Alabama &The Heisman Curse: Does the Heisman Curse Help Texas?

by Sudha Krishna | January 7, 2010 at 12:36 pm

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The star running back for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Mark Ingram, has won the Heisman Trophy for 2009 as the most outstanding college football player for 2009. Now, with Alabama competing for the BCS National Championship against Texas, the question has been raised does Mark Ingram and Alabama suffer from the Heisman Trophy Curse? and will that give an edge to the Texas Longhorns for the National Championship?

First off What is the Heisman Curse? According to Wikipedia the Heisman Curse is a myth defined as the following:

"The Heisman Curse is a myth that started in the late 2000s, asserting that any college football player who wins the Heisman Trophy will lose their subsequent bowl game. In recent years four straight Heisman winners lost their bowl games, including three National Championships.[1] The only two players that have avoided the "curse" since 2000 are both from USC, both quarterbacks, both 6'5", and both won the Orange Bowl."

It should also be mentioned that two Heisman Trophy winners who played for the Miami Hurricanes lost their respective shots at the National Championships. Vinny Testeverda won the Heisman Trophy in 1986 but lost, and Gino Terretta's won the Heisman in 1992 but his Hurricanes also lost.

As for Mark Ingram when he won the Hiesman trophy in December he had this to say about the Heisman curse

“It doesn’t phase me at all,” Ingram responded. “Some people when they have success they let it get to their head, but when I get to practice on Friday that will be my main focus, the national championship game, doing whatever I can to get us ready for this. My team is looking forward to it, I’m looking forward to it and I will do whatever I can to not let them down.”

His statement is not surprising but one thing is certain, if Alabama loses tonight against Texas and if Ingram has poor game then it will add just more fuel to the myth of the Heisman curse.

Myth and sports go hand in hand of course, and this no different. It is odd and unsettling that in recent years so many players who have won the Heisman trophy and played in the National Championship have failed to grab the brass ring.

As for chances of Texas winning all myths and curses aside, it is a question of the top defense against the run, shutting down the top running back Mark Ingram. If Alabama plays they did against Florida during the regular season then lights out Texas.

This curse goes beyond recent BCS history as well. In fact, if you win the Heisman Trophy and play for the Miami Hurricanes, you are destined to lose the championship game. Miami’s 2 Heisman Trophy winners, Vinny Testaverde (1986) and Gino Torretta (1992) both lost the national championships. In the last 20 years, only Danny Wuerffel (1996) has won the national championship game after winning the Heisman Trophy. That year, Wuerffel’s Florida Gators beat their in-state rival Florida State Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl.