Marcus Allen, Barry Sanders, Jim Plunkett and Earl Campbell were just a few Heisman Trophy winners to go on to have great professional careers. But for every Roger Staubach and O.J. Simpson, there is Pat Sullivan and Terry Baker ? guys who flopped in the National Football League. What will be the future of this year?s recipient, Tim Tebow? It?s too early to tell, but for his sake, let?s hope his acceptance speech isn?t an indication of his career. Examiner staff writers Sean Welsh and Dave Carey are confident they each know who are the five worst players who earned the 25-pound bronze trophy for being named the Football Bowl Subdivision?s most outstanding player.
1 SW: ANDRE WARE, Houston, 1989: After throwing for 46 touchdowns as a junior, Ware?s greatest professional achievement was in 1997, when he backed-up fellow Heisman winner Doug Flutie for the Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts. He also spent time holding a clipboard behind studs like Rodney Peete andErik Kramer. Despite being paired with fellow Heisman winner Barry Sanders in Detroit, Ware flopped in three seasons with the Lions. In 14 career NFL games, Ware was 83-for-161 for 1,112 yards with five touchdowns against eight interceptions.
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DC: ANDRE WARE, Houston, 1989: The definition of a “system” quarterback. Joining other hallowed Detroit passing greats like Ty Detmer, Stoney Case and Scott Mitchell, Ware struggled so much during his pro career that relatives stopped asking him to pass anything during holiday dinners.
2 DC: DANNY WUERFFEL, Florida, 1996: Isn?t it ironic that his last name rhymes with “awful.” The only thing shorter than his pro career is his hairline, as the former Gator completed just 56.4 percent of his career passes in the NFL, with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 12-22. He did, however, win the World Bowl MVP award in 2000, leading the Rhein Fire to a dramatic, 13-10 victory over the Scottish Claymores. Boom goes the dynamite!
SW: RASHAAN SALAAM, Colorado, 1994: Salaam?s 1994 season was equivalent to Devo?s “Whip It,” only without the funny hats. Salaam, the ultimate one-hit wonder, amassed 2,055 yards during his junior season. His NFL career was derailed by injuries and an affinity for marijuana. He gave the XFL a try, playing with the Memphis Maniax in 2001, where he ironically shared a backfield with a man named Roosevelt Potts.
3 SW: ERIC CROUCH, Nebraska, 2001: His stubbornness cost the incredible athlete a future in the NFL. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, the undersized quarterback passed for 1,510 yards and seven touchdowns, and ran for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior. The Rams took him in the third round of the 2002 draft, but after he was moved to receiver, Crouch retired.
DC: GINO TORRETTA, Miami, 1992: Considering he was drafted in the last round of the NFL Draft, the only direction he could go was up ? until he got waived ? fired ? eight times by five teams. Just look at his career stats: 5-of-16 for 41 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
4 DC: CHARLIE WARD, Florida State, 1993: He was so good at basketball he passed up the NFL for the NBA. That would be like me quitting writing so I could pursue a career in interpretive dance. Ward?s illustrious career in The Association lasted 13 years, as he averaged 6.5 points and 4 assists per game. He has been the first selection in pick-up basketball at the YMCA in Tallahassee, Fla., for the past three years.
4 SW: CHRIS WEINKE, Florida State, 2000: The former minor league baseball player was older than most has-been, NFL back-ups when he won the Heisman. According to urban myth, the key to his success was his newfangled leather helmet. Sporting a better hairline, then-35-year-old Rodney Peete took Weinke?s job as the Carolina Panthers? starter in 2002.
5 SW: JASON WHITE, Oklahoma, 2003: As the pride of Tuttle, Okla., White?s name is on a road and the water tower in his hometown, but there is no truth to the rumor he is petitioning to have the entire town named after him. After winning the Heisman as a “senior,” White petitioned for ? and was granted by the NCAA ? a medical redshirt to play again in 2004. After the NFL Gods decided White?s move was akin to repeating seventh grade to earn a better grade in physical education, they exacted revenge by ruining his NFL dreams.
DC: RON DAYNE, Wisconsin, 1999: Reports swirled that scouts took Dayne?s 40-yard dash time at a Ponderosa Steakhouse near campus, where his time to the buffett and back to the table trumped any times recorded by Deion Sanders. The 5-foot-10, 245-pound round mound of touchdowns has crossed the goal line only 25 times in the NFL after graduating as the NCAA?s all-time leading rusher.