Rank'Em
Rank’Em: Heisman winners, theirs and ours
Here is a look at the Heisman winners the Cowboys will have faced this year in chronological order, plus we'll rank the five Heisman winners who wore the Star during their careers.
Jameis Winston • Quarterback • Browns • 2013 Heisman Trophy
Okay, we're starting off our look at opponents with a bit of a stretch here as the Cowboys defeated Winston's Browns team in the 2024 season opener, but as the backup quarterback, he never stepped on the field. Which is probably a good thing since Winston has improved Cleveland's fortunes somewhat since becoming the starter in October. At Florida State, though, he became just the second freshman to ever win the Heisman, throwing for 4,057 yards and 40 touchdowns while taking the Seminoles to the national championship.
Lamar Jackson • Quarterback • Ravens • 2016 Heisman Trophy
Before he was starring as a dual-threat quarterback for the Ravens, Jackson was terrorizing college defenses at the University of Louisville. In his sophomore season, he earned 3,543 yards through the air, another 1,571 yards on the ground and totaled 51 touchdowns overall to become the first Heisman winner in school history. When the Cowboys faced Jackson and company on Sept. 22, he threw for just 182 yards, but in typical fashion also had 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens' victory.
Derrick Henry • Running Back • Ravens • 2015 Heisman Trophy
In that game against Baltimore, the Ravens featured not one, but two former Heisman winners as Henry earned his trophy the year before current teammate Lamar Jackson captured his. Henry helped Alabama to the national title in 2015 by rushing for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns, becoming the last running back to win the collegiate honor. And he's not any easier to tackle these days. In Baltimore's victory, his second game ever facing the Cowboys, Henry rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
DeVonta Smith • Wide Receiver • Eagles • 2020 Heisman Trophy
Topping the nation in catches (117), receiving yards (1,856) and touchdown grabs (23) in 2020, Smith became the first wide receiver to earn the Heisman since Desmond Howard did so in 1991. Oh, and he also helped Alabama win the national title that year. Smith has had some success against the Cowboys since joining Philadelphia, but he was held to two catches for 14 yards and no touchdowns in the two teams' first matchup this year, played on Nov. 10. The division rivals will meet again on Dec. 29.
Jayden Daniels • Quarterback • Commanders • 2023 Heisman Trophy
Last year saw Daniels become the third LSU product to win the Heisman after he threw for 3,812 yards, ran for another 1,134 and totaled 50 touchdowns. Selected second overall in the 2024 draft, he played the Cowboys for the first time on Nov. 24 and threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns. However, he also tossed two interceptions and was sacked four times as Dallas came away with a wild 34-26 victory. The Cowboys will face him again in the regular-season finale.
Joe Burrow • Quarterback • Bengals • 2019 Heisman Trophy
Burrow showed why he was a Heisman winner just last Monday night when he threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns in the Bengals' 27-20 victory over the Cowboys. In his senior year at LSU, he took home the hardware after passing for 5,671 yards and 65 total touchdowns while helping the Tigers to the national championship. In the title game against Clemson, he racked up 463 passing yards, threw for five touchdowns and even ran for one.
Bryce Young • Quarterback • Panthers • 2021 Heisman Trophy
Largely a freshman backup on Alabama's 2020 national championship squad, Young took the reins as a sophomore and promptly won the Heisman, totaling 4,872 passing yards with 47 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. The No. 1 overall pick in 2023, his fledgling NFL career has been up and down so far. A 33-10 loss to Dallas last year saw him pass for just 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but heading into Sunday's meeting with the Cowboys, his arrow has seemingly been pointing up.
Baker Mayfield • Quarterback • Buccaneers • 2017 Heisman Trophy
Mayfield came up short as a finalist for the Heisman in 2016, but when he then threw for 4,267 yards and 43 touchdowns the next year, he won the trophy with ease. Selected first overall by the Browns in 2018, Mayfield is now in his second year with Tampa Bay. The Cowboys' upcoming game versus the Buccaneers will be just his second against Dallas, although he threw two touchdowns in the Browns' 49-38 victory over the Cowboys on Oct. 4, 2020.
Eddie George • Running Back • Cowboys (2004) • 1995 Heisman Trophy
Now let's switch over to those former Cowboys who won a Heisman Trophy. George was a collegiate star at the University of Georgia, where in his senior year he rushed for 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns, which was good enough to win the 1995 honor. He spent most of his NFL tenure with the Oilers/Titans franchise, and still ranks first in that team's history for all-time rushing yards (10,009). However, George finished out his career with one year in Dallas, totaling 432 rushing yards and four scores during the 2004 season.
Vinny Testaverde • Quarterback • Cowboys (2004) • 1986 Heisman Trophy
In in his senior season of 1986, Testaverde threw for 2,557 yards and 26 touchdowns for the Miami Hurricanes to capture the Heisman. From there, he went on to enjoy a 21-year career in the NFL, totaling 46,233 passing yards, which ranks 16th all-time. One of those years was spent in Dallas, when head coach Bill Parcells brought him in to be a backup for the 2004 campaign. Instead, Testaverde was thrust into the starting role and went on to throw for 3,532 yards.
Herschel Walker • Running Back • Cowboys (1986-89; 1996-97) • 1982 Heisman Trophy
After finishing third in the Heisman voting as a freshman and then second in his sophomore campaign, Walker finally won the honor in 1982 when he rushed for 1,752 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Georgia Bulldogs. Leaving after his junior year to join the USFL, he came to the Cowboys in 1986 once that upstart league folded. From there, he went on to top 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of the next three seasons. Sent to Minnesota in 1989 as part of one of the greatest trades in NFL history, Walker eventually ended his career with two more years in Dallas, finishing with 3,491 rushing yards as a Cowboy.
Tony Dorsett • Running Back • Cowboys (1977-87) • 1976 Heisman Trophy
The Cowboys traded up to get the second overall pick in the 1977 draft just so they could select the dynamic running back from Pitt. Dorsett had won the Heisman the year before after leading the Panthers to the national title with 2,150 yards rushing. That success continued in Dallas as he promptly helped the team win the Super Bowl in his rookie season. Over his 11 years with the Cowboys, Dorsett would total 12,036 yards and 72 rushing touchdowns, marks that still rank second in franchise history. He was inducted into both the Cowboys Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
Roger Staubach • Quarterback • Cowboys (1969-79) • 1963 Heisman Trophy
Staubach won nearly every major collegiate award in 1963, including the Heisman, after he threw for 1,474 yards as a junior with Navy. In December of that same year, the Cowboys drafted him in the 10th round as a futures pick, knowing he still had one season left playing for the Midshipmen, plus another four years of required military duty. Needless to say, he was worth the wait. Staubach joined the Cowboys in 1969, became the permanent starter behind center in 1971 and immediately led Dallas to victory in Super Bowl XI. With "Captain Comeback" at the helm, the Cowboys would reach the Super Bowl three more times during the decade, winning the championship again in 1977. Staubach was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor in 1983 before then being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
