Navy QB takes unassuming course with Heisman hype

Dobbs was already being mentioned as a possible candidate for college football's most prestigious award before he wowed a national television audience last season with his performance against Missouri in the Texas Bowl. Dobbs established bowl records with 166 yards rushing and three touchdowns in being named Most Valuable Player.

Viewers around the country were left with the lasting image of Dobbs wearing the ten-gallon cowboy hat that is traditionally given to the Texas Bowl MVP while holding the crystal trophy. That classic photo could have been the launching point for a Heisman Trophy campaign, but Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk, head coach Ken Niuamatalolo and sports information director Scott Strasemeier agreed not to go that route.

Part of the reasoning was to not put unnecessary pressure on Dobbs, but another factor was the belief that legitimate Heisman Trophy candidates should not have to be manufactured.

"If the team is successful and Ricky plays well, he'll have his opportunity. If there is enough ground swell out there from other sources, voters will take notice," Strasemeier said.

That ground swell of support has already started with numerous national media members mentioning Dobbs as a dark horse candidate for the Heisman Trophy. Sports Illustrated highlighted Dobbs as one of 10 Heisman Trophy hopefuls while Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com wrote that Dobbs "deserves" to win the award.

The website Blatant Homerism has labeled the Navy quarterback as the "People's Choice" for Heisman Trophy while a Naval Academy graduate has spearheaded a grass-roots movement to promote Dobbs through a website and twitter campaign titled "The Dobbs Experience."

"I think it means a lot more if Sports Illustrated or ESPN say that Ricky is a deserving candidate for the Heisman Trophy than if the Navy sports information director says it. People expect the Navy publicist to say that," Strasemeier said.

Navy has a history with the Heisman Trophy, having produced a pair of winners in Joe Bellino (1960) and Roger Staubach (1963). Former sports information director Tom Bates directed a Heisman campaign for Napoleon McCallum in 1984, but that was aborted when the running back suffered a broken ankle early in the season.

Strasemeier thinks in this day and age that Heisman voters are not swayed by glitzy marketing strategies.

"I think the Heisman Trophy hype is a bit outdated. That happened back in the 1960s and 70s when there wasn't as much television coverage. You had to send out a poster so the West Coast writers knew about a particular player on the East Coast," he said. "That's not the case anymore. With ESPN highlights and the internet, everyone eventually finds out about good players around the country."

Strasemeier said the preseason publicity Dobbs has received is "unprecedented" in his 20 years at the Naval Academy and said the fact every one of the team's games is televised nationally will provide further exposure. The Midshipmen have high-profile games on network television against Maryland (ESPN) and Notre Dame (NBC).

There is no higher authority on the Heisman Trophy than Chris Huston, who directed campaigns for Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart while working as the sports information director at USC. Huston now runs the website Heismanpundit.com and serves as a voter for the award.

Huston thinks Dobbs is a deserving preseason candidate for the Heisman based on his accomplishments in 2009. As a junior, the Georgia native broke the NCAA record for single-season rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (27) that was set by Florida's Tim Tebow.

"Dobbs has definitely earned the respect of the national media. He put up terrific numbers last season and played very well in nationally televised games against big-time opponents in Ohio State, Notre Dame and Missouri," Huston said.

Huston, who lists Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor as the preseason favorite to capture the Heisman, is not surprised that Dobbs has received a lot of support.

"This year's Heisman race is wide open. There is no clear-cut front-runner, no main characters who are dominating the attention," Huston said. "In the absence of any obvious choices, I think some people are looking for alternatives. Ricky Dobbs has captured the imaginations of many media members because he plays at a service academy and has such a good story. He is considered a true student-athlete and is clearly a great person and a real leader."

Dobbs decided as a teenager that he wanted to become president of the United States in 2040 and drew special recognition from current president Barack Obama when Navy visited the White House to receive the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. He serves as vice president of the senior class at the Naval Academy and is deeply religious. This past summer, Dobbs was honored by his hometown of Douglasville, Georgia - receiving a key to the city and various proclamations from government officials.

While there are numerous positives in his favor, Huston said it would take a miracle for Dobbs to win the Heisman Trophy. Navy's stature in comparison to top programs such as Ohio State, Alabama, Texas and Florida is a major drawback while the team's triple-option offense doesn't help either. No option quarterback has ever won the Heisman Trophy, including such greats as J.C. Watts (Oklahoma) and Tommie Frazier (Nebraska).

"Navy would probably need to go undefeated and Dobbs would need to have a great game againts Notre Dame to have any chance," Huston said. "I certainly think Dobbs is good enough to win the award, but the reality is that he does not play with a real prominent program. If Navy has a great season and Dobbs does some amazing things, it still might not be enough."

Working against Dobbs is the fact one of Navy's most visible games will take place after the Heisman Trophy voting is finished. The Army-Navy game is scheduled for Dec. 11, the same day the Heisman Trophy is presented by the Downtown Athletic Club in New York.

"I think it's a huge issue that Dobbs will not have even completed the regular season by the time the voting is done. What if he's on the verge of breaking some sort of record, but needs to do it against Army," Huston said.