Jameis Winston of Florida State University selected as the 2013 Heisman Winner
The 2013 Heisman Weekend was an exciting event from start to finish. With the greatest number of Heisman finalists since 1994, there was a tangible anticipation in the air as five of the finalists arrived on Friday morning: Northern Illinois University quarterback Jordan Lynch; Texas A&M University quarterback and 2012 Heisman Winner Johnny Manziel; Auburn running back Tre Mason; Boston College running back Andre Williams; and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron arrived the next morning after receiving the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in Baltimore on Friday evening.
After settling in at the New York Marriott Marquis—the hub of Heisman Weekend—the finalists, families and University representatives happily braved the chilly New York air to walk to a family-style Italian lunch. With their first chance to truly relax, chat, and eat enormous amounts of pasta as a group, it was well worth the trip.
As the former Heisman Winners arrived to the hotel, the 2013 Heisman hopefuls headed to the first media event of the weekend: round table interviews with media from around the country, as well as ESPN on their satellite bus.
Friday evening brought a series of exciting events, the first of which invited Heisman finalists and former Heisman Winners to attend a dinner for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award, which for the 20th year in a row honors outstanding high school athletes who are recognized for their hard work in the classroom, the community, and on the field. After enjoying dinner and mingling with the Heisman finalists and former winners, the 2013 Wendy’s High School Heisman winners were announced as Andrew Miner, a football and baseball star from East Greenwich High School in East Greenwich, Rhode Island and Emily Granger, the captain of the basketball, lacrosse, and soccer teams at Saints Peter & Paul High School of Easton, Maryland.
Following the dinner, the finalists, former Winners, and their families boarded a double-decker bus to see the famous New York sites. For many finalists, this was their first trip to NYC and first chance to experience Central Park, the bright lights of Broadway, Macy’s and all of the other wonderful elements that make it the “Big Apple.” The tour concluded with many group and family photos at the spectacular Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
The final event of the evening was the Heisman Welcome Reception at the Marriott Marquis, where the finalists were presented with their Heisman Finalist Plaque to signify their exemplary athletic achievement. On hand to present the plaques were William Dockery, President of the Heisman Trophy Trust and John Brancheau of Nissan North America, Premier Partner of the Heisman. After strolling dinner and dessert, the evening concluded and the finalists rested up for the big day ahead.
On Saturday morning, A.J. McCarron arrived with his family and the whirlwind of a day began: McCarron went straight from Penn Station to a walkthrough with the rest of the finalists at the Best Buy Theater, where the presentation would be held that evening. The rest of the day consisted of appearances on ESPN, the Army/Navy Halftime Show at the CBS Studios, and a press conference just minutes before the main event.
The cameras started rolling at 8pm at the Best Buy Theater as the 2013 Heisman Announcement went live on ESPN. The six finalists were joined by Heisman legends, including Barry Sanders (’88) who was celebrating 25 years as a Heisman winner. Before millions of viewers nationwide, Jim Corcoran, Heisman Trophy Trustee, announced Jameis Winston as the 2013 Heisman Trophy Winner.
Winston became the youngest Heisman Trophy winner in history and, after Manziel’s win in 2012, only the second freshman ever to be named the outstanding football player of the year. Deloitte and Touche LLP tabulated the votes from the 928 electors (870 media votes, 57 Heisman winners, 1 fan vote). Winston accrued an amazing 2,205 points, the seventh-largest margin of victory in the history of the award.
After an emotional and heartfelt speech, Winston was whisked off to the first of many media appearances he would have over the next few days. The post-announcement press conference was Winston’s first moment to address the media as the newest member of the Heisman family. After fielding questions from over 100 media members, Winston was joined on stage by Florida Seminoles head coach, Jimbo Fisher.
On Sunday, former Heisman Winners attended Broadway shows, ate at classic New York restaurants and enjoyed the city. After a day of various media appearances, Winston joined his fellow Heisman Winners for a celebratory evening of dinner, dancing, and even a little singing!
The 2013 weekend was nearly over, but not before the much-anticipated Gala on Monday evening. Over 1,000 guests attended the annual event at the Marriott Marquis, which included a silent auction, as well as a very exciting live auction of a one-of-a-kind Heisman helmet signed by over 20 Heisman Winners. The proceeds from the auction support the Trust’s charitable mission to serve underprivileged and underserved youth throughout the country.
The Gala, emceed by ESPN’s Rece Davis, celebrated Roger Staubach (Navy, ’63), Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State, ’88), and Jason White (Oklahoma, ’03) on their 50th, 25th, and 10th Heisman Anniversaries, respectively. The evening also honored NBA legend David “The Admiral” Robinson as the 2013 Heisman Humanitarian; Robinson was selected for his decades-long dedication to serving deserving families in the San Antonio, Texas community.
Later in the evening, the newest Heisman Winner was welcomed to the podium to address the audience after he was officially presented with his trophy. Winston thanked his family, his coaches, his team, and the Heisman Trophy Trust for making his dream come true and remarked on how thrilling it is to develop new friendships with fellow Heisman Winners.
Winston also discussed the importance of relationships and spoke about asking himself “Why me?” in regards to winning the Trophy. After mulling it over and noting the strong leadership of Coach Fisher and his teammates, emphatically answered “Why not me!” With a humble but hearty laugh, the 2013 Heisman Trophy Weekend came to a conclusion with a great speech from the newest member of the most elite fraternity in college sports.
