Heisman winners Mayfield, Jackson among seven finalists
Love, Barkley, Griffin, Fitzpatrick, Lanning also nominated
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield is trying to add the Lombardi Award to the Heisman Trophy he picked up last month.
Bryce Love, the Heisman runner-up, had 12 rushes of 50 yards or more in 2017. The Stanford running back would also be a worthy recipient of an award named after the late Vince Lombardi, a coaching icon whose Houston-based Lombardi Foundation supports organizations for cancer research and treatment.
So would Central Florida linebacker Shaquem Griffin, who continues to play sports after being born with amniotic band syndrome that resulted in the amputation of his left hand at age 4. Griffin was named the 2018 Peach Bowl Defensive MVP for the undefeated Knights.
Joining Griffin, Mayfield and Love among the seven finalists, with the winner to be named on Saturday night in Houston, are Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson (the 2016 Heisman winner) and Iowa State
linebacker/quarterback Joel Lanning, the only two-way player in the group. Six different conferences are represented.
Saturday’s presentation will air locally on ABC’s KTRK starting at 6 p.m. from Lone Star College in Cypress. A new Lombardi Award trophy, crafted by sculp-
tor Edd Hayes, will be unveiled.
Unlike the Heisman, which is awarded to college football’s most outstanding player, the Lombardi Award is not based only on performance. Leadership and character play a major role in selecting a winner, along with resiliency. Last season, Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen earned the honor.
Several other awards will be announced on Saturday, including the Lombardi Coach of the Year, which went to Clemson’s Dabo Swinney last year.
The event will also include the newest induction into the Lombardi Hall of Fame, as well as honor a legendary college football coach, broadcaster and humanitarian. The Lombardi Humanitarian Award will be presented to Greg Headington and the Headington family.
Others to be recognized include astronaut commander Randy Bresnik, Houston Chronicle sportswriter John McClain and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Lombardi, best known for coaching the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships in seven years in the 1960s and as the right guard for the Seven Blocks of Granite of the 1936 Fordham University football team, has been the namesake of the Lombardi Award since 1970.
Lombardi was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971, the year following his death from cancer.
Among the organizations that get proceeds from the event include Texas Children’s Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center and Harris Health Cancer Treatment Centers.
Richard Dean is a freelance writer.