Earlier this week, an envelope arrived on my desk. It contained a handful of bumper stickers that read:

    Ricky Dobbs #4 For The Heisman Trophy and had the N insignia for Navy.

    Attached to one of the bumper stickers was a post-it note that stated: It's time to get the campaign rolling. How long has Ricky led the nation in touchdowns!

     I received the bumper stickers and note from Dennis Kranyak, a Navy and Ricky Dobbs fans who resides in Clifton, Virginia. 

    I told Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs about the bumper stickers that I received and he was pleased, if not a bit amused. I mentioned the note to Navy sports information director Scott Strasemeier and was surprised to hear him officially announce that Dobbs WOULD be promoted for the Heisman Trophy next season.

    That is big news because only one other player in Navy history has been formally promoted for the Heisman Trophy since quarterback Roger Staubach and halfback Joe Bellino won the prestigious award back in the 1960s. Former Navy sports information director Tom Bates promoted Napoleon McCallum for the Heisman back in 1984 after the tailback had a dominant junior campaign.

    Playing off McCallum's first name, Bates had the youngster posed for a photo wearing a French military uniform ala Napoleon Bonaparte. That picture of McCallum aboard the USS Constellation was printed on posters along with the slogan: I Have Not Yet Begun To Run.

    It will be interesting what type of campaign Strasemeier and his staff come up with for Dobbs, but I would imagine it would center around the triple-option offense and the record number of rushing touchdowns Dobbs has scored this season.

    Speaking of which, Dobbs can set the all-time Division I-A record for rushing touchdowns in a season by a quarterback in Saturday night's game against Hawaii. Dobbs currently has 22 rushing touchdowns, one shy of the single-season mark set by Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge in 2002 and equaled by Florida QB Tim Tebow in 2007.

    Dobbs was typically humble when asked about the impending record and mentioned the fact so many other players had long runs or catches to get the ball into scoring positioin to set him up for a touchdown.

    "I guess you could say I’ve been fortunate. I look at it as the whole offense did the work to get down there and when I score it’s for the team," he said. :A lot of the touchdowns I score are for somebody else who made a big play to set us up with first-and-goal."

    Dobbs has already set the Navy single-season record for touchdowns, surpassing the 21 scored by Bill Ingram way back in 1917. He said the accomplishment still has not set in. "It hasn’t really hit me yet. It probably won’t until January around my birthday."

    As for the fact Dobbs has not been promoted for the Heisman Trophy this season, Strasemeier said that such campaigns are not done off-the-cuff. It takes planning and coordination and, especially at a school like Navy, must come on the heels of an outstanding statistical season for a player.

    Strasemeier said Navy would probably need to go 11-0 and be nationally ranked in order for Dobbs to actually win the award. It should be noted that the last eight Heisman Trophy winners played in the BCS Championship game, an indication of the caliber of team and level of prominence required for a player to capture the award.

    Dobbs certainly is not bothered by the fact he is not being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate this year even though he ranks second nationally to Stanford running back Toby Gerhart in touchdowns scored.

    "I can’t control stuff of like that. I don’t even worry about it. I’ve just got to continue to work hard and do my job and maybe stuff like that will come," he said. "Like God said, good things happen to those that wait. It may not be my time yet."