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Alabama Running Back Derrick Henry Wins Heisman Trophy

Running back Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks after being named the 81st Heisman Memorial Trophy Award winner Saturday in New York City.
Kelly Kline
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Running back Derrick Henry of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks after being named the 81st Heisman Memorial Trophy Award winner Saturday in New York City.

Alabama running back Derrick Henry has taken home this year's Heisman Trophy.

Henry led the nation in rushing yards and rushing attempts, among other noteworthy stats, the Heisman Web site notes:

"The 6-3, 242-pounder from Yulee, Fla., set an SEC single-season-record in 2015 with 1,986 rushing yards. He also tied the conference mark for rushing touchdowns with 23."

In one game against Auburn, Henry notched 46 carries for 271 yards — a career best in both, the Heisman site says.

The award site shared a video of Henry's highlights from that game:

Although Alabama is a college football powerhouse, Henry is only the second Crimson Tide player to win a Heisman. The first was Mark Ingram, in 2009; Ingram was also the most recent running back to win the trophy.

Henry's margin of victory was narrower than recent Heisman winners', the Associated Press notes, but the contest wasn't quite a squeaker. The Crimson Tide star had 1,892 points — 293 more points than second-place finisher Christian McCaffrey, a Stanford running back with the NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a season.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson came in third.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Camila Domonoske
Camila Flamiano Domonoske covers cars, energy and the future of mobility for NPR's Business Desk.