL Rushing Touchdowns Leader (1960), NFL Scoring Leader (1959, 1960, 1961), College Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 1985), Pro Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 1986)

Paul Hornung was the first player to win both the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl, completing the feat in the very first Super Bowl game. He had won the Heisman in 1956 after leading his Notre Dame team in passing, rushing, points scored, and even kicking, while also finishing second on the team in interceptions and tackles. The Fighting Irish weren’t good that year, going 2-8, but Hornung won the Heisman anyway for his relentless play on both sides of the ball.

Selected first overall in the 1957 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, Hornung won four NFL championships in the era before the league’s merger with the old American Football League. Hornung and the Packers also won the inaugural Super Bowl, beating the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.

Roger Staubach

College Team: United States Naval Academy
NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys
Career Span: 1962 to 1964 (College); 1969 to 1979 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: Heisman Trophy (1963), Two-Time Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl VI, 1971 season; Super Bowl XII, 1977 season), Super Bowl MVP (Super Bowl VI), Maxwell Award (1963), UPI College Player of Year (1963), Sporting News College Player of Year (1963), First Team All-America (1963, unanimous), NFL Man of the Year (1978), NFL All-Pro Second Team (1971), Pro Bowl (1971, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979), NFL Passing TDs Leader (1973), NFL Passer-Rating Leader (1971, 1973, 1978, 1979), College Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 1981), Pro Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 1985), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2018)

Roger Staubach’s performance as a college quarterback at Navy was outstanding. He led the Midshipmen to a 9-1 record in 1963, showcasing his talent as one of the best players in college football. The team narrowly missed out on the national championship when it finished second behind Texas in the year-end AP Top 25 poll.

Although his team didn’t win a national title, Staubach was honored with the Heisman Trophy and numerous other awards. He was considered to have had one of the best college football seasons in the game’s history up to that point.

Staubach was selected by Dallas in the 1964 NFL Draft, but wasn’t able to join the Cowboys until 1969 due to his military commitment. When he finally took the field as a professional, he proved it was worth the wait. 

Staubach led Dallas to two Super Bowl championships, was the MVP of Super Bowl VI, and made six trips to the Pro Bowl. He was the NFL’s passer-rating leader on four occasions and led the league with 23 touchdown passes in 1973.

John Huarte

College Team: Notre Dame
Pro Teams: New York Jets, Boston Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Memphis Southmen (World Football League)
Career Span: 1962 to 1964 (College); 1965 to 1967 (AFL), 1968 to 1972 (NFL), 1974 to 1975 (WFL)
Awards and Honors: Heisman Trophy (1964), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl IV, 1969 season with Kansas City), UPI College Player of Year (1964), First-Team All-America (1964)

John Huarte, a starter during only his senior year at Notre Dame, won the Heisman trophy one year after fellow quarterback Roger Staubach.

In 1964, Huarte became the Fighting Irish starter and promptly led his team to a 9-1 record and No. 3 ranking in the year-end AP Poll.

Huarte, who had a brilliant connection with wide receiver Jack Snow, threw for more than 2,000 yards on just 205 passing attempts.

He went on to become a bit of a journeyman at the professional level after missing out on the New York Jets’ starting job in a QB battle with fellow rookie Joe Namath. He was then a backup to Len Dawson on the Kansas City Chiefs team that won Super Bowl IV. Huarte didn’t get a chance to play in the big game.

Mike Garrett

College Team: University of Southern California
Pro Teams: Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers
Career Span: 1963 to 1965 (College); 1966 to 1969 (AFL), 1970 to 1973 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: Heisman Trophy (1965), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl IV, 1969 season with Kansas City), UPI College Player of Year (1965), First Team All-America (1965, unanimous), Third Team All-America (1964), AFL Champion (1966, 1969), First Team All-AFL (1966, 1967), Second Team All-AFL (1969), AFL All-Star Game (1966, 1967), College Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 1985)

Running back Mike Garrett was a teammate of fellow former Heisman winner John Huarte on the Kansas City Chiefs team that won Super Bowl IV. Unlike Huarte, who didn’t play in that game, Garrett was in the Chiefs’ starting lineup. He was a key offensive weapon for a Kansas City team led by quarterback Len Dawson.

In Super Bowl IV, the last championship game before the official AFL-NFL merger, Garrett ran for 39 yards and scored a five-yard touchdown on a trap play that enabled him to find a gap. He also caught two passes for 25 yards to help the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in his final full season with the team.

Garrett had also enjoyed success with Kansas City prior to the merger, claiming two AFL titles in 1966 and 1969.

His Heisman year came in 1965, when he led the nation in rushing while playing for USC. Garrett ran for 1,440 yards, caught 36 passes, and returned both punts and kicks that season. He even managed to throw two touchdown passes.

Mike Garrett was a star at USC, and the first in a long line of successful running backs to come through that program over the next 20 years.

Jim Plunkett

College Team: Stanford University
NFL Teams: New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Career Span: 1968 to 1970 (College); 1971 to 1986 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: Heisman Trophy (1970), Two-Time Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XV, 1980 season with Oakland; Super Bowl XVIII, 1983 season with L.A. Raiders), Super Bowl MVP (Super Bowl XV), Maxwell Award (1970), Walter Camp Award (1970), UPI College Player of Year (1970), Sporting News College Player of Year (1970), First Team All-America (1970), First Team All-Pac-8 (1969 1970), Second Team All-Pac-8 (1968), Rose Bowl MVP (1971), NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1980 with Oakland), AFC Rookie of the Year (1971 with New England)

Jim Plunkett had a poor season as a freshman at Stanford, as he was still recovering from a thyroid operation. Determined to prove himself a capable quarterback, his next two years were superb. In 1970, he won the Heisman trophy while breaking the Pac-8 Conference passing record that he had set the previous season.

Plunkett beat fellow quarterbacks Joe Theismann and Archie Manning in the Heisman Trophy voting to become the first player of Latino descent to win the award.

As a pro, he spent time with both the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers and was a starter for six of his first seven seasons in the league. He signed with the Oakland Raiders in 1978 to serve as a backup. However, everything changed two years later when Raiders QB Dan Pastorini went down with a leg fracture.

Plunkett had been in the pros for nearly 10 years by 1980, but he hadn’t managed a single winning season. He had gone from being a starter to a backup, but returned to a starting role in the wake of Pastorini’s injury and put together a run of impressive seasons.

The Raiders won the Super Bowl at the end of the 1980 season with Plunkett earning Super Bowl MVP and NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. Having relocated from Oakland to Los Angeles, the team returned to the Super Bowl three years later and won it again at the end of the 1983 season.

Tony Dorsett

College Team: Pittsburgh
NFL Teams: Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos
Career Span: 1973 to 1976 (College); 1977 to 1988 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: Heisman Trophy (1976), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XII, 1977 season with Dallas), NCAA National Championship (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)

Tony Dorsett was the first of the three players who have managed to win the Heisman trophy, a college national championship, and a Super Bowl. He is also one of the greatest NFL running backs of all time.

Dorsett was a standout at the University of Pittsburgh, earning All-America honors in his freshman year. He would go on to be an All American in all four seasons he played at Pitt, including his remarkable 1976 season.

At the end of 1976, Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy after leading the nation with 2,150 rushing yards. The Panthers won the national championship, and Dorsett would go on to win the Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys the very next year.

Dorsett is a member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame as well as a true legend at the running back position.

George Rogers

College Team: University of South Carolina
NFL Teams: New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins
Career Span: 1977 to 1980 (College); 1981 to 1987 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: Heisman Trophy (1980), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XXII, 1987 season with Washington), First Team All-America (1979, 1980-unanimous), NFL Offensive Rookie of Year (1981), NFL All-Pro First Team (1981), Pro Bowl (1981, 1982), NFL Rushing Leader (1981), NFL Rushing TDs Leader (1986)

George Rogers finished seventh in the 1979 Heisman Trophy voting, even though he was splitting carries with other running backs at South Carolina. The following season, he became the team’s lead back and went on to lead the nation with 1,781 rushing yards for the Gamecocks. This time around, the Heisman was his, and in claiming the award he beat out a group of stars that included Georgia freshman Herschel Walker.

Rogers was so good for the Gamecocks that they retired his No. 38 jersey at halftime of his final college game. He became the first player in school history to have his number retired while still playing for the team.

Rogers’ best season as a pro was his rookie year, which saw him lead the NFL with 1,674 rushing yards for the New Orleans Saints, who had selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1981 draft. He spent the first four years of his career with the Saints before joining the Washington Redskins in 1985.

In the final year of Rogers’ career, the Redskins won the Super Bowl, and he opted to retire after that season due to multiple injury concerns.

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: Heisman Trophy (1981), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XVIII, 1983 season with L.A. Raiders), NCAA National Championship (1978), 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 followed Charles White into the starting tailback role at USC, and he also followed in White’s footsteps by winning a Heisman Trophy. Allen had initially been a fullback – blocking for White during his first year on campus -- but when White graduated and moved on, the path was clear for Allen to grab the spotlight.

Allen set a school rushing record in 1981, gaining 2,427 yards that season, and his record remains intact more than 40 years later. One of four former USC running backs who have won the Heisman, Allen would go on to be a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Raiders in the 1982 NFL Draft.

In L.A., Allen teamed up with quarterback Jim Plunkett, who had earlier won the Super Bowl with the Raiders at the close of the 1980 season. Just two seasons into Allen's NFL career, the Raiders did it again.

This time, Allen was the Super Bowl MVP after rushing for 191 yards and two touchdowns to break open the game against the Washington Redskins. In so doing, he became the second of only three Heisman winners to also win the college national championship and Super Bowl. One of the best college and pro players in football history, there is no doubt that Allen is an all-time great running back.

Desmond Howard

College Team: University of Michigan
NFL Teams: Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions
Career Span: 1989 to 1991 (College); 1992 to 2002 (NFL)
Awards and Honors: Heisman Trophy (1991), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XXXI, 1997 season with Green Bay), Maxwell Award (1991), Walter Camp Award (1991), UPI College Player of Year (1991), Sporting News College Player of Year (1991), First Team All-America (1991, unanimous), Third Team All-America (1990), Big Ten MVP (1991), First Tearm All-Big Ten (1991), Second Team All-Big Ten (1990), Super Bowl MVP (Super Bowl XXXI), NFL All-Pro First Team (1996 with Green Bay), Pro Bowl (2000 with Detroit), College Football Hall of Fame (Inducted 2010)

Desmond Howard’s 1991 season at Michigan will forever stand as one of the most impressive performances by any player in the history of college football.

That year, Howard turned the momentum he had built up in 1990 into more than 1,500 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns.

Late in the year, in the Wolverines’ annual rivalry game against Ohio State, Howard returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown. The Buckeyes had planned to kick the ball out of bounds in a bid to keep Howard from having any chance to touch it. When Howard reached the end zone, he struck a Heisman Trophy pose, which sparked a trend across the country in which fans also tried to imitate the pose.

While his NFL career might not have gone as well as he could have hoped, Howard still managed to claim a Super Bowl ring. In the first of his two single-season stints with the Green Bay Packers, he made some plays that made all the difference in Super Bowl XXXI.

In that game, Howard returned punts for a total of 90 yards and kickoffs for a total of 154, including one that went for a touchdown. He is the only player in NFL history to win the Super Bowl MVP award based on his special-teams performance, but he was without a doubt the biggest influence that day.

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: Heisman Trophy (1997), Super Bowl Champion (Super Bowl XLV, 2010 season with Green Bay), NCAA National Championship (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 was a special talent who emerged as a difference-maker at cornerback during his freshman year at Michigan. Over the next two seasons, he would contribute as a kick returner and as wide receiver, too, playing on offense, defense, and special teams for a squad that won the national championship.

In 1997, Woodson became the first and only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy after making countless big plays in big games, including two interceptions against Michigan’s major rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Not only was Woodson one of the most talented Heisman Trophy winners, he was also one of the most successful Heisman winners at the pro level. He spent 18 seasons in the NFL, earning eight All-Pro selections and nine Pro Bowl appearances during a career that saw him pick off 65 passes.

Woodson got hurt in Super Bowl XLV while playing for the Green Bay Packers, but he still earned his ring when the team came away with the win. He is the most recent of the only three players to win the Heisman, NCAA national championship and Super Bowl, joining Tony Dorsett and Marcus Allen.

Last 10 winners of the Heisman Trophy

A list of the 10 most recent Heisman Trophy winners includes eight quarterbacks, one running back, and one wide receiver. The two non-QBs both played for Alabama, with RB Derrick Henry winning the award in 2015, and WR DeVonta Smith claiming it in 2020.

Smith, who now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, already had a shot at joining the above list when his team reached last season’s Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the Eagles came up just short against the Kansas City Chiefs and are looking for a return trip this season.

The eight quarterbacks who have won the Heisman over the past 10 years are Marcus Mariota, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Bryce Young, Caleb Willaims, and most recently, Jayden Daniels, who joined the list in 2023.

Burrow is the only one of those eight Heisman quarterbacks who has reached the Super Bowl as a starter. Two seasons ago, he came within one game of joining Joe Namath and Joe Montana as a third Joe to win the Heisman and Super Bowl at QB.

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