The San Diego Hall of Champions declared Faulk an "Honorary Heisman Trophy winner" on the day he was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame as part of the Salute to the Champions dinner festivities.
The San Diego foursome features one Heisman Trophy winner, three Heisman finalists, three NFL MVPs and one Super Bowl MVP. Left to right are LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers; Rashaan Salaam, a La Jolla Country Day alum; Marshall Faulk, a San Diego State alum; and Terrell Davis, a Lincoln High alum.
San Diegans have long blamed ESPN's Lee Corso for robbing Faulk of the Heisman when he openly campaigned on ESPN TV for eventual winner Gino Torretta of Miami. In the NFL, Faulk established himself as a future Pro Football Hall-of-Famer, while Torretta was a career backup that saw limited playing time.
Salaam's Heisman, which is on loan for display at the Hall of Champions Sports Museum in Balboa Park, was brought to the Salute dinner to recognize Faulk. Davis and Tomlinson, friends of Faulk, came to support him on the night he was inducted into San Diego's sports Hall of Fame.
Salaam won the Heisman at Colorado when he rushed for 2,055 yards as a junior. He was a 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie with the Chicago Bears, setting a club rookie record, before injuries cut short his career.
Davis was the Super Bowl MVP in the 1997 season when the Denver Broncos beat the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII played in his hometown at Qualcomm Stadium. He was the NFL MVP in 1998 when he rushed for 2,008 yards. Davis was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame in 2006.
Faulk was the 1992 Heisman runner-up at San Diego State before launching his NFL career that included winning the NFL MVP honor in 2000 with the St. Louis Rams and a Super Bowl ring in the 1999 season in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Tomlinson was the NFL MVP with the Chargers in 2006 when he set an NFL single-season record with 31 touchdowns. He was a 2000 Heisman finalist when he finished fourth in the voting after leading the nation in rushing with 2,158 yards. Florida State's Chris Weinke won the Heisman in 2000.
Contact Tom Shanahan at toms@sdhoc.com.
