The greatest honor to be bestowed on any college football player is winning the Heisman Trophy. As previous winners claim, the feeling is indescribable, as it is a glorious culmination of countless days of dedication and hard work. However, such radiant moments often hide dark stories. And one such story came from former Heisman winner Eddie George, who was almost forced out of Ohio State.

At the Fanatics Fest on July 22, Kay Adams and Keegan-Michael Key hosted the Strike The Pose panel, featuring three Heisman winners: LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow, Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston, and Ohio State running back Eddie George. The panelists answered questions about their Heisman Trophy wins, their overall college careers, and how winning the award shaped their future.

“For me, it’s kind of similar,” George revealed to the Fanatics Fest audience, talking about the aftermath of his award-winning experience. “But now, being a head coach, it goes a long way. I don’t introduce myself as a Heisman Trophy winner, but when kids begin to Google me, they will find, ‘Hey, he has some credibility. I can always go back to my experiences of handling hardship better, embracing adversity. Adversity is my mentor, and failure is my classroom, because for me, it was different.”

“My freshman year, I fumbled the ball twice against Illinois and lost the game. It wasn’t, ‘Hey, Ohio State lost the game.’ No, Eddie George lost the game. That was traumatizing… Ohio State fans get on you in a bad way. It’s hard stuff to come back from that. And being an 18- or 19-year-old kid at the time, I was left with the decision: either I compete and work my way out of the doghouse, or I jump into the portal and take the easier route. I can go to school where I can dominate.”

George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 after finishing with a school record of 1,927 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns. It was his senior season, and the performance brought about an impressive end to his collegiate career, where he finished second in school history in career rushing yards with 3,768 and third in rushing touchdowns with 44. The Buckeyes’ 11-2 finish made it a very close contest between George and Tommie Frazier, who played for the national champions, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Despite the big win, one of George’s darkest moments still lingers. The story of his collegiate years is not complete without his worst game with the Buckeyes. In his freshman year against Illinois, he lost a fumble at the Illinois four-yard line, and Illinois returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. In the same game, with Ohio State holding a narrow two-point lead in the fourth quarter, he lost another fumble. This time, it was on Illinois’ one-yard line. Eventually, it led to the game-winning touchdown.

The Buckeyes are one of college football’s biggest programs. As such, they have some of the most demanding fans, who take a no-nonsense stance toward bad performances. As supportive as they can be, they are quick to turn on bad performers, and George was a victim of their wrath. Luckily, he stuck with the program, and he has his name in history books as a result.

Eddie George’s career after the Heisman Trophy

George went on to have a fantastic NFL career after he was selected with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. He won the NFL Rookie of the Year award and joined the Tennessee Titans afterward. For the first seven seasons of his career, he never missed a start, starting 130 consecutive games.

He made the Pro Bowl for four consecutive years, assisted the Titans to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV, and became the second NFL running back to rush for 10,000 yards.

Now, George coaches the Bowling Green Falcons in the Mid-American Conference after spending four years as the head coach of Tennessee State, where he was named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year.