There are 6 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to bed I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.
Les Horvath was Ohio State's first Heisman Trophy winner.
NO. 6 LES HORVATH, HB/QB (1940-42, 1944)
Born: 1921 (South Bend, IN)
High School: James Ford Rhodes and Parma
Died: 1995 (Glendale, CA)
OHIO STATE CAREER
- The Buckeyes were 28-6-1 with Horvath on the team.
- 1942 National Champion.
- 1942 Big Ten Title.
- 1944 Big Ten Title.
- Went 2-1-1 against That Team.
HONORS
- 1944 Heisman Trophy Winner.
- 1944 Big Ten MVP.
- 1944 Ohio State MVP.
- 1944 All-American.
- 1944 All-Big Ten.
- 1969 Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
- 1977 Inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
- 2001 Horvath's No. 22 was retired by Ohio State.
NFL DRAFT
Round 6 to the Chicago Bears with the 45th pick of the 1943 draft.
Les Horvath's Heisman Portrait.
Les Horvath's Ohio State career per The Ohio State Team Guide:
In 1944, Les Horvath made Ohio State history by becoming the school’s first Heisman Trophy winner. With Horvath at the controls, the Buckeyes posted a perfect 9-0 record and won the Big Ten championship. In addition to leading the Big Ten in rushing (669 yards) and total offense (953 yards), the Parma, Ohio, native accounted for 1,248 all-purpose yards. Horvath, who played both quarterback and halfback on offense and safety on defense, was the Big Ten’s MVP in 1944.
Ironically, Horvath almost didn’t play in 1944. After helping lead the 1942 Buckeyes to a 9-1 record and the school’s first national championship, Horvath entered dental school at Ohio State and did not play in 1943. But when Coach Carroll Widdoes went to him prior to the 1944 season, the 23-year-old Horvath, who had an extra year because of wartime rules, agreed to return to the gridiron.“At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to play,” said Horvath on one of his last visits to Columbus. “Dental school was quite taxing. But Coach Widdoes said I wouldn’t have to practice all the time and agreed to fly me to the games, both of which gave me more time to study.”
Horvath is the only Heisman winner who did not play the previous season. The layoff obviously did not bother him. He set a Big Ten rushing record in his final year.
Horvath, who finished his Ohio State career with 2,055 yards of total offense, went on to play professional football with the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns. Following his professional career, he returned to Los Angeles and practiced dentistry.
Les Horvath's childhood and high school career per Wikipedia:
Horvath was born to Hungarian immigrants in South Bend, Indiana in 1921; his family soon moved to Parma, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Parma Senior High School starting in 1936 and played on the track, basketball and football teams until the 11th grade. He decided to switch schools because he felt his basketball teammates were not taking the sport seriously.
Horvath's family relocated, and in 1938 he enrolled at James Ford Rhodes High School in Cleveland, one of Parma's rivals. Playing as a quarterback for the Rhodes Rams, Horvath guided the team to seven straight wins in 1938, but the team lost to West Technical High School for a chance to be the Cleveland Senate League's nomination to play in the city championship. He graduated in 1939.
Horvath was the first Ohio State player to win the Heisman, and he remains the only Heisman winner not to have played football the previous season.
Les Horvath helps bring Ohio State its first national championship per Wikipedia:
Ohio State was ranked first in the country in the AP Poll early in the season, but fell in the rankings after a loss to Wisconsin in October. The team won the rest of its games, however, including a 21–7 victory over arch-rival Michigan at the end of the season.
Horvath passed to Sarringhaus for a 35-yard touchdown and caught another 32-yard touchdown pass from Sarringhaus in the Michigan game. Ohio State's 9–1 record put it on top of the Big Ten standings and in the final AP Poll, giving the school its first-ever national championship.
Horvath celebrating with Carroll Widdoes after beating That Team 18-14 in 1944.
Les Horvath returns to Ohio State due to WWII rule per Wikipedia:
Horvath agreed to come back and be a veteran leader for a team that was composed mostly of freshmen because of older players' service in the war. Horvath had a breakout season in 1944, gaining 669 rushing yards and 1,200 all-purpose yards as the Buckeyes turned in a 9–0 record and finished second in the national polls. The highlights of Horvath's season included scoring the winning touchdown in Ohio State's annual matchup against Michigan. Calling all of Ohio State's offensive plays, he was nicknamed the "playing coach".
Horvath was named a first-team All-American by sportswriters and the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten after the season. He was voted by his teammates as Ohio State's Most Valuable Player. He also won the Heisman Trophy, an award given each year to the best college football player in the country.
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | 8 |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | 8 |
| BIG TEN MVP | 6 |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 4 |
| CAPTAIN | |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | |
| LETTER | 1 |
| TOTAL | 37 |
For more information on other players who wore No. 22 go here.
Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide and Wikipedia
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | 8 |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | 8 |
| BIG TEN MVP | 6 |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 4 |
| CAPTAIN | 4 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | 4 |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | 3 |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | 1 |
| LETTER | 0.25 PER YEAR |
Today's article is brought to you by the Les Horvath and the Heisman Trophy:
