On this date (December 9, 1954), Kenosha’s Alan “The Horse” Ameche was presented with the Heisman Trophy at a ceremony at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York.
The Bradford graduate earned college football’s top award after rushing for 641 yards and nine touchdowns while playing both ways as a senior at Wisconsin.
The star of Bradford’s legendary 1950 team notched 1,018 points in voting by 1,318 sports writers and broadcasters. Oklahoma’s Kurt Burris finished second with 838 points.
Ameche, a two-time All-American, finished his career as the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher with 3,345 yards.
Note: Ameche, who died in 1988, was the Colts first round pick in 1955. A four-time Pro Bowler, Ameche is a member of at least three Halls of Fame and was named the greatest player in Wisconsin’s all-time team in 1969.
