In the end, Eric Crouch indeed proved to be the best option for Heisman Trophy voters.

The quarterback from Omaha learned Saturday that he had become the third Nebraska player and the 67th overall to win the Heisman. His selection, in the fourth closest vote in the history of the award, marked the first time that an option quarterback won what is considered college football's most prestigious individual honor.

"I just made history today, and it's something that I didn't think was possible," Crouch said. "I'm fortunate, and I've always believed in myself. There was something deep down inside of me that said, 'Eric, you really want to win that trophy.'"

Crouch did, by a 62-point margin over Florida sophomore quarterback Rex Grossman. Auburn's Bo Jackson (45-point margin in 1985), Syracuse's Ernie Davis (53 points in 1961) and Notre Dame's John Lattner (56 points in 1953) were the other winners elected by a closer margin than Crouch. Crouch received 162 first-place votes and 770 points, while Grossman had 137 first-place votes and 708 points. Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey finished third with 638 points, while Oregon's Joey Harrington was fourth with 364 points.

Crouch became the first player since Syracuse's Davis to claim the award while winning just one of the voting sections of the country. Davis won only the East in 1961. Crouch received the most points only from voters in the Southwest section of the country, but finished second in three of the other five sections and third in the other two.

Grossman received the most points in the South and Mid-Atlantic sections, but did not finish among the top three in the Far West and the Southwest. Harrington carried the Far West, while Dorsey received the most points in the Northeast. Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El edged Crouch by a 112-103 margin in the Midwest.

Crouch, Grossman, Dorsey and Harrington sat through almost 55 minutes of the ESPN announcement program before Jim Corcoran, president of the sponsoring Downtown Athletic Club, spoke the words they had come to the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel to hear. "And the winner is ..."

In the split second between those words and Corcoran's announcement that Crouch was the winner, time seemed to stand still for those closest to Crouch.

"All I could think was, 'Oh, please, let him win it,'" said Susan Sanchez, Crouch's mother. "The thumping of the heart, it's true. You feel that. The pounding, the pounding. It's very overwhelming. And then it's hard to put into words how proud you are."

Ron Crouch, Eric's father, experienced much the same emotions.

"You just want him to be the one," the elder Crouch said. "And when you hear his name, it's like, 'Great.' You feel good for him because you know he's a great kid. He's a great kid and a great football player."

Said Nikki Kousgaard, Crouch's girlfriend: "Ever since I got here, I kept thinking that he was going to win it. Still, I was so nervous that I was shaking. And I've never seen Eric so nervous."

When he heard his name announced, Crouch turned to Harrington, shook his hands and gave the Oregon quarterback a hug. He also hugged Dorsey and Grossman, then headed to the podium to address the gathering that included countless past Heisman winners, including Nebraska's two previous winners.

Crouch joined former Huskers Johnny Rodgers, the 1972 winner, and 1983 winner Mike Rozier in college football's most exclusive club.

"Once you are a Heisman winner, you are always a Heisman winner," Rodgers said. "Eric's going to find that this is a very elite fraternity."

Rodgers said he was glad the Heisman voters recognized Crouch's all-around ability in selecting him over three quarterbacks who amassed gaudier statistics. Crouch threw for a career-high 1,510 yards, but that was still almost 900 fewer than Harrington and almost 2,400 fewer than Grossman's nation-leading total. Crouch's critics also pointed to the fact that he threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (7).

"Everyone I had talked to felt that Eric was the most outstanding player in the land," Rodgers said. "He's probably not the best quarterback, he's probably not the best running back, he's probably not the best receiver. But we're not looking for a quarterback award or a running back award. We're looking for the most outstanding player.

"He's clearly shown them what he's worth. And he's done it without the kind of supporting cast that we've had on Nebraska teams of the past. What Eric has been able to do is bring out the best in those players."

Crouch led Nebraska to an 11-1 record, improving his record as Nebraska's starting quarterback to 35-6. In addition to his career-high passing yardage, Crouch rushed for 1,115 yards in becoming the 13th NCAA Division I-A quarterback to run and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season.

No quarterback in Division I-A history has scored more rushing touchdowns than Crouch (59). He also caught two touchdowns in his career, one this season in a 20-10 win over Oklahoma and one in 1999 against California. At that time, Crouch was Nebraska's No. 2 quarterback, having started the season behind Bobby Newcombe.

But Crouch's play in the first two games as a backup forced a lineup change that Turner Gill, Nebraska's quarterbacks coach, considered the pivotal moment in Crouch's career.

"Eric's had a lot of great moments for us," Gill said. "But I think the greatest moment might have been when we decided to make him our starting quarterback. I think that was a defining moment for Eric and for our entire football team.

"He's had many, many moments since, but that was the beginning stages of what has been a great career."

Ironically, that moment came weeks after one of Crouch's darkest as a Husker. After learning that the coaches had decided to go into the 1999 season with Newcombe as the starter, Crouch returned Omaha to ponder his future. Although he said at the time that he didn't quit the team, he has since made it clear that walking away from football was an option that he was considering.

"I had to take a step back and look at where I was at," Crouch said. "At that point, never in a million years did I think I would ever be in this position. It seemed nearly impossible at the time. In that regard, I beat the odds.

"I'm proud of myself for sticking with it, and I'm proud of the people who stuck by me and convinced me to stay with football."

Crouch has not missed a start since, in spite of playing in 1999 and 2000 with an injured throwing shoulder. He twice underwent offseason shoulder surgery, the second coming last January that left him pain-free for the first time in his Nebraska career.

Crouch responded with his best season, what that Nebraska Coach Frank Solich felt confident that the Heisman voters would recognize. Solich said before Saturday's ceremony that he had a feeling that Crouch would win, a premonition that played itself just an hour later.

"He's responded every time we've asked him to these past three years," Solich said. "We know that winning the Heisman was deserved, and apparently everyone around the country felt that way, too."

A total of 924 ballots were sent out. The Downtown Athletic Club does not release the number of votes that were returned, but tallying the number of first-place votes accumulated among the top 10 finishers totals 585. That could indicate that only about 65 percent of the voters returned ballots.

Regardless, Crouch's name appeared either first, second or third on enough of the ones that were returned to make him the 2001 Heisman winner.

"When moments like this come along, it makes it very special to you," Solich said. "It's extra special when you have a guy like Eric, who not only has been great athletically but who has been so good off the field. He's been outstanding around our players, our fans, young people.

"For Eric to win this is very deserving in a lot of ways."