The Heisman trophy may be the biggest curse in sports, next to being placed on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

All told:

• Only six Heisman winners in 50 years have played on Super Bowl-winning teams.
• Heisman winners have lost 16 of the past 28 bowls games after receiving the award.
• 11 of the past 14 winners are either out of football or don't start on their current teams.

To be voted as college football's best player is an award any skill position player strives for, but considering the high expectations that are rarely met in sport of football, perhaps this is one case where it's better to finish second.

Read on to see whom The List feels are the biggest flops in Heisman history:

Charlie Ward (Florida State, 1993):
After graduation, the former Seminoles quarterback never set foot on a professional football field. Instead, Ward went from being the top player on the top team in the country to the eighth-best player on the Knicks. Still, despite being considered the worst starting point guard in the NBA today, he is still somehow the floor leader for the same organization that drafted him 10 years ago.

Notable player he beat out for the Heisman: Marshall Faulk.

Round drafted in the NFL: not drafted.

Professional highlight: Started bench-clearing brawl in the 1997 NBA Eastern Conference semfinals vs. the Miami Heat that led to the ejection of half the Knicks team. Those suspensions ultimately cost them a series where they were up 3-games-to-1. 

Where is he now? Down 17 points in the fourth quarter, on the way to another Knicks loss.

Gino Torretta (Miami, 1992):
Like Ward, Torretta led his team to a national championship game. Unlike Ward, his team lost. 

Three years after being drafted by the Vikings, Torretta finally saw significant playing time in a game and promptly completed 5 of 16 passes for 41 yards and one touchdown.

That stat line also marks the total numbers for his entire career.

Torretta probably was the most nomadic player in Heisman history. He was waived eight times by five different teams during his career, including four different occasions by the 49ers. Couldn’t the guy take a hint?

Notable player he beat out for the Heisman: Marshall Faulk.

Round drafted in the NFL: seventh.

Professional highlight: See “5-16-41” line above.

Where is he now? ESPN2 college football analyst.

Andre Ware (Houston, 1989):
Unlike Ward and Torretta, Ware decided to forgo his senior year at Houston to enter the NFL draft. His numbers as a junior warranted such a move, as he threw for 4,699 yards and an amazing 46 touchdowns in Jack Pardee’s pass-happy offense.

Upon going to the next level, Ware hardly saw the field in four NFL seasons with the Lions and Vikings, completing a respectable-but-mostly-garbage-time 83 passes in 161 attempts for 1,112 yards and five touchdowns. Down but not out, Ware rejoined Pardee in the CFL with the Ottawa Rough Riders, but ultimately pulled a Torretta by bouncing around to three different teams in three years before retiring in 1997.

Not-so-notable player he beat out for the Heisman: Major Harris.

Round drafted in the NFL: first.

Professional highlight: Won a Grey Cup in the CFL (albeit as a backup to fellow Heisman winner Doug Flutie).

Where is he now? ESPN2 college football analyst (this is not a recording).

Eric Crouch (Nebraska, 2001):
Arguably the best running quarterback who could also accurately pass a football in college football history, Crouch’s Heisman season saw him complete 105 of 189 passes for 1,510 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran a Cornhuskeresque 203 times for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns. After winning the Heisman, however, Nebraska promptly proceeded to get crushed in the national title game against Miami, a prelude to a forgetful year to come. 

The Rams drafted Crouch 95^th overall in the 2002 draft, with plans to utilize his quickness at wide receiver. But before he ever played in a regular-season game, Crouch abruptly retired, citing several small injuries for slowing him down.

In an unprecedented move that ranges somewhere between noble and delusional, Crouch gave the Rams back a prorated portion of his $395,000 signing bonus, which was guaranteed despite his retirement.

This past summer Crouch attended Green Bay Packers training camp, but left the team when it became apparent that they weren’t going to allow him to try out for quarterback.

Notable player he beat out for the Heisman: Joey Harrington.

Round drafted in the NFL: third.

Professional highlight: The only NFL player in five years to be insane enough to walk away from an opportunity to play in the Rams’ receiver-friendly system. 

Where is he now? On his way to being an ESPN2 college football analyst, but for now is working as a commentator for Omaha station KETV’s Cornhusker and high school football coverage. 

Ron Dayne (Wisconsin, 1999):
Despite a slight weight problem, Dayne became the most prolific rusher in NCAA Division I-A history in his four seasons as a Badger. He also won two Rose Bowl MVPs, culminating in his senior season when he tore up UCLA with 246 yards and four touchdowns. Three months later, the Giants drafted him as the No. 11 pick overall to be the next Rodney Hampton.

Instead, Dayne became nothing more than the next Jerrod Bunch.

On the pro level, he seemed slow against faster linemen and linebackers. But as a substitute to using his 250-pound frame to punish defenders attempting to tackle him, Dayne decided to go the finesse route instead. A career 3.5 yards-per-carry average is the result.

Although the Giants still pay him $600,000 annually, the Danish (as some Giants fans refer to him) is kept off the active roster of a team whose backfield is in desperate need for a goal-line running back.

Notable player he beat out for the Heisman: Michael Vick.

Round drafted in: first.

Professional highlight: Gets paid $600,000 to watch his team’s games on TV.

Where is he now? Stage 3 of the Atkins Diet.

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