Former NJCAA All-American Wins 2010 Heisman Trophy
Front page photo: Former NJCAA All-American and current Auburn quarterback Cam Newton stands with the Heisman Trophy during a news conference after his winning the Heisman Trophy award, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010, in New York. Newton, the third player from Auburn to win the Heisman, received 729 first-place votes and outpointed runner-up Andrew Luck of Stanford by 1,184 points. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Photo below by and courtesy of Charlie Kelm, Blinn College.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 12, 2010
Contact: Mark Krug, NJCAA Director of Media Relations &
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Former NJCAA All-American Wins 2010 Heisman Trophy
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Former Blinn College (Texas) quarterback and NJCAA All-American Cam Newton was awarded the 2010 Heisman Trophy yesterday in New York City. He becomes the first player to win the coveted award with ties to the NJCAA since 1983 when Mike Rozier won the Heisman after a standout season with Nebraska. Rozier began his collegiate career at Coffeyville Community College (Kan.)
Despite eligibility allegations and the fact the NCAA ruled him eligible last week, Newton won by 1,184 points (2,263 to 1,079), which comes close to the largest Heisman victory of all time. Overall, 93 percent (729) of the ballots had Newton as the top selection.
Newton has led the Auburn Tigers to an 11-0 record, a SEC Championship and No. 1 ranking in BCS standings. Auburn will take on No. 2 Oregon in the BCS title game on Jan. 10th.
Newton's play on the field was second to none this season. He led the SEC in rushing, led the nation in passer ranking, and ran and passed for 3,998 yards and 49 touchdowns. He also set numerous single season school and conference records along the way.
A year ago, Newton led the Blinn Buccaneers to the 2009 NJCAA Football Championship. He threw for 2,833 yards and 22 TDs while also rushing for 655 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns to earn NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors. During the Heisman Trophy presentation on ESPN, Newton's time and play at Blinn was highlighted with footage from last year's NJCAA title game and interviews with Blinn head coach Brad Franchione and quarterback coach Ronny Feldman.
Newton is not the only former Blinn football player to earn such a prestigious award. In 2008 Bernard Scott (2006 NJCAA All-American) won the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is considered the NCAA DII equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, after a record-breaking season at Abilene Christian University. Scott is currently playing in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals.
What has been under reported this season is that without the opportunity to get on the field and play under the direction of great coaches at Blinn, Newton likely would not have made it to Auburn and won this year's Heisman Trophy. The opportunity Newton received is the same that thousands of student-athletes take advantage of each year in the NJCAA to advance to four-year institutions in the NCAA and NAIA.
Providing endless opportunities on the playing field and in the classroom is the mission of the NJCAA and its member colleges. The accomplishments of Newton, Rozier and countless other former NJCAA student-athletes prove that the opportunities at the two-year college level are endless and can be the foundation of success.
ABOUT the NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing body of two-year college athletics, offering endless athletic and academic opportunities to college students. It is the second largest national intercollegiate athletic organization in the United States with over 500 member schools in 43 states. Each year over 50,000 student-athletes compete in one of 28 different sports and the organization sponsors 48 national championship events and nine football bowl games each year. For more visit www.njcaa.org.