Les Horvath wasn't even supposed to be playing in 1944.  1942 was his last season, and he had moved on with his life, never expecting to play again.  But in 1944, because of player shortages due to the war, the NCAA passed a rule that allowed freshmen to be eligible as well as players who had previously been ineligible as freshmen.  Horvath fell into this category, and he was granted one more year of eligibility.

Needless to say, he made the most of it.  Les did it all for OSU in 1944, playing halfback, quarterback and defensive back for a team that went 9-0 and finished #2 in the nation.  Les was the 24 year-old leader of the Buckeyes, and he rushed for 924 yards, passed for 344 yards, scored 72 points, and played a total of 402 out of 540 possible minutes. 

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Les became the first member of a very exclusive club of Ohio State football players-- the Heisman winners.  He knew how important and special his trophy was.  Oddly enough though, there is a story that his wife once wanted him to take the trophy off display in their living room because she thought it was ugly.  Les tried to convince her that the trophy was special, and she believed her, but after she took visits to their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Harmon and Mr. and Mrs. Felix "Doc" Blanchard (two previous Heisman winners), she discovered that they too had the exact same statue.  "Les," she said, "you told me that football trophy of yours was really something special, but it turns out that everyone we know has one."

Les died in 1995.  Whether or not his wife ever appreciated the trophy is something that we do not know for sure.  But he definitely has his spot cemented in the history of the Ohio State Buckeyes as well as all of college football, and his accomplishments will be appreciated for years to come.