Roger Staubach

It was not until the fourth game of his sophomore year that Staubach truly came into his own as a quarterback. Although he'd previously seen little play and was ranked well down on Navy's quarterback ranks, the coach sent him into a scoreless game with Cornell. Staubach passed for one touchdown and ran for two others to lead Navy to a lopsided 41-0 victory. For the 1962 season, he led the NCAA in passing with a completion rate of 67.3 percent. Perhaps the most memorable moment of the 1962 season for Staubach was Navy's upset win over Army in the academies' traditional end-of-season game. Navy overpowered Army, 34-14, largely on the strength of four touchdowns credited to Staubach, two on the ground and two in the air.

Staubach led Navy to a 9-1 record in his junior year, compiling a total of fifteen touchdowns—seven passing and eight running—for the season. His impressive performance earned him the covers of Time and Sports Illustrated. In the post-season, Navy faced off against top-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Although Texas won the game, 28-6, Staubach performed admirably, completing twenty-one of thirty-one pass attempts for a total of 228 yards. In late November 1963, Staubach learned that he had won the coveted Heisman Trophy. Because he'd earned a year of college credit by attending NMMI, a junior college, Staubach became eligible for the NFL draft in the spring of 1964. However, his commitments to the Navy hardly made him an eagerly sought-after property. He was eventually drafted by the Cowboys in the 10th round of the draft. An injury at the start of Staubach's senior year significantly compromised his value to the team, and Navy finished the 1964 season with a record of 3-6-1.