Penn State has one Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti in 1973, and nobody in 52 years since. For a program with 947 wins, two national titles and 44 consensus All-Americans, one Heisman is a low number, and the explanation is the same one that applies to Georgia and to Bear Bryant’s Alabama. Joe Paterno’s teams shared the ball.
| Year | Player | Position | The season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | John Cappelletti | Running back | 1,522 yards, 17 touchdowns, 12 and 0 season |
John Cappelletti, 1973
Cappelletti had played defensive back for two seasons before Paterno moved him to running back for his senior year. He ran for 1,522 yards and 17 touchdowns as Penn State went 12 and 0, with three straight 200 yard games in November, and won the Heisman over John Hicks of Ohio State and Roosevelt Leaks of Texas.
The award is remembered for the speech. Cappelletti dedicated the trophy to his eleven year old brother Joey, who was dying of leukaemia and was in the audience, and said that the courage Joey showed every day made his own football seem small. Vice President Gerald Ford, who had spoken before him, is said to have remarked that nothing more needed to be said. Joey died in 1976 at thirteen, and the story became the film Something for Joey.
The 1973 team finished unbeaten and fifth in the polls, one of four perfect Paterno seasons without a national championship. Our national championships page covers that.
The Runners Up
| Year | Player | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Chuck Fusina, quarterback | Second |
| 1994 | Ki-Jana Carter, running back | Second |
| 1994 | Kerry Collins, quarterback | Fourth |
| 2005 | Michael Robinson, quarterback | Fifth |
| 2017 | Saquon Barkley, running back | Fourth |
Ki-Jana Carter’s second place finish in 1994 came behind Rashaan Salaam of Colorado, on a team with Kerry Collins fourth in the same vote. Two top four finishers from one unbeaten offence, and no trophy. Chuck Fusina lost the 1978 vote to Billy Sims of Oklahoma with Penn State ranked first at the time. Saquon Barkley was the favourite entering November 2017 and slipped to fourth after two Penn State losses.
Why Only One
Paterno built his teams on defence and the offensive line and rotated running backs, which spread the statistics that Heisman voters look for. Curt Warner, Blair Thomas, Larry Johnson and Carter all had seasons that would have won the award for a featured back at another school; Larry Johnson ran for 2,087 yards in 2002 and finished third. The program has produced Lombardi and Butkus winners in numbers, awards that reward linemen and linebackers, and one Heisman.
The other factor is timing. The 1994 team’s two candidates split the vote. Fusina’s 1978 team lost the Sugar Bowl and the title after the ballots were counted. Our Heisman winners by year page has every recipient since 1995.
The Bottom Line
Penn State has one Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti in 1973, whose speech about his brother Joey is the best known moment in the award’s history. Chuck Fusina and Ki-Jana Carter finished second, and the 1994 team put two players in the top four without a winner. Fifty two years on, the program is still waiting for a second.