On December 2 1991 1991 Heisman winner Desmond Howard
As Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard raced to the end zone near the end of a 93-yard punt return against rival Ohio State in the 1991 regular-season finale, he knew he had to do something spectacular. “There’s no doubt about it,” said Howard, who now works as an analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay” show. “It was complete spur of the moment. I was wrestling with what I was going to do when I reached the end zone. I was like, ‘What am I going to do? What am I going to do?’ I got there and said, ‘Forget it!'” What Howard did next became one of the most indelible moments in college football history. After scoring on the longest punt return in Michigan history, Howard struck the familiar Heisman Trophy pose. He held the football in his right arm, raised his left leg and stuck out his left arm. On TV, ABC announcer Keith Jackson bellowed, “Hello, Heisman!” Three weeks later, Howard became Michigan’s second Heisman Trophy winner when he won in a landslide. As a junior, Howard caught 61 passes for 950 yards and scored 19 touchdowns. He became the first receiver to lead the Big Ten in scoring with 138 points. “I think my Heisman pose against Ohio State was just one of those signature moments,” Howard said. “You don’t realize it when it happens. You’re just a kid out there trying to have fun and do something special.” Other college football players have tried to duplicate the feat over the years, but none had the impact Howard’s original pose did. “They say the greatest flattery is imitation,” Howard said. “It’s flattering.” What’s most flattering to Howard is when nonfootball players strike the pose when meeting him for the first time. Howard said basketball stars LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal and baseball star Alex Rodriguez have introduced themselves to him by imitating the pose. “The best thing to me is when I see other people do it who never played football,” Howard said. “So many people have done the Heisman pose when I meet them.”
— Mark Schlabach
Sources:
About The Author
