Players Who Have Won NFL MVP and Heisman Trophy

It is widely expected that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will win the 2019 NFL MVP award. Should he win the award, he would become the ninth player in football history to win both an NFL MVP and a Heisman trophy, as he took home the 2016 trophy during his time at Louisville. Jackson has the chance to join one of the most exclusive clubs in football history given his stardom at both the amateur and professional levels.

8. Frank Sinkwich (1944)

Detroit Lions star Frank Sinkwich won it in 1944 / Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The numbers were rough for the single wing quarterback Sinkwich by today's standards (150 carries, 563 yards rushing, 6 touchdowns, 39.2 percent completion, 1,060 yards on 148 attempts, 12 TD, 20 INT). However, the former Heisman winner at Georgia was one of the premier players in both Detroit Lions history and the World War II era NFL . He also became the first player from the SEC to win the Heisman Trophy.

7. Paul Hornung (1961)

Packers Hall of Famer Paul Hornung / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Hornung threw three touchdowns and 13 picks while rushing for 420 yards in his final year at Notre Dame, and he won a Heisman. He ran for 671 yards and wasn't even the leading rusher on his own team, and he won MVP. Not the best numbers, but the Packers Hall of Famer (somehow) is one of the few to achieve nearly unparalleled levels of stardom in college and in the pros, especially given the two glamour teams he played for.

6. Roger Staubach (1971)

Cowboys Hall of Famer Roger Staubach /

Staubach was a Heisman winner at Navy, and didn't even make his NFL debut until the age of 27 due to his service requirements. He didn't disappoint when he came over, as the future Hall of Famer was a perfect 10-0 in games he started in 1971, putting up a 104.8 passer rating while winning the first of his two championship rings. Safe to day that was without question one of the best seasons a Cowboy has ever had at any position.

5. OJ Simpson (1973)

Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer OJ Simpson / Richard Stagg/Getty Images

While his post football career has certainly and deservedly overshadowed his Hall of Fame career in Buffalo, Simpson might still have the best season a running back has ever had under his belt. Playing against eight-man boxes with a rookie QB in Joe Ferguson that threw only four TDs all year, Simpson became the first player to run for 2,000 yards in a season, and he was the only player to do so in a 14-game season. OJ, who won a Heisman at USC, averaged 143 yards-per-game, a record that will never be broken.

4. Earl Campbell (1979)

Houston Oilers Hall of Famer Earl Campbell / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Arguably the most powerful runner in NFL history, the former Heisman winner at Texas reeled off a three-year stretch in his first three seasons in the league that was as dominant as we've ever seen from a running back. Campbell led the league in rushing each of his first three years, with his 1,697 yards and 19 touchdowns winning him MVP honors in 1979. All he did to follow that up in 1980 was run for 1,934 yards and 13 touchdowns. No one wanted to tackle No. 34 when he had a full head of steam.

3. Marcus Allen (1985)

Raiders Hall of Famer Marcus Allen / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Despite the wishes of Al Davis, Allen proved to be one of the most consistent, durable, dominant backs in the history of the game. Allen led the league with 1,759 yards on the ground in 1985, while totaling 2,314 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns on a Raiders team that went 12-4 and won the division. Allen was a record-breaking running back at USC, and he continued his winning ways when he went pro.

2. Barry Sanders (1997)

Detroit Lions RB Barry Sanders / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

Sanders picked up a Heisman at Oklahoma State on the back of the most dominant season in college football history, and he won an MVP with one of the most dominant seasons in NFL history. Sanders ran for 2,053 yards and averaged over six yards a carry despite playing on a 5-11 team that had Charlie Batch at quarterback. Sanders would retire just one year later, but he left us with a lifetime of memories despite not playing past the age of 30.

1. Cam Newton (2015)

Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton / Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Cam won a Heisman and carried a bad Auburn team to a national championship in 2011, and he won an MVP just a few years later with the Carolina Panthers. Newton threw for 35 touchdowns while rushing for 10 more on a Panthers team that went 15-1 and made it to the Super Bowl. Time will tell if he is able to recover from his injuries and become an elite quarterback once again, but his prime was something else.