When it comes to the all-time greatest individual players in college football history, few conferences have put out a better list than the Big Ten over the past 70 years.

Today, HuskerOnline.com takes a look back at the Big Ten’s 17 Heisman Trophy winners, including the three from new member Nebraska.

1939: Nile Kinnick, Iowa, Halfback
Iowa’s Nile Kinnick was the kind of player who literally did everything for the Hawkeyes. While he was listed as a halfback, Kinnick also saw time at quarterback, defensive back and punter, and he set 18 different school records by the time his college career was done. He was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, where he beat out a baseball player by the name of Joe DiMaggio and a boxer named Joe Lewis. Today, Iowa plays its home games at Nile Kinnick Stadium.
1940: Tom Harmon, Michigan, Halfback
A year after finishing second to Kinnick in the Heisman voting, Michigan halfback Tom Harmon finally got his time in the spotlight when he won the award in 1940. By the time he was done in Ann Arbor, Harmon had rushed for a total of 2,134 yards, threw for 1,304 yards, scored 16 touchdowns and averaged over 50 yards a punt. As a senior in ’40, Harmon helped guide the Wolverines to a 7-1 record and a No. 3 finish in the final polls.
1941: Bruce Smith, Minnesota, Halfback
Halfback Bruce Smith was the epitome of Minnesota’s dominance of the 1940s, as he helped lead the Gophers to back-to-back undefeated national championship seasons as junior in ’40 and a senior in ’41. What made Smith such an interesting Heisman winner was he didn’t have the same big stats as his counterparts. He was only Minnesota’s third leading rusher in ’41, but his role of team leader and propensity to come up with clutch plays late in games earned him national respect.
1944: Les Horvath, Ohio State, Halfback
When Ohio State’s Les Horvath won the Heisman in 1944, he established a new standard for offensive performance in the Big Ten. Along with setting a conference single season record at the time with nearly 1,000 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, Horvath also threw for 344 yards and six touchdowns. He was also one of the Buckeyes’ best tacklers as a defensive back.
1950: Vic Janowicz, Ohio State, Halfback
Vic Janowicz was one of the most versatile players in college football when he won the Heisman in 1950. Along with leading Ohio State at halfback, Janowicz also played quarterback, safety, punter and kickoff returner for the Buckeyes. In his senior year, he accounted for 16 touchdowns and 875 yards in total offense. Ohio State went just 6-3 that season, though one of those victories was an 83-21 blowout of Iowa.
1954: Alan Ameche, Wisconsin, Fullback
Wisconsin’s Alan Ameche earned the nickname “The Horse” for his bruising running style that punished opposing defenses for four season. When Ameche took home the Heisman in 1954, he had set the NCAA career rushing record with 3,212 yards on 673 carries. He ran for 25 touchdowns in ’54, and he also received the very first Walter Camp Memorial Trophy, given to the nation’s best overall player.
1950: Howard Cassady, Ohio State, Halfback
Howard Cassady ended his career at Ohio State as one of the most productive offensive players of his time, as he accumulated 4,403 total yards with 2,466 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns. Along with winning the Heisman in 1955, Cassady also took home the Maxwell Award and the AP Male Athlete of the Year and was the third overall pick in the ’56 NFL Draft.
1972: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, Wingback
Johnny Rodgers was one of the most electric players in the country in the early 1970s, and his countless big plays helped guide Nebraska to back-to-back national titles in ’70 and ’71. It wasn’t until ’72 though that “The Jet” became the Huskers’ first-ever Heisman winner. While NU fell short of its quest for a three-peat, Rodgers was as good as ever, scoring seven rushing touchdowns, seven receiving touchdowns and running back two punts for scores. He also won the Walter Camp Award that season, and currently holds or shares 41 school records and two NCAA records for career punt (7) and kick (9) touchdown returns.
1950: John Cappelletti, Penn State, Running back
With 1,522 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, running back John Cappelletti led Penn State to a perfect record in 1973 and took home the Heisman for his efforts. Years after his college career ended, PSU head coach Joe Paterno called Cappelletti “the best player I’ve ever coached.” His Heisman acceptance speech was one of the most memorable as well, as he dedicated the award to his dying brother, and his story was eventually made into a TV movie.
1974-75: Archie Griffin, Ohio State, Running back
When you think about the Heisman Trophy, you think about Archie Griffin. The Ohio State running back is the only player in college football history to win the award twice, as he took it home in 1974 and ’75. His play helped guide the Buckeyes to four straight Rose Bowl appearances. Griffin is still tied for the NCAA record for the most consecutive 100-yard games with 31, which he set primarily during his historic two-year run.
1983: Mike Rozier, Nebraska, Running back
There may not have been a better running back to play at Nebraska than Mike Rozier. The feature back of one of the most explosive offenses in NCAA history in 1983, Rozier won the Heisman, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award and set an NU single-season rushing record for attempts (273), had a then-school record for yards in a game with 285 against Kansas and posted 11 straight 100-yard games. By the time he was done, Rozier owned school records for career rushing yards (4,780) and rushing touchdowns (52).
1991: Desmond Howard, Michigan, Wide receiver
It took Desmond Howard one punt return for a touchdown and one iconic pose in the end zone to solidify himself as the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner. However, his numbers on the field that season were more than enough to earn him the award. Howard became the first wide receiver to lead the Big Ten in scoring with 138 points, and he ended the ’91 season with 61 receptions for 950 yards and 19 touchdowns.
1995: Eddie George, Ohio State, Running back
Whether you think he deserved it or not, Ohio State’s Eddie George definitely had a season worthy of a Heisman Trophy in 1995. Though many still think Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier should have won the award, George had an amazing season in his own right, setting a school single-season record with 1,927 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. He also ran for 100 yards or more in 12 consecutive games.
1997: Charles Woodson, Michigan, Cornerback
Like Griffin, Michigan cornerback and punt returner Charles Woodson will forever be one of the most memorable Heisman winners by becoming the first and only primarily defensive player to ever to win the award. Woodson picked off eight passes to go along with two receiving touchdowns and a huge punt return for a score against rival Ohio State in 1997. His play was enough to beat out Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning for the Heisman.
1999: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin, Running back
There hasn’t been a more productive running back in the history of college football than Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne. By rushing for more than 1,000 yards in four straight seasons - he was only the fourth player ever to do so - Dayne eventually broke the NCAA career rushing record with 6,397 yards on 1,220 carries, and those didn’t even include his four bowl games. In his four seasons with the Badgers, Dayne rushed for 1,863 yards as a freshman, 1,421 yards as a sophomore, 1,325 more yards as a junior and 1,834 as a senior.
2001: Eric Crouch, Nebraska, Quarterback
Eric Crouch’s capped off his record-breaking 2001 season by becoming Nebraska’s third Heisman Trophy winner. After guiding the Huskers to the national championship game as a senior, Crouch ended his career holding 32 school records, including becoming the Big 12 Conference’s all-time record holder at the time for total offense with 7,915 yards. He also set the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 59 and finished as one of three quarterbacks in NCAA Division I-A history to rush for 3,000 yards and pass for 4,000 yards in a career.
2006: Troy Smith, Ohio State, Quarterback
Many have labeled Ohio State’s Troy Smith as the Big Ten’s best quarterback of the past decade, and his Heisman Trophy in 2006 certainly gives him a good case for that title. In leading the Buckeyes to the championship game that season, Smith completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,507 yards with 30 touchdowns to just five interceptions. His play was so good that he ended up winning the Heisman with nearly 87 percent of the vote, making him the most consensus winner in the history of the award.