Interesting article on ESPN about the 1997 Heisman and National Championship controversy

The Peyton/Eli version of MNF last week had on Randy Moss as a guest.  They showed a picture of the 97 Heisman Class.  Woodson, Peyton, Moss and Ryan Leaf.  3 of them went on to have excellent to all-time great like pro careers.  

Wow, I just read the article. I didn't realize Tennessee was our little brother before Staee became our little brother.

Manning, for all his talent, wasn't even the best player at his own position that year and Woodson had a transcendent season which is what, at the time we thought the award should be about.

It seems, long term, the lunatic fringe have won the argument. Look at this year's Heisman "class" - sure seems they are handing out a QB career achievement award. Is a position player from a non-SEC team even allowed to be considered anymore? 

Wow, breaking news - sports fans have long memories about things that happened way in the past. 

Just like TN fans are still salty about the Heisman vote in 97, Michigan fans are still salty over the Fulmer coaches poll vote that put Michigan in a tie with Nebraska. 

Tell us all something we don't already know. And yes, it was as current for me as it gets since I was a senior at UM in 97-98 and my buddies were prominently on TV during the Michigan-Duke basketball game (which we won) preceding the Heisman ceremony holding up a "Woodson 4 Heisman" sign - they got a lot of airtime going into and coming out of commercial breaks. 

Manning has some weird mojo with fans of the teams he’s played for. Indianapolis fans still believe Manning was robbed every time that Brady and the patriots beat them. They still believe Manning was and is the greatest qb ever, despite Brady’s accomplishments, and they never, ever mention Montana. 
 

I don’t have anything against Manning, just can’t stand Tennessee fans or Indianapolis fans elevating Manning to god status like they have.

You go back and watch the Heisman ceremony and it’s kind of laughable how much it was a love fest for Manning.  They saved him for last of all the candidates, he got waaay more screen time than Woodson, Leaf and Moss.  They interviewed Fat Fullmer, his high school coach, they showed home movies of him throwing a football at age 6.  The other candidates got nothing close to this kind of coverage.  And at the end of the night?  He didn’t even win. LOL. 

Oh well.  Don’t throw those interceptions against Florida.  Maybe then you’d have a leg to stand on.  

It's always been funny how Tennessee fans just assumed the Heisman was Peyton's birthright.  They were doing that for weeks before the actual ceremony.  Just goes to show, to paraphrase Steve Spurrier, you can't spell "salty fucker" without UT.

I had an interesting experience in Knoxville when visiting for a game in 2007.

A very affable guy was hosting me for the weekend, and we were hitting it off over a shared love of college football. I mentioned how it’s often the truly outstanding players that can put a team over the top, “like Vince Young or Charles Woodson.”

His face turned very serious, and hr said, “If I were you, I would not mention that name again. Now, you and I are getting along, and I won’t do anything. But if anyone else in here…” he gestured to all the other people in the bar, “were to hear you say that, it would probably get violent. And I would not be able to help you.”

We had a great rest of the weekend, though I was careful go tread lightly on the topic.

Ironic this topic would surface on ESPN now.  Not sure why.  Most of this is well known.

Objectively, Woodson was the best player on the team that went undefeated. 

He rose to every occasion in every game - the entire season, including against msu, psu, and osu. Plus, huge INT in the Rose Bowl.  Speed, strength and played special teams and offense.  

They should have had him kick a field goal.  

Woodson made huge plays in the biggest moments, in the biggest games. 

If Woodson would have fizzled in the NFL "maybe" in hindsight someone could argue that Manning may have deserved the award (I don't think so).  However, Woodson had a hall of fame NFL career as well.  And won a Super Bowl.  He was/is a generational player. 

Therefore, even with the benefit of hindsight and overall both careers Woodson wins in a landslide every time. 

Fat Phil can suck a corn-dog. 

Go Blue. 

Live in Knoxville.  Can confirm they are still very salty about Woodson over Manning.  

Manning got so much press and hype for Heisman from preseason through the end of the season. Woodson hype was a slow build during the season because of his outstanding play.

Seems pretty obvious to me that Woodson was more deserving, to overcome the preseason favorite. I don't recall a year like 1997 when people seemed so ready to award the Heisman before season started.

PS - Manning sucks at comedy.

This is such a tired argument from Tennessee fans. The more deserving player won the Heisman, both went on to become pro and college football hall of famers, Super Bowl champions and make many millions of dollars, both teams won a national championship before the 90s was over and Phil Fulmer even got his revenge by voting UM 4th to prevent a coaches poll national title. Move on with your lives.

I’m not going to read the article, don’t need to.

1. Manning rolled over like a bitch against Tennessee.

2. Woodson with an INT and big catch in the Rose for national championship.

3. 1&2 validates the Heisman decision.

4. Wazzou player clearly shoved Woodson on the half field Hail Mary. That INT would have both ended the game AND further validated per #3 above. 

5. fuck that ref for pulling the flag then not throwing it.

6. Fuck Tennessee fans for not understanding that Woodson is/was the best CB ever. 

7. fuck Osborne for retiring to politic for coaches votes to split the polls. Fuck the college coaches for swapping their votes as a lifetime achievement award. And fuck butt hurt fat fulmer for ranking Michigan lower than #2.

I’m done.
 

1997, the college football year that will live forever.

• I saw Marshall and Randy Moss play up in Mount Pleasant that year.  Moss, predictably, tore up the Chippewas, Marshall won by a ton.  I would have voted for Woodson over Manning personally, but in retrospect one wonders "what if Moss was at FSU or ND instead of Marshall?"  He arguably wins the Heisman in a landslide.  He was such an absolute outlier in terms of his talent.
• The Nebraska vs Michigan debate will live forever.  But --- what if there were a 4-team playoff that year?  Florida State would have been an incredibly tough out.  Great team that had that narrow loss to Florida in the Swamp in a forgotten classic game.

The Tennessee people will never get over this - just as I will never get over Staee voting to send Ohio to the 1974 Rose Bowl.

The Tennessee people will absolutely sure that Peyton was going to win the Heisman.  More sure than the Ohio people were that they were going to win on November 26.  They think the Heisman is illegitimate and they always will.

I still love the footage of Peyton after they announced Woodson as the winner.

Awww poor little Peyton Manning and the Tennessee Volunteers. Did that dude not see any of the other millions of Manning highlights they played all season?  ESPN gushed over Manning all season. I find it hard to believe that he and Tennessee didn't get enough attention in '97. 

Woodson scored TDs on offense, defense and special teams and made key plays in all phases all season. And he was one of the best players of all time at his position. Simply put: Charles Woodson is the Coolest College Football Player of All Time. 

When they had gameday at Tennessee this season the fans boo'd when they were showing Michigan, and when Manning was agt the table making his picks he even said he hates Michigan.  

All over an award 20+ years ago.  

I was glad when UGA beat UT. 

I'm still salty too, Nebraska doesnt deserve their coachs #1.

A decade later, half that 1997 Michigan team was still playing in the NFL.  Nebraska had nobody once they could be tested for steroids. 

Ick. I already knew most of this and hated reading it but couldn’t stop. Ugh.