... City's Downtown Athletic Club.   The award was first known as the DAC Trophy and it was awarded to the "best college football player east of the Mississippi River."

The club's athletic director, John Heisman, died in 1936 and the Trophy was renamed in his honor.  Other than the name, not much has changed.    

The Heisman people decided to include schools "west of the Mississippi" when shown proof that the United States, did, in fact, control those lands. 

The Heisman Committee even decided to divide the newly discovered lands into six regions.  These are the North East, Mid Atlantic, Mid West, Sout...

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