In the SEC’s Heisman arms race, South Carolina’s George Rogers still stands alone

Forty-five autumns have come and gone since George Rogers carried South Carolina football to its brightest moment.

The 1980 Heisman Trophy remains the lone one in Gamecocks history — a single bronze figure that still defines the program’s place in college football’s pecking order.

Rogers did not win the Heisman by riding the momentum of a traditional powerhouse. He won it while elevating a South Carolina program that had never reached the heights of college football’s elite.

The senior tailback rushed for 1,781 yards — a Southeastern Conference record at the time — and 14 touchdowns as the engine of a South Carolina offense built around his production.

Week after week, defenses knew where the ball was going, but they still struggled to stop Rogers. His combination of speed, vision and durability made him the centerpiece of a team that went 8-4.

Though Rogers remains the only Gamecock to reach the top of the Heisman ballot, other South Carolina stars have made their mark in the voting.

George Rogers won the Heisman Trophy in 1980.
The State (Columbia, S.C.) file photo

Sophomore defensive end Jadeveon Clowney received four first-place votes and finished sixth in 2012, the program’s best Heisman showing since Rogers. Senior wide receiver Sterling Sharpe (1987) and freshman running back Marcus Lattimore (2010) also received votes.

Rogers’ name sits on a list of 41 schools that have produced a Heisman Trophy winner since the award debuted in 1935.

And in the SEC — where South Carolina competes weekly against programs with trophy cases holding multiple Heismans — Columbia’s lone winner stands as a point of pride and a reminder of how long the wait has been.

USC (the one in Los Angeles) leads all schools with eight winners. Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma each have seven. Alabama has four. South Carolina has one.

For Gamecocks fans filing into Williams-Brice Stadium every fall, that 1980 entry carries a weight all its own.

In a league where Alabama, LSU, Florida, Auburn and Georgia have combined for 15 Heisman winners, Rogers is Columbia’s answer — the crown jewel who has yet to be joined.

George Rogers Boulevard is located just outside Williams-Brice Stadium on South Carolina’s campus. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Every school with a Heisman winner

Here is every program that has produced a Heisman winner, from USC’s record eight to Indiana, the newest member of the club after Fernando Mendoza’s 2025 victory.

8 winners

USC: RB Mike Garrett (1965), RB O.J. Simpson (1968), RB Charles White (1979), RB Marcus Allen (1981), QB Carson Palmer (2002), QB Matt Leinart (2004), RB Reggie Bush (2005), QB Caleb Williams (2022)

7 winners

Notre Dame: QB Angelo Bertelli (1943), QB John Lujack (1947), TE Leon Hart (1949), RB John Lattner (1953), QB Paul Hornung (1956), QB John Huarte (1964), WR Tim Brown (1987)

Ohio State: HB Les Horvath (1944), RB Vic Janowicz (1950), RB Howard Cassady (1955), RB Archie Griffin (1974, 1975), RB Eddie George (1995), QB Troy Smith (2006)

Oklahoma: RB Billy Vessels (1952), RB Steve Owens (1969), RB Billy Sims (1978), QB Jason White (2003), QB Sam Bradford (2008), QB Baker Mayfield (2017), QB Kyler Murray (2018)

4 winners

Alabama: RB Mark Ingram (2009), RB Derrick Henry (2015), WR Devonta Smith (2020), QB Bryce Young (2021)

3 winners

Army: FB Doc Blanchard (1945), RB Glenn Davis (1946), RB Pete Dawkins (1958)

Auburn: QB Pat Sullivan (1971), RB Bo Jackson (1985), QB Cam Newton (2010)

Florida: QB Steve Spurrier (1966), QB Danny Wuerffel (1996), QB Tim Tebow (2007)

Florida State: QB Charlie Ward (1993), QB Chris Weinke (2000), QB Jameis Winston (2013)

LSU: RB Billy Cannon (1959), QB Joe Burrow (2019), QB Jayden Daniels (2023)

Michigan: RB Tom Harmon (1940), WR Desmond Howard (1991), CB Charles Woodson (1997)

Nebraska: WR Johnny Rodgers (1972), RB Mike Rozier (1983), QB Eric Crouch (2001)

2 winners

Colorado: RB Rashaan Salaam (1994), WR/CB Travis Hunter (2024)

Georgia: RB Frank Sinkwich (1942), RB Herschel Walker (1982)

Miami: QB Vinny Testaverde (1986), QB Gino Torretta (1992)

Navy: RB Joe Bellino (1960), QB Roger Staubach (1963)

Texas: RB Earl Campbell (1977), RB Ricky Williams (1998)

Texas A&M: RB John David Crow (1957), QB Johnny Manziel (2012)

Wisconsin: FB Alan Ameche (1954), RB Ron Dayne (1999)

Yale: TE Larry Kelley (1936), HB Clinton Frank (1937)

1 winner

Baylor: QB Robert Griffin III (2011)

Boston College: QB Doug Flutie (1984)

BYU: QB Ty Detmer (1990)

Chicago: HB Jay Berwanger (1935)

Houston: QB Andre Ware (1989)

Indiana: QB Fernando Mendoza (2025)

Iowa: QB/HB Nile Kinnick (1939)

Louisville: QB Lamar Jackson (2016)

Minnesota: HB Bruce Smith (1941)

Oklahoma State: RB Barry Sanders (1988)

Oregon: QB Marcus Mariota (2014)

Oregon State: QB Terry Baker (1962)

Penn State: RB John Cappeletti (1973)

Pittsburgh: RB Tony Dorsett (1976)

Princeton: HB Dick Kazmaier (1951)

South Carolina: RB George Rogers (1980)

SMU: HB Doak Walker (1948)

Stanford: QB Jim Plunkett (1970)

Syracuse: RB/LB Ernie Davis (1961)

TCU: QB Davey O’Brien (1938)

UCLA: QB Gary Beban (1967)

Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.