Talk about who will win the Heisman is heating up.Several names have been consistently mentioned including the runner-up in last year’s race, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. The experts say that the trophy is his to lose at this point.Andrew is also expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft.I know personally that there is no one who deserves it more.
On a hot summer day in 2002, the summer before my seventh-grade year, I was kicking it inside, flipping the channels between “Hey Arnold!” and “Doug” reruns.My mom told me that this new kid had just moved down the street and gave me the talk about how I should be nice and introduce myself and all that jazz.
So as my mom pushed me out the door, I grabbed a basketball and asked him to shoot hoops with me on the driveway.I tossed him the rock and Andrew casually drained the equivalent of a three-point shot from the street. This kid was different. As a seventh-grader who thought he had everything figured out, little did I know that Andrew and I would become best friends.
It was evident from the get-go that Andrew was athletically talented, not only physically but mentally as well.For our school coaches, he was a dream come true. They knew Andrew would win a lot of football games for them. And he did.
When Andrew became varsity quarterback as a sophomore, word quickly spread about his talent.The recruiting process was fun to be a part of.Many of the big-name college coaches came to our school, hoping to persuade Andrew to pick their program. I remember one day Andrew leaned over and whispered in a shy tone, “Well, I have to go give [Nick] Saban a call. I have to let him know I won’t be coming to Alabama.” He actually felt pretty bad about it. After Andrew led our team deep into the state playoffs our senior year, he announced that he would be playing at Stanford – the perfect fit for him.
When Andrew decided against turning pro after his junior year, the sports world was shocked.Those of us who know Andrew knew that he would never leave college without his degree. His parents have always stressed academics first and Andrew was a valedictorian of our senior class. While I would be reading a sports magazine, Andrew would be reading some massive novel about ancient civilizations.This is not an exaggeration.
Andrew’s career at Stanford has been stellar both on and off the field.He was the 2010 Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Year, 2010 Second Team All-American and the 2011 Orange Bowl MVP.This past week he was Pac 12 Offensive Player of the Week.He will graduate in May with a degree in architecture.
Sure, I would love to see Andrew win the Heisman Trophy.But if he doesn’t I know that Andrew will be happy for whomever does win.He will go on to do great things whether it’s throwing touchdown passes or designing the stadiums where the game is played.He is truly the total package.
