Oklahoma football: Ranking the Sooners’ six Heisman winners

Oklahoma has been represented by six winners of the prized Heisman Trophy, the most recent coming this season with the induction of Baker Mayfield into college football’s most exclusive club.

The Sooners’ six Heisman winners is one less than the number won by Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC, although USC is officially credited with six (the Heisman won by Reggie Bush in 2005 was vacated by the Heisman Trust because of NCAA violations against Bush and USC) and Archie Griffin won the Heisman twice, the only player to do so two years in a row, in 1974 and 1975.

The six Heisman Trophies won by Oklahoma Sooners in the 83 years the award has been presented are three more than any other college program not named Notre Dame, Ohio State or USC. Thirty-nine different schools have won the Heisman, but only 18 have won it more than once.

Oklahoma’s six Heisman recipients span five decades, beginning in the 1950s, played for five different head coaches, represent just two positions (running back and quarterback, three of each) won two national championships between them, 16 conference championships and produced a combined won-lost record of 204-40-1 (.830) when they played.

Five of the Sooners’ six Heisman winners are memorialized with action-like bronze statues standing close to 10-feet tall in an area designated as Heisman Park outside of and along the east side of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and one of Mayfield will be joining them shortly.

There is a petition afoot to have Mayfield’s action pose be that of him planting the flag at Ohio Stadium earlier this season.

All six of the Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winners  were voted the best college football player in their particular season, but how would you rank them in terms of their overall performance, impact and contributions to OU football history? Here is how we would address that question: