/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/GVD3JATO4VOAWHJVRR3456D5YM.jpg "Fans celebrate with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., center, after his team's 39-28 win against then-No. 11 Michigan State last September.")
Our sprawling sports landscape glistens with myriad treasures signifying immortality, from the Lombardi Trophy to Lord Stanley’s cup.
We have spawned Hall of Famers and Hart Memorial Trophy winners. Cy Young recipients and swimming gold medalists. World champs in prizefighting (see Lacy, Jeff) and professional wrestling (see Hogan, Hulk).
But one crown jewel has eluded the bay area the better part of a century: No college or high school in our region (Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas counties) ever has produced a Heisman Trophy winner.
That might change in 2023. Washington senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a Tampa Bay Tech alumnus, is among the preseason favorites to win college football’s most coveted honor. Penix, whose father starred at Pasco High, finished eighth in Heisman voting in 2022 after setting a Huskies single-season record for passing yardage (4,641) and leading the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing yards per game (357.0).
That top-10 finish alone placed him in a surprisingly small fraternity of locals to remain in the Heisman conversation at season’s end. As the award’s hype starts percolating (the preseason magazines already are on newsstands), and Penix embarks on a potentially historic autumn, we put his daunting quest into perspective with a look at the locals who have come closest to college football’s holy grail.
QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington, 2022
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/S4JNNFCITVG27I5ADU4TAJ3F7I.jpg "Washington quarterback (and Tampa Bay Tech alumnus) Michael Penix Jr. led the nation in passing yards per game (357.0) last season for the Huskies, who finished 11-2.")
High school: Tampa Bay Tech
Heisman finish: Eighth (nine first-place votes)
Heisman winner: QB Caleb Williams, Southern Cal
After four mostly solid seasons at Indiana, Penix ventured to Seattle, where he led the Huskies to an 11-2 record last fall. Among the highlights of his record-setting season was a masterful performance (26-of-35, 408 yards, two TDs, one interception) in a 37-34 win at No. 8 Oregon. A 6-foot-3 left-hander, Penix enters 2023 with 30 career starts and 8,838 passing yards.
WR Mike Williams, Southern Cal, 2003
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/Y63RTLM2YVDAXCYAWTPYVADQLE.JPG "USC receiver Mike Williams (1) celebrates the Trojans' 38-17 win over Iowa in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2, 2003, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. A Plant High alumnus, Williams established a USC season record with 16 touchdown catches the following season.")
High school: Plant
Heisman finish: Eighth (12 first-place votes)
Heisman winner: QB Jason White, Oklahoma
In lieu of a sophomore slump, Williams had a surge. He followed his sparkling redshirt freshman season as a Trojan (81 catches) with a team-high 95 receptions for 1,314 yards in 2003, establishing a program single-season record for touchdown catches (16) that still stands. In addition to placing eighth in Heisman balloting, Williams was among three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award.
QB Shaun King, Tulane, 1998
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/7JGS6PL2DZFD7AP7KP4Q24NBS4.JPG "Former Gibbs High standout Shaun King helped lead Tulane to a 12-0 record in 1998, when he totaled more than 4,000 yards as the Green Wave quarterback.")
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Explore all your optionsHigh school: Gibbs
Heisman finish: 10th (one first-place vote)
Heisman winner: RB Ricky Williams, Texas
Before guiding his hometown NFL franchise to the cusp of a Super Bowl berth, King helped orchestrate the greatest season in Green Wave lore. As a Tulane senior in 1998, he set a Division I-A record for pass efficiency (183.3) while totaling more than 4,000 yards (3,495 passing, 633 rushing) and 49 touchdowns for the Green Wave, who finished 12-0 and topped Brigham Young in the Liberty Bowl.
QB Gary Huff, FSU, 1972
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/BKE4P4UP4ZG3VLLQ6B7EMDCJKU.JPG "FSU quarterback Gary Huff led the nation in touchdown passes in 1971 (23) and 1972 (25).")
High school: Leto
Heisman finish: 10th (10 first-place votes)
Heisman winner: WR Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska
Locally, Huff remains the answer to the consummate Bucs trivia question (starting quarterback for the franchise’s first win). But old-school Seminole fans will recall him as the nation’s leader in touchdown passes in both 1971 (23) and 1972 (25). Huff’s 2,893 passing yards in 1972 set a school record, but his Heisman aspirations were hindered by his team’s modest record (7-4) and his astounding 23 interceptions.
LB Steve Kiner, Tennessee, 1969
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/II7Z4BZCSRF5PFL5RIXHZEDQVQ.JPG "Tennessee linebacker Steve Kiner (57) dives in an attempt to block a punt by Georgia Tech's Tommy Chapman (26) in a 1968 game in Atlanta. A Hillsborough High alumnus, Kiner was a two-time All-American for the Volunteers and the 1969 SEC Defensive Player of the Year.")
High school: Hillsborough
Heisman finish: Ninth (14 first-place votes)
Heisman winner: RB Steve Owens, Oklahoma
A quarterback and strong safety at Hillsborough, Kiner evolved into a two-time All-American (and third-round draft pick) at Tennessee, where his fellow linebackers included future NFL star Hacksaw Reynolds. The SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 1969, he carved a spot in Vols lore with a legendary performance (14 tackles, five tackles for loss, forced fumble, interception) in a 41-14 rout of Alabama.
Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.
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