Southern California star Reggie Bush has dominated college football all season – even on a Tuesday morning from across the country.
The buzz in the Waldorf-Astoria wasn’t just about the 11 former college standouts and two legendary coaches who were officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last night. There was ample discussion about the Heisman race.
“Reggie Bush will win it, and I think he should win it. He’s the most exciting runner maybe I’ve ever seen,” said Paul Wiggin, Stanford’s dominating two-way lineman and the elder statesman among the honorees. “I played every game Jim Brown ever played. And maybe he’ll always be the greatest runner that ever played . . . but I think Reggie Bush has so much excitement to what he does that he’s in a class by himself.”
Wiggin was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 1957 along with Brown. “[They] are different. Jim Brown, when people got him, he just beat them off. He was a man,” emphasized Wiggin, clenching his fists. “You don’t get your hands on [Bush], he freezes people in the open field.”
Last night’s inductees were All-Americans Cornelius Bennett (LB, Alabama 1983-86), Tom Curtis (DB, Michigan, 1967-69), Anthony Davis (RB, USC, 1972-74), Keith Dorney (OT, Penn St. 1975-78), Jim Houston, (E, Ohio St., 1957-59), John Huarte (QB, Notre Dame, 1962-64), Roosevelt Leaks (FB, Texas, 1972-74), Mark May (OT, Pittsburgh, 1977-80), Joe Washington (RB, Oklahoma, 1972-75), Paul Wiggin (DT, Stanford, 1954-56) and David Williams (WR, Illinois, 1983-85). Coaches Pat Dye (E. Carolina, Wyoming, Auburn, 153-62-5) and Don Nehlen (Bowling Green, W. Va., 202-128-8) were also honored.
“Even though I’m a SC guy I look at it objectively as a former player who was in the running for the Heisman,” said Davis, a major part of four Trojan title teams – two football and two baseball (in 1974 Davis was the Heisman runner-up to Ohio State’s Archie Griffin). “If [Bush] doesn’t play the way he does against Notre Dame, Arizona State, Fresno State and possibly Oregon, SC has two or three losses. When [QB Vince] Young was down against Oklahoma State, if Texas doesn’t have him, they lose. That’s one game, Reggie did it three times.”
Washington said there is a snag to Bush locking up the award, “You got two guys from the same team in Southern Cal that are definitely deserving. Maybe I’m a biased, I always feel running backs are the guys who are basically the heart and soul of football teams.”
Leaks agrees.
“Vince had a great year, but Reggie had another step above him,” said Leaks. “I think he’ll edge [Vince] out.”
