As an OU grad, I’ve been getting this question since Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford won the trophy on Saturday night. People have been asking me whether I put much stock in the “Heisman curse” — the tendency of Heisman-trophy winners to have less-than-stellar pro careers. My answer is no, I don’t believe it’s a curse. I think it’s due to the fact that most Heismans are given to quarterbacks, and success as a college quarterback rarely translates into success as a pro quarterback. By contrast, running backs who have won the trophy have a mixed record in the NFL (Reggie Bush is doing ok, Ricky Williams not so much), and the only defensive player to have won the Heisman, Charles Woodson, has had an above-average pro-career. Malcolm Gladwell has written an interesting article touching on this phenomenon for the latest New Yorker, although you shouldn’t read it without also reading Will Wilkinson’s take.

I think Sam will do ok in the pros, mostly because he’s got the size to play in the NFL. He’s also an amazing competitor — that end-over-end leap for the end zone near the end of the OSU game was positively Elway-esque. I’m selfishly hoping he’ll come back to OU for at least one more year before he declares himself eligible for the draft, not only to provide Sooner fans with another season of entertainment, but also (sorry John) so that he doesn’t end up behind Detroit’s offensive line.

As for the other “Heisman curse,” all I’m going to say about that is Boomer Sooner.