Ohio 2nd In States with Most Heisman Trophy winners

It’s been 16 years since an Ohio-born player — Troy Smith at Ohio State — won the Heisman Trophy. But Ohio has history on its side when it comes to the Heisman.

With college football making its long-awaited return last Saturday, BetOhio wanted to look at trends of where most of the Heisman Trophy winners were born. Using Heisman.com, we tracked every winner’s birth state since the first Heisman Trophy was awarded in 1935.

Could this be used to show if any longshot has an outside chance at the Heisman in 2022? Well, Ohio has the second-most Heisman Trophy winners (10). California has the most with 13. 

And it’s probably no coincidence that the leading contender for the Heisman with the best odds in Ohio sports betting — C.J. Stroud — was born in California. And he plays for Ohio State. Sports betting in Ohio is legal, but the market won't launch until Jan. 1, 2023.

When the market does launch, bettors will want to use a bet365 Ohio bonus to maximize their bet slips. 

Top 10 States Where Most Heisman Winners Were Born

Archie Griffin Leads Ohio Heismans

Nine winners were born in Ohio, with Archie Griffin winning twice to make the Buckeye State one of two states with double-digit Heisman winners. 

Griffin, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner (1974-75), played his high school, college and professional football in Ohio. Griffin was born in Columbus and starred at Eastmoor High School before suiting up for Woody Hayes and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was a first-round pick of the Ohio Bengals in 1976 and spent seven seasons in Cincinnati. 

Griffin is one of four Ohio-born Heisman Trophy winners to win the award at Ohio State. 

Quarterback Troy Smith was born in Columbus but played high school ball at St. Edward and Glenville High School in Cleveland. Smith, the last Ohio-born Heisman winner, won the award in 2006, leading the Buckeyes to the National Championship Game. 

Howard “Hopalong” Cassady was born in Columbus and attended Central High School before winning the Heisman Trophy in 1955 as a running back at Ohio State. 

Lastly, Vic Janowicz was the second Buckeye (Indiana-born Les Horvath in 1944) to ever hoist the Heisman Trophy, winning in 1950 in the final year of the Wes Fesler era. Janowicz was born in Elyria and played at Elyria High School. 

Ohio State’s biggest rival, Michigan, had two Heisman Trophy winners from Ohio in the 1990s. Charles Woodson, born in Fremont, Ohio, won the Heisman at Michigan in 1997. Six years earlier, Desmond Howard, a Cleveland native, won the Heisman while playing for the Wolverines. 

Roger Staubach is the lone Heisman winner born in Cincinnati. “Captain Comeback” played at Purcell High School (now Purcell Marian High School) before winning the Heisman in 1964 while at Navy. Dick Kazmaier, born in Maumee, Ohio, won the Heisman in 1951 at Princeton. The first Ohio-born Heisman winner was Larry Kelley in 1936, who was born in Conneaut, Ohio. 

Will an Ohio-born player win the Heisman in 2022?

Currently, no Ohio-born player is among the Top 80 players in Heisman Trophy odds, according to BetMGM. While there’s no Ohio-born players, Ohio State has the Heisman favorite under center in California-born C.J. Stroud (+200). Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson (Virginia) is +2000 and wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Texas) is +3000. 

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is 80-to-1 to win the Heisman. Clifford played high school football in Cincinnati at St. Xavier but was born in Illinois. 

Once everything launches in the state, would-be bettors will be able to wager on college football action at any of the top Ohio betting apps. 

Leading 2022 Heisman Contenders

When sports betting officially launches in the state, be sure to check back at BetOhio for all the best Ohio sportsbook promos. 

Odds courtesy of BetMGM, where you can use a BetMGM Ohio bonus code to claim a great offer on the Heisman Futures markets.