If Alabama's Mark Ingram wins the Heisman this Saturday, he will be the first from that tradition-rich program to take home the hardware. Texas of course has two Heismans in the vault, and Colt McCoy will be on stage Saturday as one of the finalists.
Here is a look at some Longhorn notables who also came close.
1947 BOBBY LAYNE -- 6th
That football season was full of firsts for the Longhorns. It was Blair Cherry's first season as head coach. The team made their first-ever plane ride for a game (to Oregon) and it was the first season that Texas ran out of the T-Formation.
That last first enabled Bobby Layne to establish himself as a legitimate NFL quarterback prospect as well as a consensus All-American.
Texas went 10-1 that season with the new offense, rising as high as #3 in the nation before losing to #8 SMU 14-13. The game was a showcase for two Highland Park High School classmates who would end up in the in the Hall of Fame -- Layne and SMU's Doak Walker.
Walker accounted for 125 of the Ponies 199 yards of total offense in the game, while Layne accumulated 141 of the Horns 196 yards of total offense. Walker would finish 3rd in the Heisman balloting in 1947.
Layne was an All-SWC selection all four years at Texas.
Texas finished 1947 with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama. The Horns beat the Crimson Tide 27-2 and Layne was named MVP.
1961 James Saxton -- 3rd
By 1961 Darrell Royal had a jackrabbit of a running back in 5-11, 160lb, James Saxton. He wanted Saxton, a former QB, to carry at least 20-25 times a game from the tailback slot, but he also wanted to simplify the blocking assignments. That's how the Flip-Flop Offense was born.
Essentially Royal simplified all blocking assignments by having the strongside (guard, tackle, end, wingback) all flip to whatever side of the field was called for. Royal felt it would make for less confusion on the offensive line.
It worked like a charm -- except that Saxton didn't come close to getting 25 carries a game. Saxton ended up the season with 846 yards on only 107 carries for a mind-boggling 7.9 yards per carry. Texas blew out so many opponents that Royal was playing subs early in the third quarter in many games. The one loss was a 6-0 defeat at the hands of TCU when Saxton was knocked unconscious early in the contest.
Saxton appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated the week of the TCU loss.
Saxton finished 3rd in the Heisman voting, Ernie Davis of Syracuse became the first black player to capture the trophy.
1963 Scott Appleton -- 5th
The Longhorns first national championship squad was short on offensive fireworks, but long on defense, and Scott Appleton was the heart of that defense. Appleton became the first Longhorn to win the Outland Trophy as nation's outstanding interior lineman.
Appleton had his best efforts in the big games. Against #1 OU, Appleton had 18 tackles and a fumble recovery that led to a score in #2 Texas 28-7 win.
Appleton finished 3rd in the Heisman voting, behind Roger Staubach.
Scott Appleton may have lost the Heisman to Roger Staubach, but he helped make his life miserable in the Cotton Bowl.
Navy went into the 1964 Cotton Bowl popping off about how they should be #1 if they beat Texas. The Football Writer's Association were going to wait until after the bowl games to name their #1 team.
Texas listened to all the talk and then went out and crushed Navy 28-6. Appleton led a Texas defense that held Staubach to -47 yards rushing. Navy finished with-14 yards total yards rushing, and Appleton was named Outstanding Lineman.
1970 Steve Worster -- 4th
1970 saw Texas run its winning streak to 30 in a row -- thanks to the Wishbone offense and the recruiting class known as the "Worster Bunch."
Steve Worster, the original Wishbone fullback, was a two-time All-American and in 1970, Worster rushed for 898 yards on 160 carries for a 5.6 average and scored 14 touchdowns as Texas went through the regular season unbeaten.
Steve Worster finished his Longhorn career with 2,353 yards rushing and 36 touchdowns in three years.
The 1970 Heisman race was the Year of the Quarterbacks, as Worster finished 4th behind the winner Jim Plunkett of Stanford, Joe Theismann of Notre Dame and Mississippi's Archie Manning.
1973 Roosevelt Leaks -- 3rd
In 1973 Roosevelt Leaks was coming off a terrific sophomore year where he had rushed for 1,099 yards and averaged 4.8 yards a carry. Texas was breaking in a new Wishbone QB -- Marty Akins -- but it had a strong offensive line, led by Center Bill Wyman. Texas began the season at Sports Illustrated's #1 team, but slipped to an 8-3 record.
Leaks, however was spectacular rushing for a then school-record 1,415 yards and 14 touchdowns. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry.
He solidified his All-American status and his Heisman candidacy with a SWC-record 342 yards against SMU in the Cotton Bowl in front of a national TV audience. That performance led one of the Dallas papers that Sunday to headline its game story:
ROOSEVELT LEAKS ALL OVER THE FIELD.
Leaks was named the "Texas Amateur Athlete of the Year" by the Texas Sportswriters Association in 1973.
Leaks finished 3rd in the Heisman balloting behind Penn State running back John Capelletti and Ohio State offensive lineman John Hicks.
Leaks would have been a favorite for the 1974 Heisman, except he tore up a knee in spring training. He was advised to redshirt, but Leaks vowed to play in 1974. He went through extensive rehabilitation and did indeed play, although he was not at full strength. Earl Campbell picked up the slack, but Royal, and Texas fans, were left wondering what it would have been like to have Leaks at full strength in the same backfield with Campbell.
2004 Cedric Benson -- 6th
Cedric Benson finished his career at Texas with a strong effort, gaining 1,834 yards on 326 carries for a 5.6 average and 19 touchdowns.
Cedric Benson was the 2004 Doak Walker Award Winner as the best running back in college football.
Whle Benson's season earned him All-American honors, he finished 6th in the Heisman vote, behind the winner, USC's Matt Leinart, OU teammates Adrian Peterson and Jason White, Utah's Alex Smith as well as Leinarts teammate, Reggie Bush.
2005 Vince Young -- 2nd
Do We Really Have To Rehash This Gross Miscarriage of Justice? I Didn't Think So.
2008 Colt McCoy -- 2nd
Not much need to go over the bitterness of last years events as well. Colt McCoy sets an NCAA record for percentage of pass completions, leads Texas to a 10-point win over OU, and then after the infamous tiebreaker, has to watch the Sooners' Sam Bradford take the Heisman.
Colt McCoy gathered 1,604 points compared to Bradfords 1,726 points in the 2008 Heisman balloting.
Should McCoy win the Heisman Saturday he will of course join Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams as Longhorn winners. Should he finish second, he will become the fourth player to finish second in the Heisman voting two years in a row.
The others are Glenn Davis - Army (1944-45), Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice - North Carolina (1948-49) and Darren McFadden of Arkansas (2006-07).
See more on the Heisman here.