Power of Heisman never seems to fade

AUSTIN — Pete Dawkins’ 1958 Heisman Trophy started out being used as a hat rack by his younger brother.

"I was a young lieutenant in the Army," Dawkins said. "It just seemed braggadocio for me to have this trophy, so I gave it to my parents."

It remained in their home in Royal Oak, Mich., for nearly 20 years.

"My kid brother, Mike, was 15 years younger than me and would have four or five baseball caps hanging off the stiffarm," Dawkins added with a laugh. "I liked that."

Mike Rozier knows the power of the Heisman Trophy. When an older brother once got into trouble, a newspaper story reported: "The brother of former Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier ..."

Said Rozier: "And I didn’t even do anything wrong."

This weekend, 14 past winners of college football’s most prestigious award gathered at Barton Creek Resort & Spa for dinner and golf. The second annual event is sponsored by Triton Sports Management.

Here is a sampling of how past Heisman winners answered a few questions:

Should the Heisman Committee change the trophy’s design now that the NFL has decided to outlaw the stiff-arm?

Earl Campbell (Texas, 1977): "How far are they going to go? The stiff-arm is football. I just don’t think it’s fair to take it away. The Heisman Trophy shows people this is the real deal [by depicting a stiff-arm]."

John Huarte (Notre Dame, 1964): "No! When you have a great piece of art, you don’t change it. The NFL might change the rules back again after a few years; who knows? When you have something that is recognized, at the very least, throughout the Western world, you leave it alone."

Mike Rozier (Nebraska, 1983): "First of all, the NFL has too many rules. It’s football. It’s a contact sport. That’s why they invented the facemask. Now they’re taking away one of the important weapons for a running back. It’s something you use to keep somebody off your body, so you can play longer. The Heisman Trophy [design] shows the way football was meant to be played, so leave it alone."

Ricky Williams (Texas, 1998): "It’s one of those rules that won’t last more than a year or two. It doesn’t make sense. If somebody comes to get you, and their face is right there ... you should be able to push it away. The Heisman Trophy is going to be around a lot longer than the [stiff-arm ban]. Definitely."

John Lattner (Notre Dame, 1953): "I loan my trophy out to charities. They raffle it off for two or three weeks for donations. Well, I’ve learned that people want to see the trophy — not me. You can’t help but feel like the Heisman Trophy is symbolic of how football was played. I don’t think we ever want to lose touch of that."

With the rising price of gasoline, what do you drive?

Huarte: "I think you mean, what do I park? I have a 2007 silver Toyota Sequoia. In Malibu, Calif., we’re paying anywhere from $4.60 up to $5.20 [per gallon]. I drive about 25 percent less than I used to, just because it irritates me so much."

Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh, 1976): "The only thing I’m worried about is the price of Cowboys tickets. I can afford everything else ... just kidding. I think a change is coming in my driving habits. I drive a 2007 Mercedes S550. Just the other day, I filled up my car — $88."

Lattner: "I’m 75 years old. I drive a ’97 blue Chevy Lumina. They don’t make it anymore. The last gas I pumped cost $4.27 a gallon. I’m in the printing business and live in a western suburb of Chicago — Melrose Park. They still want me to come in because I make ’em money ... but I really don’t do much driving around."

Rozier: "I drive a hooptie. You know what a hooptie is? It’s a street word for a car that no one thinks you should be driving. Mine is a 2001 Ford Taurus. Good on gas. Green — I like red but I got green — that’s my hooptie. It’s free, so I can’t complain."

Ty Detmer (BYU, 1990): "I own a diesel truck that I hardly drive and a 2002 Chevy Suburban, which isn’t much better, but unleaded is cheaper than diesel. But I’m looking to downsize. Fortunately, my office is only about five minutes from my house."

Do you get mistaken for somebody else?

Huarte: "Yes, yes, I have a problem! I get asked all the time, 'Are you Arnold Palmer?’ Of course, I can’t think of a nicer person to get mistaken for being."

Lattner: "The 'What, Me Worry?’ guy — Alfred E. Newman."

Rozier: "Mike Tyson ... and I tell ’em, 'Get out of here!’ "

Detmer: "I recently was sitting in a Wal-Mart parking lot near where my parents live in Pleasanton. A couple of kids on skateboards went by, then came back. I roll down my window, and I’m thinking, 'OK, here it comes.’ One of them asked, 'Are you Tony Hawk?’ I said, 'Sorry, you got the wrong guy,’ and rolled up the window real quick."

Does a Heisman Trophy winner have a responsibility as to how he conducts his life — for the rest of his life?

Detmer: "I think there is. If nothing else, it comes from peer pressure within the group. When Pete Dawkins walks into the room, you snap to attention a little bit."

Dawkins: "The Heisman Trophy is a symbol, which we all realize, over time, that we have a responsibility to protect, preserve and nurture. I’ve spent the last 20 years traveling the world: Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Warsaw or wherever, and it’s always startling to me just how well-known the Heisman really is. It’s not a burden [on the winner], it’s a privilege to be part of this heritage."

Rozier: "I think the responsibility comes with being a human being. For me, my most important gift is my last name. I’m responsible for keeping my name straight with my parents."

In college, which team did you want to beat the most?

Dawkins: "Navy."

Rozier: "Oklahoma."

Huarte: "We just wanted to win games. Notre Dame football was in the doldrums my freshman, sophomore and junior years. Ara Parseghian was hired to turn around the program. In 1964, we came within about 1 1/2 minute of winning the national championship against USC at the LA Coliseum. I was just lucky — right time, right place."