Reggie Bush is getting his flowers again for his collegiate football career at the University of South Carolina after his Heisman Trophy was officially returned to him — a major advancement for student-athletes.
On April 24, the Heisman Trophy Trust held an intimate ceremony to highlight the reinstatement of the former NFL running back’s trophy. Bush has also been welcomed back to all future Heisman Trophy ceremonies due to “enormous changes in the college football landscape” that have occurred in the past few years, ESPN reported.
“Personally, I’m thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I’m honored to return to the Heisman family,” Bush told ESPN. “I also look forward to working together with the Heisman Trust to advance the values and mission of the organization.”
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In 2021, Bush began to lobby to get his Heisman Trophy back following the NCAA’s decision to update their policies to allow college athletes the chance to “benefit from their name, image and likeness.” This was a huge factor when the Heisman Trust’s board decided to change the status of the father of three’s resignation after internal discussions led to the conclusion that “student athlete compensation” is now “an accepted practice and appears here to stay,” per ESPN.
“We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments,” Michael Comerford, president of The Heisman Trophy Trust, said via ESPN. “We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back.”
During the California native’s time at USC from 2003-2005, he quickly became one of the most recognized college football players. He led his team to three national Rose Bowl championship games, which led to USC winning two in 2004 and 2005. He won the two-time All-American honors and Pac-10 Player of the Year twice while winning the Doak Walker Award and the Walter Camp Award. He was also named Player of the Year by the Associated Press and Sporting News at the time, according to the FOX Sports website.
In 2005, he became the Heisman Trophy winner with 784 first-place votes, which made him the fifth athlete to get that many votes in the accolade’s history. In 2010, he forfeited his trophy, something that had never been done by any of the winners, following the reveal of USC’s sanctions to athletes after an investigation of their athletic department was conducted and the replica trophy was returned by the school.
The monumental reestablishment of Bush’s position in college football history now means the university has the most Heisman trophies of any undergraduate establishment.
“What a historic day! Reggie’s reintroduction to the Heisman Family is a special moment for every person that has been associated with USC football,” USC head foot coach Lincoln Riley said in a statement. “We are thrilled that Reggie’s athletic accomplishments as one of the greatest to ever play the game can officially be recognized. For a long time, the Heisman and USC have been synonymous and being able to acknowledge all eight of our winners is extraordinary.”
Bush celebrated the long-awaited dream with his fans by posting a photo of his trophy on Instagram with the caption that read, “No one can take what God has for you.”
Congrats, Reggie!
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