7 closest Heisman votes ever, from Mark Ingram vs. Toby Gerhart to Bo Jackson vs. Chuck Long

7 closest Heisman votes ever, from Mark Ingram vs. Toby Gerhart to Bo Jackson vs. Chuck Long originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Most years, the Heisman Trophy ceremony is just that: a ceremony. Attendees walk in with a strong idea of who is going to be leaving with the trophy, and the hour-long event serves as a college football celebration rather than a night of anticipation.

Sometimes, that just isn’t the case.

While the 2010s saw a slew of Heisman blowouts, including the largest margin of victory on record when Joe Burrow won in 2019, close races are possible in an era in which conferences are imbalanced and voters can watch players from any team at just about any time.

In 2024, a tight Heisman race between Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty turned out to be the narrowest in 15 years, signaling that more competitive races could be possible in the years ahead.

Here’s a look back at the closest races in Heisman Trophy history and which players came painfully close to joining the fraternity.

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2009: Mark Ingram vs. Toby Gerhart vs. Colt McCoy (28 points)

Mark Ingram

The closest Heisman Trophy race in history came in 2009, when Alabama RB Mark Ingram narrowly edged out both Stanford RB Tony Gerhart and Texas QB Colt McCoy.

The first-place votes were remarkably even, with Ingram receiving 227, Gerhart earning 222 and McCoy bringing in 203. Even Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh, who still has some backers to this day who claim he should have won the award, picked up 161 first-place votes.

Ingram and Gerhart both enjoyed stellar seasons, with Ingram rushing for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to 1,992 scrimmage yards. Out west, Gerhart rushed for 1,871 yards and 28 touchdowns, finishing with 36 more scrimmage yards than Ingram and averaging an identical 5.5 yards per carry. McCoy was seen as the favorite late in the season, but the Big 12 title game completely shook up the race. Despite a win, McCoy threw three interceptions and was sacked 4.5 times by Suh, who made a late charge at the award with the performance.

In the end, the battle came down to Ingram and Gerhart, with Ingram winning narrowly.

2009 Heisman voting results

RB Mark Ingram, Alabama: 1,304 points
RB Toby Gerhart, Stanford: 1.276 points
QB Colt McCoy, Texas: 1,145 points
DT Ndamukong Suh: 815 points

MORE:Heisman Trophy winners by school

1985: Bo Jackson vs. Chuck Long (45 points)

Injuries threatened Bo Jackson’s Heisman candidacy in 1985 and made Iowa QB Chuck Long a legitimate candidate as he led the Hawkeyes to a 10-1 season, but Jackson would prevail by a margin of 45 points, making it the closest Heisman race on record until 2009.

Jackson’s 317 first-place votes exceeded Long’s 286, making the difference in the race.

The two-sport star rushed for 1,786 yards and 17 touchdowns in 11 games for Auburn, averaging 6.4 yards per carry and living up to the hype he built for himself when he averaged 7.7 yards per carry two years earlier. Long, meanwhile, threw for 2,978 yards, 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in his senior season at Iowa, but he couldn’t become the Hawkeyes’ first Heisman winner since Nile Kinnick.

1985 Heisman voting results

RB Bo Jackson, Auburn: 1,509 points
QB Chuck Long, Iowa: 1,464 points
QB Robbie Bosco, BYU: 459 points
RB Lorenzo White, Michigan State: 391 points

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1961: Ernie Davis vs. Bob Ferguson (53 points)

Ernie Davis would have been a Syracuse legend with or without a Heisman Trophy, but he cemented his legacy with the prestigious award in 1961 after narrowly beating out Ohio State RB Bob Ferguson.

Davis had a healthy first-place vote advantage of 179-122, but down-ballot votes kept Ferguson within 53 points of the win in what would be the tightest race until 1985.

Voters gave Davis the nod despite a tougher season for Syracuse than Ohio State, which finished 8-0-1. Davis rushed for 823 yards and 12 touchdowns on 5.5 yards per carry, adding 157 yards as a pass-catcher, while Ferguson had 938 and 11 touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry.

1961 Heisman voting results

RB Ernie Davis, Syracuse: 824 points
RB Bob Ferguson, Ohio State: 771 points
RB Jimmy Saxton, Texas: 551 points
QB Sandy Stephens, Minnesota: 543 points

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1953: Johnny Lattner vs. Paul Giel (56 points)

The 1953 Heisman Trophy race came down to two clear leaders, but it wasn’t clear which of the two would win until the award was handed out. Notre Dame RB Johnny Lattner edged out Minnesota RB Paul Giel by 56 points, winning 384 first-place votes to Giel’s 366. No one else received more than 46 first-place votes.

Lattner rushed for 651 yards on 4.9 yards per carry over 10 games for the Fighting Irish, adding 204 yards and a touchdown as a pass-catcher.

Giel finished third in Heisman voting in 1952 as well, but he would try his hand at baseball at the professional level and pitched for four different major league teams from 1954-61.

1953 Heisman voting results

RB Johnny Lattner, Notre Dame: 1,850 points
RB Paul Giel, Minnesota: 1,794 points
RB Paul Cameron, UCLA: 444 points
QB Bernie Faloney, Maryland: 258 points

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2001: Eric Crouch vs. Rex Grossman vs. Ken Dorsey (62 points)

The Heisman race came down to three major contenders in 2001, with Nebraska QB Eric Crouch beating out Florida’s Rex Grossman by 62 points and Oregon’s Ken Dorsey trailing close behind.

Crouch had one of the most unusual statistical Heisman-winning seasons of the 21st century, as he threw for 1,510 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in a Cornhuskers offense that just didn’t throw the ball very much. On the ground, he rushed for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns for an 11-win Nebraska team and had some eye-popping highlights.

While Grossman and Dorsey certainly had better seasons from a passing perspective, Crouch’s do-it-all mentality pushed him to the front of a crowded race.

2001 Heisman voting results

QB Eric Crouch, Nebraska: 770 points
QB Rex Grossman, Florida: 708 points
QB Ken Dorsey, Miami: 638 points
QB Joey Harrington, Oregon: 364 points

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1989: Andre Ware vs. Anthony Thompson (70 points)

It can be tough to compare quarterbacks to non-quarterbacks in the Heisman race, and the decision proved to be a tough one in 1989 when Houston QB Andre Ware beat out Indiana RB Anthony Thompson by 70 points.

Ware had a downright dominant season for the Cougars, throwing for 4,699 yards, 46 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, but Thompson followed up an excellent 1988 with an even better 1989, rushing for 1,793 yards and 24 touchdowns on 5.0 yards per carry as a workhorse for the 5-6 Hoosiers.

Whether Indiana’s record kept Thompson from becoming the school’s first Heisman winner can be debated, but Ware ultimately won out with 57 more first-place votes.

1989 Heisman voting results

QB Andre Ware, Houston: 1,073 points
RB Anthony Thompson, Indiana: 1,003 points
QB Major Harris, West Virginia: 709 points
QB Tony Rice, Notre Dame: 523 points

MORE:Breaking down the all-time NCAA passing leaders

1956: Paul Hornung vs. Johnny Majors vs. Tommy McDonald (72 points)

The 1956 Heisman Trophy race saw three candidates finish within 100 points of one another, with Notre Dame QB Paul Hornung beating out running backs Johnny Majors and Tommy McDonald.

Hornung had one of the most unique Heisman-winning seasons ever, as he threw for three touchdowns and 13 interceptions on a 2-8 team but led the Fighting Irish in rushing, played defense and returned kicks and punts. By doing all of that, Hornung became the only player to this day to win the Heisman for a losing team.

Majors, meanwhile, rushed for 549 yards and seven touchdowns, while McDonald rushed for 853 yards and 12 touchdowns for undefeated Oklahoma.

1956 Heisman voting results

QB Paul Hornung, Notre Dame: 1,066 points
RB Johnny Majors, Tennessee: 994 points
RB Tommy McDonald, Oklahoma: 973 points
OL Jerry Tubbs, Oklahoma: 724 points

MORE: Revisiting Georgia Tech and Colorado’s split national championship from 1990

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