cover image The Heisman: Great American Stories of the Men Who Won

The Heisman: Great American Stories of the Men Who Won

Bill Pennington. HarperEntertainment, $25.95 (352pp) ISBN 978-0-06-055471-2

The universally venerated status of football's Heisman Trophy award and of its winners is revealed here through an intimate collection of profiles of some of the award's most storied winners. The significance of the Heisman Trophy, according to Pennington, a former syndicated sports columnist and a reporter for The New York Times, resonates with athletes and spectators alike, perhaps more so than any other individual award in sports. ""Every Heisman Trophy winner walks under a hero's light; that is our responsibility and we are honored to have it,"" says 1940 Heisman winner Tom Harmon. ""'I have always known what that trophy means.... I saw what it means in the eyes of youngsters... They would come to my den and say, 'Hey, there's the Heisman.' They would walk to the trophy and feel its outline, like it had a power they could touch."" Pennington's book offers readers the unique opportunity to consider each winner's story within a particular historical context. From Nile Kinnick, known as ""The Cornbelt Comet"" of the '30s, to West Point's legendary '40s backfield of Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis; from Ernie Davis--the Jackie Robinson of college football--to ""miracle worker"" Doug Flutie, and modern-day Sunday warrior Eddie George, these intimate profiles are inspiring stories (Heisman winners have gone on to become war heroes, Fortune 500 CEOs and high-level politicians) told at a heart-racing pitch that will appeal to both serious college football fans and those with a casual interest in sports history.