You never forget your first time

Congratulations, Mark...

From the always-succinct Gentry Estes at the Tuscaloosa News

That's 117 years, 22 SEC titles, 12 national championships ...
And now one Heisman Trophy.
Ingram beat out Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, Nebraska defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow (in that order).
In doing so, Ingram becomes the first player ever in Alabama's storied program to win the Heisman. Before tonight, the best finish was David Palmer (third place) in 1993.

Simply amazing. Best Sophomore season by an SEC running back since Hershel Walker (who also won the Heisman).

During an emotional address, Ingram thanked his parents, team, coaches and many others associated with Alabama's team. "I'm just so excited to bring Alabama their first Heisman winner," Ingram said. "... I'm really looking forward to being part of the Heisman family. Just, thank you."

 

This game on the biggest of all stages,  #2 Alabama v. #1 Florida, where Ingram ran for 113 yards, caught 78 yards of passes, and scored three TDs on the consensus #1 defense probably sealed the victory.

Chris Low, from ESPN.com summed up his accomplishments pretty well:

The next time somebody tells you that the Heisman Trophy is nothing more than an overhyped award that lost its luster a long time ago, mention the name Mark Ingram...I can’t imagine there’s been one who went from role player to great player any quicker or one who’s consistently performed any better on the biggest stages than Ingram has this season...In five games against top 25 teams this season, Ingram averaged 165 yards per game in wins over No. 1 Florida, No. 7 Virginia Tech, No. 9 LSU, No. 20 Ole Miss and No. 22 South Carolina. He faced six of the top 28 defenses nationally and averaged 154 yards in those six contests.

Make no mistake, this is as much a team award as an individual award...and he is the first to admit it. Good job, big uglies. Roll Tide!