Heisman Trophy winners Gino Torretta (1992) and Jameis Winston (2013) both returned to the Sunshine State for celebrations on Saturday (Nov. 18) as their respective universities retired their numbers during home game ceremonies in Miami and Tallahassee.
Torretta’s No. 13 that he wore while leading the Hurricanes to a 1991 national title and Winston’s No. 5 that he donned while guiding the Seminoles to a crown during his Heisman season were both immortalized by their universities.
Torretta, who was also part of the Hurricanes’ 1989 national title team, took center stage during a halftime ceremony at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, joined by family and teammates from his teams some three decades ago.
A College Football Hall of Famer and a member of the school’s Ring of Honor, Torretta is the fifth Hurricane to have his jersey retired. The previous four, which includes 1986 Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde, had their jerseys retired not long after Torretta finished playing at Miami.
This article out of the Miami Hurricane Athletic Department details his top 13 moments for the program.
In the panhandle of the state a few hours later, Winston became the 12th Seminole player to have his jersey retired — a list that includes Heisman winners Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke — during an on-field ceremony following the first quarter in FSU’s game against North Alabama.
As a 2013 freshman Winston led Florida State to a 14-0 record and the 2013 national title, capped by a victory over Auburn in the Rose Bowl. In the process, Winston became the youngest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy. In addition, Winston won the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award and Walter Camp’s Player of the Year honors.
He was the first freshman to win ACC Player of the Year honors. A year later, he led FSU to the inaugural College Football Playoffs.
Winston was joined during the ceremony by teammates from the 2013 title team as well as family and friends.