Tailback U
No substitute 4 strength.
Toby Gerhart deserves the Heisman and all of you should be rooting for him tonight.
Here is why:
http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_13971957?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
Here is why:
http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_13971957?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
From time to time, I receive complaints that I am an overly opinionated sports columnist. For the next 48 hours, I plan to be even more opinionated.
I really want Stanford running back Toby Gerhart to win the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented Saturday evening in New York City. And you should want it, too.
You should want him to win because if the Heisman is supposedly awarded to "the most outstanding player in college football," then Gerhart is overqualified.
At Stanford, Gerhart has set all sorts of school records and is leading the country in yards gained and touchdowns scored. That takes care of the "outstanding" part of the qualifications.
You should want him to win because he also is big on the "college" part of those qualifications. Gerhart is taking six extra credits this quarter, so he can earn his management sciences/engineering degree faster. One of the courses is Integral Calculus. Another is Introduction to Optimization. If you could post a 40-yard dash time in studying, Gerhart would fry stopwatches.
Gerhart's background is so classic, even the Hallmark Channel might reject his life story for being too unbelievably heartwarming. He comes from the Southern California community of Norco, population 25,000, which is so bucolic that many residents ride horses around town. Norco has therefore adopted the motto of "Horsetown U.S.A." So when you say that Gerhart runs like a thoroughbred, it's probably
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because he picked up some running techniques from his "neighbors."
Gerhart's entire family is as All-American as they come. His dad and mom were school sweethearts — at Norco High, where his dad is now the football coach. Gerhart has triplet sisters and two brothers, all of them athletes. One of his dad's projects this month is to find stored-away video of Toby's days as a grade schooler in Pop Warner football and make a highlight video to show at upcoming Gerhart holiday gatherings. All together now: Awwwwwwww.
You should want him to win, even if you are a fan of rival Cal, because Gerhart has made so many choices along the way to challenge himself. He also plays on the Stanford baseball team, when sticking to one sport would be easier. As a runner, he almost always barrels over people instead of slipping around them, which takes a toll on his body. And when other college programs recruited him solely as a linebacker out of high school — Gerhart accepts the theory that it was because he is white and those schools stereotyped him as being too slow — he rejected those scholarship offers and accepted Stanford's invitation to come aboard as running back.
You should want him to win because Gerhart had absolutely zero hype as a Heisman candidate before the season, unlike the four other finalists who will join him in New York for Saturday's ceremonies — Alabama running back Mark Ingram, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Meanwhile, back at Stanford, Gerhart was walking around campus anonymously on the way to calculus class.
As 2009 progressed, Gerhart ripped off big games in upset victories over USC and Oregon. People began paying attention. Then, against Notre Dame in the nationally-televised regular season finale, Gerhart ran for 205 yards, scored three touchdowns and threw a pass for another one. In other words, he created his own hype with his own
legs and his own toughness. Maybe it's something Gerhart learned in that Optimization class.
You should want him to win because Gerhart respects the Heisman tradition. He said this week that his first memory of the award was in 1991, when Desmond Howard of Michigan won. Gerhart was four years old. Later, when he was 12 years old and playing in a baseball tournament at Cooperstown in upstate New York, his family made a special trip to New York City and the Downtown Athletic Club, where the Heisman once was housed. "I remember seeing the portraits of past winners," Gerhart said. No word if he was taking notes.
You should want him to win because he has basically carried Stanford football on his back from the desert of near-irrelevance.
In Gerhart's freshman year under former coach Walt Harris, the Cardinal had a 1-11 record. After missing most of his sophomore season with an injury, Gerhart hopped on the enthusiasm train with coach Jim Harbaugh and began knocking down victories on the way to a 8-4 record and a trip to the Sun Bowl.
In true Silicon Valley style, Gerhart may be the Heisman's first true strategic YouTube campaigner. While other Heisman finalists strictly post their football highlights, Gerhart's pals at Stanford concocted a short film that lampooned his status as a multisport athlete by having him wear a football helmet while he attempts in vain to play tennis and swim. In another hilarious video, Gerhart attempts to sing with a Stanford choral group. If any voters watched, they had to laugh and be impressed.
You should want him to win because I assume most of you who read this column are Bay Area residents. We all arrogantly agree that we live in the best corner of the United States. But during the 75-year history of the Heisman award, it has treated our local universities the way that prime-time TV is treating Jay Leno. The only Bay Area winner of the award has been Jim Plunkett, the Stanford quarterback of 1970. That's a felony, considering all the other great college players who have passed through these parts — including Craig Morton and Chuck Muncie of Cal, Frankie Albert and John Elway of Stanford. It's long past time for another. Long, long, long past time.
Of course, that is just one man's obnoxious opinion. But for the next couple of days, you should consider joining me. Trust me. If Gerhart wins the Heisman, we will all feel optimized.
GERHART TOPS THE CHARTS
Where he ranks on Stanford's career rushing lists:
First in 100-yard games (19)
First in career touchdowns (42)
First in single-season attempts (311)
First in single-season yards (1,736)
First in single-season touchdowns (26)
Second in career rushing yards (3,387)
Third in career attempts (639)
BY THE NUMBERS IN '09
1: National rank in rushing yards (1,736)
1: National rank in scoring (13.3 ppg)
2: National rank in yards-per-game (144.7)
3: Games over 200 yards
5.6: Yards per carry
10: Games over 100 yards (out of 12)
13: Rushing touchdowns in November
26: Rushing touchdowns
185.4: Yards-per-game in November
200.3: Yards-per-game against ranked opponents
STANFORD IN THE HEISMAN
A look at the school's top finishers:
1940: Frankie Albert, 3rd
1940: Norman Standlee, 9th
1951: Bill McColl, 4th
1953: Bobby Garrett, 5th
1956: John Brodie, 7th
1970: Jim Plunkett, 1st
1977: Guy Benjamin, 7th
1981: Darrin Nelson, 6th
1982: John Elway, 2nd
1992: Glyn Milburn, 9th
Note: Reggie Bush (USC) is the only running back to win the Heisman this century.
