Les Horvath: Ohio State’s First Heisman Trophy Winner

Les Horvath defied the odds and the rigorous demands of dental school to capture Ohio State’s first Heisman Trophy, cementing his legacy as a true Buckeye legend.

Football Bio

October 12, 1921, South Bend, Indiana – Les Horvath was born. Don’t let his birthplace fool you into thinking Les was with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish; he wasn’t.

It might become clearer when you find out that after the family moved, he spent most of his childhood in Parma, Ohio.

Les attended and played for the Ohio State University as a halfback/quarterback. He earned football letters in 1940, 1941, 1942 & 1944.

He was not eligible to play football in 1943 as he attended dental school that year. The 1944 season was a special year for Horvath, as most players of that era only had 3 seasons of eligibility.

However, the NCAA granted an extra season due to World War II and the lack of athletes in college.

OSU Head Coach Carroll Widdoes asked Horvath to return to the team for a fourth year. Due to the demands of dental school, Horvath was initially reluctant to play but agreed to do so after Widdoes promised that Horvath would be flown to all of the games and would not have to practice as much as the other players.

Ohio State went 9-0, won the Big Ten, and ranked No. 2 nationally. Horvath rushed for 905 yards and passed for 345.

He ranked second in the nation in rushing, third in total offense, was a unanimous All-America, Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten, and won the Heisman Trophy. Les was the very first Buckeye Heisman Trophy winner in 1944, according to heisman.com.

The National Football Foundation invited Les Horvath into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.

LEs graduated from dental school in 1947. Then, the NFL came calling as he was drafted by the LA Rams and played there and with the Cleveland Browns before hanging up his helmet to practice dentistry in the LA area. [National Football Foundation]

Les Horvath successfully balanced a demanding medical education with elite athletic performance, ultimately trading the gridiron for a thriving dentistry career while holding a permanent spot in college football history.

Accolades and Football Accomplishments

• AAFC Champion with the Cleveland Browns (1949).
• 1944 Heisman Trophy Winner (The first in Ohio State University history).
• Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.
• Unanimous First-Team All-American (1944).
• Chicago Tribune Silver Football winner as the Big Ten Most Valuable Player (1944).
• Member of the 1942 Ohio State National Championship team under coach Paul Brown.
• Ohio State officially retired his jersey number (22) in 2001.
• Inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1977.
• Played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams (1947–1948) and the Cleveland Browns (1949).

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