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.
who is the heisman trophy award named after
John Heisman