The Big 12 Conference has seen its fair share of Heisman Trophy winners over the years. Some of the winners happened prior to the formation of the Big 12, of course, they fell under the banner of the Big 8 and the SWC prior to 1996.
The Texas Longhorns have celebrated a pair of Heisman winners during that stretch. The Oklahoma Sooners have seen more success as of late with four different quarterbacks earning the distinction since 2003. In consecutive seasons (1977-78), a pair of running backs featured in the Red River Rivalry took home the trophy.
Those two aren’t the only teams to win the most prestigious individual honor in college football. Winners hail from the Baylor Bears, Oklahoma State Cowboys, and new conference members BYU Cougars and Houston Cougars who start play in 2023.
Check out the rest of the conference Heisman winners:
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC | notre-dame
We break down each Heisman Memorial Trophy winner from current and future Big 12 schools over the last 51 years:
1977: Earl Campbell | Running Back | Texas Longhorns (SWC)
AP Photo
Campbell’s 1977 Stats: 267 Carries | 1,744 Yards | 18 touchdowns
1978: Billy Sims | Running Back | Oklahoma Sooners (Big 8)
AP Photo/Kathy Willens
Sims’ 1978 Stats: 231 Carries | 1,762 Yards | 20 touchdowns
1988: Barry Sanders | Running Back | Oklahoma State Cowboys (Big 8)
AP Photo/Susan Ragan
Sanders’ 1988 Stats: 344 Carries | 2,628 Yards | 37 touchdowns
1989: André Ware | quarter-back | Houston Cougars (SWC)
AP Photo/Ira Strickstein
Ware’s 1989 Stats: 63.1% Comp | 4,699 Yards | 46 TDs | 15 INTs
1990: Ty Detmer | quarter-back | Brigham Young Cougars (Independent)
AP Photo
Detmer’s 1990 Stats: 64.2% Comp | 5,188 Yards | 41 TDs | 28 INTs
1998: Ricky Williams | Running Back | Texas Longhorns
ADAM NADEL/AFP via Getty Images
Williams’ 1998 Stats: 361 Carries | 2,124 Yards | 27 touchdowns
2003: Jason White | quarter-back | Oklahoma Sooners
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
White’s 2003 Stats: 61.6% Comp | 3,846 Yards | 40 TDs | 10 INTs
2008: Sam Bradford | quarter-back | Oklahoma Sooners
James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Bradford’s 2008 Stats: 67.9% Comp | 4,720 Yards | 50 TDs | 8 INTs
2011: Robert Griffin III | quarter-back | Baylor Bears
Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Griffin’s 2011 Stats: 72.4% Comp | 4,293 Yards | 37 TDs | 6 INTs
2017: Baker Mayfield | quarter-back | Oklahoma Sooners
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mayfield’s 2017 Stats: 70.5% Comp | 4,627 Yards | 43 TDs | 6 INTs
2018: Kyler Murray | quarter-back | Oklahoma Sooners
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Murray’s 2018 Stats: 69.0% Comp | 4,361 Yards | 42 TDs | 7 INTs
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