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It was an early holiday celebration for football fans when the landmark 85th annual Heisman Trophy presentation honored a new college football champion in New York City in December.

The official ceremony was televised live on ESPN on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 8PM ET with live appearances by top contenders as well as Hesiman Trophy alumni.

2019 Heisman Trophy WINNER & top contenders

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, winner of the 2019 Heisman Trophy.

As always, the 2019 college football season had its ups and downs.

But the No. 1 player in this year's field -- LSU quarterback Joe Burrow -- was the standout practically all season long.

In November, he sealed his reputation with a momentous win over Alabama when he threw for 393 yards and three touchdowns for a 46-41 win. With more than 3,000 passing yards and a near 80% completion rate this season, Burrows was the 2019 Heisman Trophy favorite and ultimate winner.

Not only was Burrow the big winner, it was record-breaking landslide earning the LSU quarterback 2,608 points and 841 first-place votes, a record 90.7% of all the first-place votes available. Burrow also set a record for percentage of points available received with 93.8.

Up until final voting, and the official announcement -- hard on Burrow's heels was Ohio State's star defensive end Chase Young who was already put on the map with a recent 28-17 win against Penn State finishing the game with two forced fumbles, three sacks, four tackles for loss and nine tackles.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts, were also in the running as finalists in this year's Heisman competition.

All told, it was Burrow followed by Jalen Hurts in second with 762 points.Justin Fields was third and Chase Young of Ohio State was fourth

Congrats to all.

DID YOU KNOW? - Heisman Trophy trivia & fun facs

College football coach, John W. Heisman.

• Awarding a talented college football player with the Heisman Trophy dates back to 1935 when its first recipient, University of Chicago running back Jay Berwanger, was awarded the inaugural Heisman Trophy.

• The Heisman Memorial Trophy is named in honor of college football coach John W. Heisman, athletic director of the New York Downtown Athletic Club.

• The cast bronze trophy is 13.5 inches tall and weighs 25 lbs. The model for the trophy was Ed Smith, a player for New York University in 1934.

• Today, there are a total of 928 ballots cast in the awarding of the Heisman Trophy. Most are cast by sports journalists located in six regions throughout the US -- along with former Heisman winners who are also eligible to vote.

• Famous African-American Heisman Trophy winners include Syracuse University halfback Ernie Davis who won 1961. He was followed by running back Mike Garrett who took home the Heisman in 1965. O.J. Simpson was the third in 1968.

• Archie Griffin became the only person to win twice with two consecutive awards in 1974 and 1975.

• Other notable recipients include Tim Tebow who was the only sophomore (2007); Johnny Manziel the only freshman (2012); and 19-year-old Jameis Winston who became the youngest player (2013) ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

More about the Heisman Trophy around the Web:

Just up ahead, check out more about the Heisman Trophy with related resources featuring the latest rumors, photos, video highlights, and a bit of Heisman history and trivia...

Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy - The official site featuring a complete profile & photos on recent award recipients, trophy & award history, statistics, and details on the Heisman awards dinner.

Heisman Watch - Expert picks from CBS Sports with player profiles and season stats, information on past winners.

From the legendary to the little-known, Heisman history is never dull - ESPN feature and a good read on Heisman history from 1935 to the present with major highlights, winners, fun facts & Heisman trivia.