<P> The award was created by the Downtown Athletic Club in 1935 to recognize `` the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi . '' After the death in October 1936 of the Club 's athletic director , John Heisman , the award was named in his honor and broadened to include players west of the Mississippi . Heisman had been active in college athletics as a football player ; a head football , basketball , and baseball coach ; and an athletic director . It is the oldest of several overall awards in college football , including the Maxwell Award , Walter Camp Award , and the AP Player of the Year . The Heisman and the AP Player of the Year honor the most outstanding player , while the Maxwell and the Walter Camp award recognizes the best player , and the Archie Griffin Award recognizes the most valuable player . The most recent winner of the Heisman Trophy is University of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield . </P>
<P> The award was created by the Downtown Athletic Club in 1935 to recognize `` the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi . '' After the death in October 1936 of the Club 's athletic director , John Heisman , the award was named in his honor and broadened to include players west of the Mississippi . Heisman had been active in college athletics as a football player ; a head football , basketball , and baseball coach ; and an athletic director . It is the oldest of several overall awards in college football , including the Maxwell Award , Walter Camp Award , and the AP Player of the Year . The Heisman and the AP Player of the Year honor the most outstanding player , while the Maxwell and the Walter Camp award recognizes the best player , and the Archie Griffin Award recognizes the most valuable player . The most recent winner of the Heisman Trophy is University of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield . </P>
who is the heisman trophy award named after
who is the heisman trophy award named after
John Heisman
John Heisman