Bob McCarty Writes

Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford, sophomore quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners, was announced as the 2008 winner of the Heisman Trophy during ceremonies tonight at the Nokia Theater in New York City.

Colt McCoy of the Texas Longhorns and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators finished second and third, respectively, in the balloting for the award recognizing the nation’s most outstanding college football player.

In compiling a 12-1 record, Bradford stands as the nation’s top quarterback in two categories — passer rating (186.29) and touchdowns (48).  (Note: Check out Bradford’s complete stats at ESPN.com.)  In posting the 41-point margin of victory over the Chase Daniels-led Missouri Tigers in the Big 12 Championship Nov. 29, Bradford’s team became the first in NCAA history to score more than 60 points in five consecutive games (Note: Six games ago, they scored 58 points).  That stat adds to another record they set — 702 points in a season — as the highest-scoring team in college football history.

Five years after Jason White won the award, Bradford — the 74th winner of the prestigious award — becomes the second Sooners quarterback and the fifth player from Oklahoma to win the Heisman.

Other Sooners to win the Heisman were Billy Vessels (1952), Steve Owens (1969) and Billy Sims (1978).

Bradford will be the first Sooners player to take his team into the BCS Championship.  He and his teammates will take on Tebow and his squad in Miami Jan. 8.

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UPDATED — See also:

With Big Game Only Hours Away, Former Oklahoma QB Reflects on College Football Bowl Season (1/08/09)