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Ricky Williams’ Heisman Trophy auctioned off for over $500K

Teddy Rydquist

By Teddy Rydquist

Published:

One of the most prolific running backs in college football history, former Texas Longhorn Ricky Williams’ 1998 Heisman Trophy sold for a record $504,000 at the Heritage Auctions Fall Sports Memorabilia Collectibles gathering on October 18 in Dallas.

CollegeFootballTalk provided some further information on Twitter:

A interesting nugget from the attached article, Heisman winners were barred from selling their trophies by the award’s trust in 1999. The last trophy to be gifted before the implementation of this rule, Williams’ 1998 award very likely increased in value as a result.

The previous record for the sale of a Heisman Trophy was $435,763 for former Notre Dame wide receiver Tim Brown’s award in December 2018.

Starring for the Longhorns from 1995-98, Williams rushed for over 1,850 yards in each of his final two years in Austin. He piled up 2,124 yards (5.9 AVG) and 27 touchdowns in his Heisman-winning campaign.

Selected by the New Orleans Saints with the fifth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, Williams would go on to play 11 seasons in the league with the Saints (1999-2001), Miami Dolphins (2002-03, 2005, 2007-10) and Baltimore Ravens (2011).

The NFL rushing champion in 2002, he finished his professional career with 10,009 yards (4.1 AVG) and 74 total touchdowns.

However, his career was also marred by marijuana-related suspensions, leading to absences in the prime of his career.

Looking to make Williams proud, No. 15 Texas (4-2) hosts Kansas (2-4) at 7:00PM ET on The Longhorn Network.

 

Teddy Rydquist

A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.