Imagine a 2025 Heisman race featuring Garrett Nussmeier, Arch Manning, Cade Klubnik, Sam Leavitt, Jeremiyah Love, Jeremiah Smith, and Drew Allar. Now, picture all of them peaking at the same time, putting up video-game numbers and battling for the crown every Saturday. Sounds like a season for the ages, right? Well, that season already happened, back in 1995. And according to Eddie George, the man who won it all, it was even more legendary than any modern dream lineup fans could cook up.
On the 365 Sports Podcast, host David Smoak brought up just how cutthroat the 1995 Heisman race really was. “You won the Heisman Trophy in ’95,” Smoak said to Eddie George. “But Tommie Frazier, Danny Wuerffel, Peyton Manning, Keyshawn Johnson—they were all in the voting. All of them.” Smoak called it one of the most talent-loaded races ever. “And Eddie George. What a year to win the Heisman Trophy. My goodness, those are some alphas when it comes to college history,” he said before handing the floor to Eddie George.
George, who edged out Nebraska’s Tommie Frazier to win the award, didn’t shy away from giving credit where it was due. “You know Tommie Frazier, he’s a Hall of Famer. That could have gone either way, clearly,” he said. Now, we could give you Tommie’s stats, but numbers don’t do justice to what he did in that season. Leading one of the greatest college football teams ever wasn’t child’s play. And neither was dominating the Fiesta Bowl with 2 TDs and a 75-yard run. “It was at the time the closest Heisman race to date, and the team that he was on, for most people, you can say that’s probably one of the greatest teams ever in college football because they were so dominant at what they did,” said George. Respect. Straight up.
Moreover, all of this is coming from a Buckeye legend who had over 1800 yards and 23 touchdowns that season; that’s a nod of genuine respect. Still, George knew the magnitude of what it meant to win that trophy. “So to edge him out, to win the Heisman Trophy was really rewarding because he was very talented, and there were a lot of guys that were worthy of winning that award,” he admitted. But you can tell it wasn’t just satisfaction in winning. There was reverence in how close it was. Tommie Frazier was one of a kind.
Nearly three decades later, that Heisman race still hits different. It was more than stats; it was about moments, pressure, and two titans colliding on separate paths to greatness. George got the trophy, Frazier got the crystal ball, and fans got a season that’s still unmatched. Some races crown a winner. That one crowned a rivalry, and the respect is still strong.
The quarterback who made the ‘90s his playground
Imagine handing the keys to one of the most dominant college football dynasties ever, and the guy driving it is cooler than the other side of the pillow. That was Tommie Frazier. Nebraska fans counted on him. Two national championship games in three years. Two national titles. The man walked into January like it was his backyard. That ’95 Cornhuskers team? It’s the greatest team of all time. And Frazier was the engine. Remember the 75-yard touchdown run against Florida where he broke half the defense? We just mentioned it above; how can you not remember it? It’s a historical document.
How do you stop a guy who reads defenses like comic books and bullies them like playground kids? Frazier didn’t throw for 400 yards a game. He didn’t need to. He controlled tempo, crushed spirits, and made the option look like wizardry. And while the stats are nice, his real stat was fear. Every defense in the mid-’90s circled Nebraska week in red ink and prayed. He made the biggest plays on the biggest stages when everyone else blinked. Coaches game-planned around him and still got smoked.
Then, it all stopped. Blood clots (a side effect of Crohn’s disease) in his left leg shut down what should’ve been a long NFL run. No combine. No draft call. Tommie Frazier’s football journey was derailed not by a lack of talent or grit, but by blood clots. While still in college, he began experiencing complications that doctors traced to a blood clot in his left leg, an issue that sidelined him during parts of the 1994 season. But even after storming back to lead Nebraska to a national title, the health scare didn’t go away. After college, the condition persisted, eventually requiring the removal of a major vein in his leg.
Despite signing with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, the recurring clotting forced him to step away before he could truly begin a pro career. It was a necessity. One of the most electrifying quarterbacks the college game had ever seen was kept off the field not by defenses, but by his own bloodstream, etching his name into the list of what-ifs.
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