Will a woman ever win the Heisman Trophy?

Thought for the day

It’s been 10 days since my last post. No, I haven’t been on vacation. I’ve been home with COVID. And while I had a mild case, I can tell you this: COVID fog is real. How do I know? It usually takes me 30 mins. to write an opinion piece like the one below, but this one took 2 hours. I hope you’ll find it of interest. PS … If you think this topic is a bit “out there,” consider the fact it wasn’t that long ago women weren’t allowed to fly fighter jets or that no women sat on the Supreme Court. Who says a Heisman is beyond their reach?

After winning this year's Heisman Trophy Saturday night, USC's Caleb Williams thanked his teammates, coaches, friends and parents for helping him achieve his boyhood goal of becoming a great quarterback. 

I'm glad he told the story about the plan he and his father created when Caleb was only 10.  

During his extended remarks, Williams urged young athletes who’ve been told they are too small or too slow to play varsity ball to keep trying.  Make a plan to exercise daily, eat well, learn everything you can about the position you want to play and return to the field the following year.  And if it takes another year, then stick to your plan.  As his father told young Caleb, "Success is the result of hard work.  And hard work requires a plan."

I'm not sure the newly minted Heisman winner was thinking about young girls following in his footsteps, so let me amplify his message a bit.  Today, teenage girls basically play the same sports boys do in high school.  They compete in tennis, water polo, basketball, cross country, swimming, volleyball, surfing, soccer, baseball (OK, softball) and several other sports.  

They also have begun playing varsity football.  Remember Laguna's Bella Rasmussen?  She made sports history this fall by becoming the first girl in California to score two touchdowns in a single high school game.   If you ask me, it won't be long before big time college programs allow women a chance to make their various men's teams.  Not as a public relations stunt, but because they deserve to be given a shot.

I wonder how two-time Olympic gold medalist Kaleigh Gilchrist would have reacted had she been asked to play on the 'SC men's water polo team when she was an undergraduate student?   

Participating as an athlete isn't the only place where women are making their presence known.  They also are officiating major sports.  Here's what retired NFL side judge Laird Hayes of Newport recently said:  "For the first time ever, three women officiated a World Cup game.  I wasn't surprised, since there is a growing sisterhood of referees in professional sports.  This includes at least eight female officials in the NFL and NBA combined." 

Caleb Williams clearly earned his Heisman Trophy.  It won't shock me if someday a 20-something young woman doesn't credit him for helping her win the same award.

Yours truly visiting Heritage Hall, where USC displays its collection of Heisman Trophies. As of last Saturday nite, there will be another one to admire soon. Congratulations Caleb Williams.