Chasing the three-timers

The Doak Walker Story

A side story in this year’s Heisman race is the possibility that Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield could join some prestigious names in college football history — even if he doesn’t win the 2017 trophy.

Mayfield, who finished fourth in the 2015 Heisman vote and third in the 2016 vote, has a shot to become just the seventh player to log three top 5 finishes in the Heisman vote (and first since Tim Tebow in 2009) and the 16th to finish in the top 10 of the vote three times. He could also be the fifth player to finish three times in the top 4 (and first since Herschel Walker in 1982).

As it turns out, every player with three top five finishes has wound up winning the Heisman, but six of the players who finished in the top 10 three times did not do so, including names like Marshall FaulkPeyton Manning and Anthony Carter.

The following charts show the players with the most top 5 and top 10 finishes:

Most Top 5 Heisman Finishes

TotalNameTeamYrs (Place)
3Glenn DavisArmy1944 (2), 1945 (2), 1946 (1)
3Felix “Doc” BlanchardArmy1944 (3), 1945 (1), 1946 (4)
3Doak WalkerSMU1947 (3), 1948 (1), 1949 (3)
3Archie GriffinOhio State1973 (5), 1974 (1), 1975 (1)
3Herschel WalkerGeorgia1980 (3), 1981 (2), 1982 (1)
3Tim TebowFlorida2007 (1), 2008 (3), 2009 (5)

Most top 10 Heisman Finishes

TotalNameTeamYrs (Place)
3Angelo BertelliNotre Dame1941 (2), 1942 (6), 1943 (1)
3Glenn DavisArmy1944 (2), 1945 (2), 1946 (1)
3Felix “Doc” BlanchardArmy1944 (3), 1945 (1), 1946 (4)
3Doak WalkerSMU1947 (3), 1948 (1), 1949 (3)
3Terry Hanratty*Notre Dame1966 (8), 1967 (10), 1968 (3)
3Archie GriffinOhio State1973 (5), 1974 (1), 1975 (1)
3Art Schlichter*Ohio State1979 (4), 1980 (6), 1981 (5)
3Herschel WalkerGeorgia1980 (3), 1981 (2), 1982 (1)
3Anthony Carter*Michigan1979 (10), 1980 (7), 1981 (4)
3Ty DetmerBYU1989 (9), 1990 (1), 1991 (3)
3Marshall Faulk*San Diego State1991 (9), 1992 (2), 1993 (4)
3Peyton Manning*Tennessee1995 (6), 1996 (8), 1997 (2)
3Matt LeinartUSC2003 (6), 2004 (1), 2005 (3)
3Tim TebowFlorida2007 (1), 2008 (3), 2009 (5)
3Kellen Moore*Boise State2009 (7), 2010 (4), 2011 (8)

 

* – did not win the Heisman