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Notre Dame Football: 5 players who were robbed of the Heisman Trophy

By Daniel Morrison

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 07: Heisman finalists linebacker Manti Te'o of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and quarterback Johnny Manziel for the Texas A&M University Aggies pose with Heisman Memorial Trophy Award at an informal press gathering at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on December 7, 2012 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: Photographer approval needed for all Commercial License requests. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 07: Heisman finalists linebacker Manti Te'o of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and quarterback Johnny Manziel for the Texas A&M University Aggies pose with Heisman Memorial Trophy Award at an informal press gathering at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on December 7, 2012 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: Photographer approval needed for all Commercial License requests. (Photo by Kelly Kline/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn
Notre Dame Football star Brady Quinn. (Photo by Sandra Dukes/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame Football: 5 players who were robbed of the Heisman Trophy

2006: Brady Quinn-QB, 3rd Place

  • 61.9% Completion Percentage, 3,426 yards, 37 Touchdowns

Over the course of his career, Brady Quinn became the statistical leader in every major passing category at Notre Dame, including passing yards for both a season and a career, with his 37 TDs in 2006 being the most for a single season by a Notre Dame quarterback ever. Quinn’s 3,426 passing yards that season is actually fourth in Irish history, but at the time it was second behind his 2005 season, where he threw for 3,919 yards.

With all of that, it’s no surprise that Quinn was an All-American, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and Maxwell Award winner, who was predicted to be a high first-round draft pick. What was a surprise, however, is that he didn’t actually win the Heisman.

He came in third place.

The winner that season was Troy Smith, from Ohio State. Smith had a slightly higher completion percentage than Quinn, but fewer touchdowns and yards passing. Smith was also a capable runner, but his 2006 season was a disappointment in this regard, especially in comparison to his 2005 season.

In fact, Quinn had more rushing touchdowns than Smith. Of course, Ohio State had an unbeaten regular season, which Notre Dame did not. The second-place finisher in 2006, somehow ahead of Quinn, was Darren McFadden. McFadden had an excellent season, in all fairness, 1,830 yards, and 16 TDs is a great season.

Still, Quinn’s season was definitively better than Smith’s, and arguably better than McFadden’s, though it is difficult to compare across positions. Either way, Quinn got the short end of the stick in 2006, for a season he deserved the Heisman Trophy for.

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