Boston College Heisman Trophy Snubs: Who Came The Closest?

Last week we talked about which previous Heisman Winner would have benefited the Eagles, as I argued that Sam Bradford would have been huge for the 2008 Eagles. SB Nation's partner EA Sports then posed the following question, "What player from your school do you think was snubbed?"

Honestly, I don't think I could make an argument that any of BC's players were snubbed from the award, but I feel there are at least five players that came close to falling into that category.

1. Charlie O'Rourke (1940) - In BC's National Championship year, O'Rourke emerged as the Eagles' first star quarterback. O'Rourke only threw for 1,400 yards during his college career, and his odds of winning were hampered by the fact that football hadn't perfected the forward pass at this point. Even with an undefeated team, O'Rourke didn't have a shot, losing to legendary Michigan halfback Tom Harmon.

2. Pete Mitchell (1993) - Mitchell led the Eagles in receptions with 66 catches and 818 yards, and helped BC amass a 9-3 record, including a historic win over #1 Notre Dame. Unfortunately for Big Pete, a tight end has never won the Heisman, and he ended up losing to future New York Knicks point guard Charlie Ward.

3. Matt Ryan (2007) - Probably the closest BC ever came to winning a Heisman since Doug Flutie, Ryan led the Eagles to an improbable 8-0 record, and a #2 ranking before the eventually lost to Florida State at home. Ryan threw for 31 touchdowns (good for 10th in the country), 3100 yards (3rd), but his 19 INT's might have been his downfall. Ryan never made it to Radio City Music Hall, and Tim Tebow walked away with the trophy.

4. Luke Kuechly (2011) - Okay this may be a bit of a stretch especially with how the team performed, but after watching the trophy case Kuechly filled up, didn't he deserve a chance at the Heisman as well? Hey a dude can dream can't he?

5. Mike Holovak (1942) - As the nation was entrenched in World War II, Holovak proved to be an elite running back in an age when offenses relied on the running game. Holovak ran for 942 yards as the Eagles finished 7th in the polls (9-3 record) before losing to Alabama in the Orange Bowl. University of Georgia Halfback/quarterback Frank Sinkwich ended up winning that year.

So those are five players that weren't necessarily snubs, but were the closest non-Flutie Eagle' to get near the trophy. Are there players that should have been on my list? Who do you think is the biggest Heisman snub or near snub for the Eagles?

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