Alan Ameche The Talented Heisman Winner

June 1, 1933 - Kenosha, Wisconsin - Wisconsin’s brilliant fullback from 1951 to 1954, Alan Ameche was born. The Heisman.com website shares with us that Ameche won the 1954 Heisman Award with a tough, physical style that earned him the nickname “The Iron Horse.”

He’s one of only two fullbacks to have won the Heisman. They also share a story that during his college recruitment, Alan was being heavily pressured to attend Notre Dame by Fred Miller, the philanthropic owner of Milwaukee’s Miller Brewing Co. Wisconsin partisans, however, threatened a boycott against the buying and consumption of Miller beer if Ameche attended Notre Dame. Under threat of boycott, Miller backed off and Ameche signed with Wisconsin. The NFF states that Ameche held the NCAA record for career rushing yards at the time of his graduation.

In the 1951 season, he became the first freshman to lead the Big Ten in rushing as freshmen were allowed to play due to the Korean War. That season he broke the Wisconsin single-season rushing record with 774 yards and was named to the All-Big-Ten team. Ameche duplicated his rushing feat the following year as the Badgers were Big Ten co-champions as he broke his own mark, rushing for 946 yards as the Badgers made it to the Rose Bowl. Despite a 113 yard performance by "The Horse," Wisconsin was defeated 7-0 by Southern California. In 1953 Ameche won his first All-America award and the Wisconsin Most Valuable Player Award.  The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Alan Ameche  into their legendary museum in 1975.

Ameche was picked by Baltimore in the 1955 NFL Draft, and Alan eventually turned down a lucrative offer to join the pro wrestling tour and signed with the Colts. He led the NFL in rushing his first season and was named Rookie of the Year. He played as a fullback with the Colts for six seasons.