Texas throws Colt McCoy into coverage about Heisman Trophy

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Texas throws Colt McCoy into coverage about Heisman Trophy

In the days leading up to ABC’s nationally televised Texas-Oklahoma game, John Bianco, the Longhorns assistant athletic director for media relations, asked ESPN if it might be interested in a little story he had stored away about Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy.

It was the heart-wrenching tale of McCoy and his relationship with his late cousin, Grant Hinds, a former U.S. Marine tank driver who did three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hinds came home, suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and died in the aftermath of an April car accident. A five-minute report aired on ESPN’s College GameDay just before the kickoff.

For Bianco, it was a victory before the victory on the field. Bianco is Colt McCoy’s campaign manager in his race for the Heisman Trophy.  

“The best things are mentions on GameDay and network college football studio shows,” Bianco said. “The numbers put up on the field are important, but you have to get voters to look beyond the numbers. I learned how much value the media and voters put on personality and character.”

Bianco learned that lesson in the successful campaign he mounted a decade ago for running Ricky Williams. Whatever blemishes and personality disorders have tainted Williams’ professional career, Williams was unscathed at Texas. Of course, that Williams set the NCAA Division I career rushing record that 1998 season didn’t hurt his Heisman Trophy cause.

But neither did stories shepherded by Bianco that detailed Williams growing up the man in a single-parent home as well as his odd-couple relationship with legendary running back Doak Walker. As for Williams’ record-setting performance against Texas A&M on national television, Bianco made certain Tony Dorsett, the 1976 Heisman Trophy winner, was there to witness the event and pass on his blessing.

“When Ricky was here, he was a genuinely likeable guy,” Bianco said. “Remember, he had the dreadlocks and people had an immediate perception of him. My job was to get people to look beyond the superficial and get to know him. I encouraged people not to write stories from afar. I wanted them to come to Austin to get to know him.”

That brings us back to the non-dreadlocked McCoy, whose performances for No. 1 Texas the last three weeks against then top-ranked Oklahoma, No. 11 Missouri and No. 6 Oklahoma State have pushed him to the head of the Heisman Trophy class.

Bianco makes sure McCoy meets with the media at least once a week. The airlines might want to cut him in on the revenue it makes from national media who have flown in for the up-close-and-personal treatment.

“Everything on the field counts, but behind-the-scenes campaigns still go on,” said Chris Huston, who helped guide the successful Heisman journeys of Carson Palmer (2002) and Matt Leinart (2004) at USC. Huston now runs HeismanPundit.com, considered by many to be the online bible of Heisman Trophy tracking.

“It’s all about name recognition. No matter what numbers your guy puts up, someone needs to be making an argument for him.

“Of course, if I was running Colt’s campaign and if Texas beats Tech on Saturday night and makes it through this four-game gauntlet, there isn’t much I would have to do the rest of the season except say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen – Colt McCoy.’ ”

Huston remains a proponent of e-mails, posters, bobbleheads, Web sites and whatever other devices the clever campaign manager might employ, but he understands nothing compares to the power of playing well on national television when most eyes are watching.

McCoy’s games against Oklahoma and Missouri were broadcast nationally by ABC. So too will be Saturday’s game.

Texas coach Mack Brown, who has also coached Heisman candidates Cedric Benson and Vince Young, understands the game. But you’ll have to forgive his hyperbole. “Our program has been on national TV more than anybody else has ever been,” he said. “This year, we’ve had three GameDays come out in four weeks, which gives us a lot of good exposure.”

ABC and ESPN analyst Craig James, whose son Adam is a receiver at Texas Tech, marvels at Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell’s statistics. His Heisman Trophy vote, however, belongs to McCoy.

“Before the season, I thought Texas would lose two, maybe three games by this point in the season, but Colt has elevated the Longhorns,” he said. “He’s so smart, he knows what will and will not work.

“Of course, what could hurt him is for his team to lose and for him to play poorly. Then Harrell would have to keep playing lights out and beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. That’s a formidable challenge.”

Originally written by Barry Horn, The Dallas Morning News