FLASHBACK: George Rogers

1980 - 46th Award
George Rogers
South Carolina Back

Ball carriers can get pigeonholed as musclers or runabouts, not Rogers. S.C. backfield coach Bob Brown called him the ideal mix of bigness and quickness. New Orleans Saints coach Bum Phillips, who made Rogers the top NFL '81 draft choice, also noted the running back's double edge - Rogers could dodge a defender or run over him. At tailback for the S.C. Gamecocks, Rogers rolled up 21 consecutive wins and led the nation in rushing with 1,781 yards and tied for third in TDs with 14. On top of these great statistics, Rogers set an example in perseverance. There was a time in his youth when he couldn't afford the $2 insurance fee needed to play. Uneasy about contact when he started high school ball, he changed into a skilled hitter. When the 1980 season opened, he was a Heisman long shot, but when the voting was over he led decisively. In his first NFL season, he was one of the league's leading ground-gainers. George played with the Washington Redskins, Super Bowl Champions.

George was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1997.

The Voting

					Points
Place	Name	School	Class	Pos.	1	2	3	Total
1st	George Rogers	South Carolina	Sr.	RB	216	179	122	1,128
2nd	Hugh Green	Pittsburgh	Sr.	DE	179	125	74	861
3rd	Herschel Walker	Georgia	Fr.	TB	107	120	122	683
4th	Mark Herrmann	Purdue	Sr.	QB	58	71	89	405
5th	Jim McMahon	Brigham Young	Sr.	QB	30	32	35	189
6th	Art Schlichter	Ohio State	Jr.	QB	18	34	36	158
7th	Neil Lomax	Portland State	Sr.	QB	10	11	17	69
8th	Jarvis Redwine	Nebraska	Sr	RB	4	16	20	64
9th	Kenny Easley	UCLA	Sr.	DB	5	5	19	44
10th	Anthony Carter	Michigan	So.	WR	4	6	10	34

George Rogers of South Carolina and Hugh Green of Pittsburgh waged a furious battle for the Heisman, with Rogers getting 216 first place votes to 179 for Green. Green's first place votes and his points total were the highest ever gained by a lineman. Third place finisher Herschel Walker of Georgia had the highest point total ever recorded by a freshman.

No. of registered electors: 1,050
Date of announcement: December 1, 1980
Date of dinner: December 11, 1980

The positions within each region are as follows:

Place	NORTH-EAST	MID-ATLANTIC	SOUTH	SOUTH-WEST	MIDWEST	FAR WEST
1st	Green	Rogers	Rogers	Herrmann	Rogers	Rogers
2nd	Rogers	Green	Walker	Rogers	Walker	Green
3rd	Walker	Walker	Green	Green	Green	Walker/McMahon
4th	Herrmann	Herrmann	Herrmann	Schilchter	Herrmann	Herrmann
5th	Schlichter	Schlichter	Schlichter	Walker	McMahon	Lomax