USD Football 1992

THE HYPES-MAN TROPHY

make it rhyme with Heisman," Hogan continued. "That was done because there wasn't the national exposure you get now from the proliferation of TV highlight shows or the special Heisman features each week in national publications. "All it takes now is one mention by a guy on TV that a player is a Heisman Trophy candidate and conversely, all it takes to spoil it is to say that he has blown his chances for the Heisman by not pro– ducing big numbers that day." At Houston, David Klingler was the pre- 1991 season favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but he disappeared from the scene after the University of Houston was blown away by Miami early in September. "We didn't promote him for the award, per se," said Ted Nance, the school's SID, who also agrees with Hogan that TV high– light shows and national publications are now overblowing the award. "But we worked to get him on the covers of the various football annuals and on pre-season All-America teams. After that, we left it up to him to produce on the field just as we did with Andre Ware, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1989. "We were surprised that Andre got so

being unfairly dismissed in mid-season after he failed to ring up big numbers in a rain-drenched victory against a tough Louisiana State team in Baton Rouge. " It started in the early '70s with all the mai l gimmicks and things like Notre Dame changing the pronunciation of Joe Theismann's name from 'Thees-man' to "It started in the early '70s. .. and things like Notre Dame changing the pronunciation of Joe Theismann's name from 'Thees– man' to make it

basis of an entire season, not just two or three games? "Our approach is that the Heisman Watch should be lightheaned, off-the-cuff and something to entertain the reader," she said. "It isn't written for the coaches, the players or the Heisman voters. We believe the reader accepts the lighthearted approach." Perhaps, but the reader may also accept that what is presented is fact and informa– tion, taking seriously what is presented by the media. All of this also impacts on the player and the school, though interestingly, neither Brigham Young nor Michigan went out of their way to hype the last two winners, Detmer and Desmond Howard. In fact, those players did not even appear on the covers of their media guides for that sea– son, and neither school used extraordinary means such as sending out flyers, post cards, posters and the like to try and influ– ence voters. "That kind of thing is what started the problem," noted Wayne Hogan, the sports information director at Florida State University, whose quarterback, Casey Weldon, was a Heisman contender until

rhyme with Heisman."

Wayne Hogan

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