born
August 5 ,
1946 in
Redwood City, California was an
American Football player. Son of an Italian-born mother and a first generation Croatian-American father, Beban won the
1967 Heisman Trophy , the most prestigious award in college football, while playing
Quarterback for the
University Of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins.
Though UCLA has turned out dozens of successful NFL players through the years, Gary Beban was in 1967 -- and still remains -- the only Bruin to win the Heisman Trophy.
Beban's winning the award was somewhat controversial, as some felt that
O.J. Simpson , a
Junior Tailback for the
University Of Southern California , was a more outstanding player that year. Beban was Caucasian and Simpson African-American; Beban was a quarterback and Simpson a running back; but the most relevant
prejudice involved was probably that which held that Heisman winnners should be seniors, not underclassmen. Many Heisman voters no doubt thought that Simpson would "have his chance" the following year.
After graduating from UCLA, it was nearly certain that Beban would play in the
NFL . He did play -- with the
Washington Redskins in
1968 and
1969 -- but without much success. The aura of greatness he had
maintained through college at UCLA was suddenly gone. Gary Beban retired.
