Historic Heisman Trophy Winners—Before They Were Football Stars!
How’s your fantasy football team doing? Hope you placed some bets on contender quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Collin Klein, and linebacker Manti Te'o for the 2012 Heisman Trophy award! Started in 1935 by the Downtown Athletics Club of Manhattan, New York (John Heisman was the athletics director at the time), the Heisman Trophy has become the holy grail of collegiate football players. It is awarded to the most outstanding player in the nation, which is saying a lot! Whether you’re biting your nails or running stats numbers, it’s going to be a close one with this year’s talented bunch. Here is a look at another group of iconic football stars... but way before they were Heisman winners, when dreams of going pro were still just dreams. By Brittany CarsonTom Harmon, considered the greatest or one of the greatest Michigan Wolverines football players, started playing ball in humble Gary, Indiana. After graduating from Horace Mann High School, he won the 1940 Heisman Trophy in his senior year at University of Michigan. He took a break from football during WWII and enlisted as a pilot. Then from 1946 to 1947 tried playing professionally for the Los Angeles Rams, but injuries sustained during the war forced him to instead pursue a career as a sports broadcaster. His son, Mark Harmon, also found success on TV, having starred in the TV shows St. Elsewhere, Chicago Hope, and the number one rated show NCIS. Unfortunately, Tom passed away in 1990.