Stanford’s Gerhart Second In Close Heisman Vote

December 13, 2009
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Cardinal Two Sport Start Edged By Ingram In Closest Vote In History

NEW YORK– Stanford running back Toby Gerhart finished second to Alabama’s Mark Ingram in the closest Heisman Trophy vote in the award’s 75-year history.

Stanford Two Sport Star Toby Gerhart Finished Second In Heisman Voting (Stanford Photo).

Stanford Two Sport Star Toby Gerhart Finished Second In Heisman Voting (Stanford Photo).

Ingram received 227 first-place votes and 1,304 points. Gerhart got 222 first-place votes and 1,276 points, while Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, last season’s runner-up, received 203 and 1,145.

“Toby is one of the greatest players,” said Stanford’s lone Heisman winner, Jim Plunkett, during the one-hour telecast on ESPN, speaking about Cardinal players becoming finalists for the award. “It doesn’t happen very often (at Stanford), but when it does, they are special.”

Gerhart was trying to join Plunkett in 1970, as just the second Stanford player ever to be honored with the nation’s top award. On Thursday, Gerhart became Stanford’s first winner of the Doak Walker Award, named for the nation’s top running back.

He is the first Stanford finalist since John Elway in 1982, and 11th player overall to be a part of the Heisman balloting.

It has been a whirlwind week for Gerhart, who won the Walker Award on Thursday in Orlando, took four final exams during the week and finally took part in the Heisman Trophy ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square on Saturday night. Twenty-seven former winners of the award were at the ceremony.

Gerhart broke his own single-season record for rushing with 1,736 yards during the regular season. He has also scored 26 touchdowns, a Pac-10 and Stanford single-season record. Both are tops in the nation. He has touched 200 yards three times this season and 100 yards in 10 of 12 games. Fifty times this season he ran for over 10 yards, best in the nation.

Gerhart and the 8-4 Cardinal are preparing for the Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso on New Year’s Eve against Oklahoma.

(Release)

Gerhart has also been a member of the Stanford baseball team for the last three seasons.  He helped the Cardinal reach the 2008 College World Series.  He has a 5th year of football eligibility left, although he is expected to forgo his remaining football and baseball eligibility to enter April’s NFL draft.  Gerhart has been included in the exclusive Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports throughout the fall.

Player 1st place Total
Mark Ingram 227 1,304
Toby Gehart 222 1,276
Colt McCoy 203 1,145
Ndamukong Suh 161 815
Tim Tebow 43 390

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