- 21 hours ago
The Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hurricanes QB, Gino Torretta, details his entire Heisman Trophy winning experience including the night he won the trophy and the season building up to the award.
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00:00Gino Toretta, the great gabagool, the big tortellini, the Heisman Trophy winner.
00:07He joins us on Thursdays to talk football.
00:10And you'll hear Gino all season long on Touchdown Radio as well.
00:14His first broadcast is September 5th, UCLA and Cal.
00:18Canes, of course, open their season Friday, September 4th at Stanford.
00:22And Gino is brought to us each week by the Plumbers Local 519.
00:26Local 519 members are proud supporters of South Florida, the Miami Hurricanes, and the community.
00:32For more than a century, Local 519 has been protecting the health of our communities while building South Florida.
00:39So if you're ready to build a career you can be proud of, join the next generation of skilled union
00:44professionals at UA Plumbers Local 519.
00:49What's up, big tortellini?
00:51You got CNN?
00:53You know what, I might have to sneak over to the Canes-Stanford game.
00:58That's just in the South Bay.
00:59I'll be over in the East Bay for the Cal game.
01:04I feel like that was part of your planning when you chose the UCLA-Cal game.
01:09No, it was actually, it was more to go see my mom.
01:13Well, I know you do a bunch of West Coast games because you want to get back home.
01:17It was more to see my mom.
01:19It's a 10-30 time slot, so there's not a lot of live Hawkman and Crowder.
01:24There's a lot of programming at that point in time, so maybe QAM will take the game.
01:30To be honest, Hawk, I knew Miami played on an off day that weekend, and I just kind of didn't
01:36put it together that they were playing at Stanford.
01:39Works out perfectly.
01:40What do you think, I was reading something, and I know this is so early, because the stuff like the
01:47Heisman hopefuls before the season start oftentimes never pan out.
01:51But I was reading an article on caneswarning.com, and they were making a case for several Hurricanes as possible
01:58Heisman candidates.
01:59Three of them were Mark Fletcher, Malachi Tony, and of course Darian Mensah.
02:03Do you have, I know you're a Heisman winner, Heisman voter, do you have early thoughts on who you're targeting
02:10as potential Heisman winners?
02:12No, I mean, to be honest with you, I don't really even think about it until maybe the end of
02:19October.
02:20And then what I'll kind of do is group quarterbacks together, wideouts, defensive players.
02:26I'll group them together and then say, okay, of the best wide receivers versus the best quarterbacks, who has performed
02:35the best in big games and then put together my list.
02:38I mean, a lot of times who I vote for is not, you know, what the three or four that
02:45come to New York, because I more vote with my eyes on, hey,
02:50if I'm at, you know, a Michigan-Ohio State game and a Michigan guy balls out, then you know what,
02:57he's up for it.
02:58He had the pressure on and he performed.
03:01But, you know, I would say this, those three guys in Miami, yes, they are all, you know, could have
03:09great seasons.
03:10I would say this, if one of them has that season, if Fletcher has the season to win the Heisman,
03:18Darian Mensah is not going to be in discussion for the Heisman.
03:20I mean, it's just, there's not enough footballs to go around.
03:24There's not enough offense.
03:25You can't have a running back 1,500 yards, 2,000 yards, and then have a quarterback throw for 3
03:31,500 to 4,000.
03:32It's just not possible.
03:33If Fletcher has a game, it probably takes Malachi Tony out of it, unless maybe he returns three punts or
03:39kickoffs for a touchdown.
03:40So, you know, that's just, that's just knowing football.
03:43But of all those guys, can they put together a season?
03:47I'm sure they could.
03:48They're all that talented.
03:51And you're right, like people saying, well, this is who's going to win the Heisman now.
03:54I mean, that's like last year.
03:56What was it, 12 teams in the top 15 lost in like week one last year?
04:01I mean, it was crazy.
04:02I mean, the rankings don't mean, don't mean anything.
04:05The, the, the, who's the, who's the Heisman front runner right now?
04:09You want to be the Heisman front runner.
04:11The ballots are, are sent in and in the first week of December, that's when you want to be the
04:15front runner.
04:17And, you know, with that, with having a vote, with being a prior Heisman and having that vote, like, I
04:22think Bain is better at defensive end than Fernando Mendoza was a quarterback.
04:27But then is it impact?
04:28Like, there's so many things that go into it.
04:30When there's a committee, now you're talking about it where it's, it's, it's, it's a la carte.
04:35It's guy to guy, where they're not looking at it like that.
04:38And, like, how do you, how do you, like you're saying, you look at the receivers, look at the quarterbacks.
04:42Jeremiah Smith is better at receiver than probably every quarterback is at quarterback in the nation.
04:48Well, look at, look at Indomitian Sioux.
04:50I mean, you played, you played with him.
04:52I mean, like, he was dominant.
04:53I mean, he almost single-handedly won the Big 12 championship game.
04:57That was right before voting.
04:58And he almost won the, won the Heisman because he had a great year.
05:01And then he was just a home wrecker in the conference championship game.
05:06People think it's very easy to vote for the Heisman.
05:08And I would say this, our ballot is three, it's six lines.
05:14It's name, blank line, school, blank line.
05:17One, two, three.
05:19You think that makes it easy.
05:21It's not easy because it's not, hey, you got to pick the best, you got to pick the top quarterback.
05:26You got to pick the top receiver.
05:27It's, in my eyes, who is the most outstanding player.
05:31And that's why I said, like, I can remember, heck, I think you might've been in school still.
05:35I remember voting for Glenn Dorsey because I remember watching him play.
05:39I'm like, I saw him play like two or three times in person.
05:42There wasn't a single person that could block him.
05:44He was Warren Sapp dominant inside.
05:49And he was unbelievable.
05:51So, but that's me.
05:52And that's where I don't necessarily go by watching the stuff on TV.
05:57Well, this is who's going to win.
05:58And listen, whoever wins, they're, you know, great addition to our fraternity.
06:04But I don't vote on, I don't vote based on who I think is going to win.
06:08I vote on who I think I've seen is the most outstanding player in college football.
06:13And I don't really care if that's a defensive guy or a return guy or a multi-side guy like
06:20Travis Hunter.
06:21I mean, that's just kind of how I look at it.
06:23And I know not everybody does that because I think some people think I want to say I voted for
06:30the Heisman Trophy winner.
06:32I mean, people are like, who'd you vote for?
06:34I'm like, to be honest, I don't even know.
06:36And I'm not going to tell you anyway because, like, I don't want, if I didn't vote for the winner,
06:41I don't want him to think, hey, man, why did you vote for me?
06:46I'm looking at the results of your Heisman race, 1992.
06:51Do you know who Geno beat, Crowder?
06:53Solana?
06:53I do not.
06:55Two average running backs.
06:57I would say this.
06:59Let me put it to you this way, Crowder.
07:02Probably the best running back receiver the NFL's ever seen.
07:09Combo.
07:11Wow.
07:12Runner and receiver.
07:16I don't know.
07:17Marshall Falk.
07:18Marshall Falk.
07:19I was going to say Falk.
07:20You beat Falk?
07:22Falk was two and Garrison Hurst was three.
07:25I think, I'm trying to think who was four.
07:28I think Brooks was up there for Notre Dame.
07:32He was fifth.
07:33Reggie Brooks was fifth.
07:34Yeah, Bettis was somewhere up there.
07:36Heck, Michael Barrow was in the top ten.
07:39Fourth was Marvin Jones from FSU.
07:41Marvin Jones, yeah.
07:43So, Geno ended up with 310 first-place votes.
07:46Marshall Falk got 164 first-place votes.
07:50And that's where we're both having great seasons.
07:52He got hurt.
07:53He missed the last two games.
07:56He missed a game.
07:57We played against them the very last game of the year.
07:59It was supposed to be, you know, whoever performed in that game,
08:01hey, had the final feather in the cap before the Heisman,
08:04and he didn't get a chance to play because he had a banged-up knee.
08:08Did you go into the season as a Heisman hopeful?
08:08Were you talked about before the season started?
08:12No.
08:13No.
08:14Not at all.
08:14Did I think?
08:15Listen, I thought we won the championship in 91.
08:18I wasn't even the preseason All-American quarterback going into 92,
08:22and I'm like, well, isn't the goal to win the game?
08:26Like Marvin Lewis, the goal is to win the game.
08:31And then probably after we played, we played Arizona,
08:36who was top five defensively, Penn State and Florida State all in a row.
08:43And I remember at that point people saying nationally in the papers
08:48and the media was if they can get through that stretch,
08:51it'll be because I had good games and I led us to victory
08:55and I'd have a chance at that point in time.
08:57I can remember that.
08:58I thought I had a chance after 91 where I'm like going,
09:01we're going to win them all again.
09:03I'm going to be the quarterback.
09:04I'm going to be the one putting up numbers,
09:07and I think I'll have a chance.
09:08But you don't know because you don't – there's 900 people that vote.
09:12Like people get mad at a kid.
09:13You know what I mean?
09:14People are like, oh, you shouldn't have won.
09:15I'm like, okay, I didn't vote.
09:18And I'm not one of those 900 people that voted for me.
09:23So, you know what?
09:24Talk to them.
09:27Hold on.
09:27Let me shout out my trophy here.
09:32Was there a moment – was there a moment in 92 when you were like, oh, yeah,
09:36I got these.
09:36I got these boys.
09:38No.
09:39No.
09:40The only thing – because, listen, Marshall and I and Garrison had an unbelievable year
09:46at Georgia and there really wasn't.
09:52And, you know, I just – I remember Corso, you know, saying, hey, I think Toretta's going to win.
09:57I mean, I'm sure that helped.
09:59But, no, there wasn't a time where until they opened that envelope and said my name,
10:07you don't know.
10:09You didn't walk into that room thinking I'm the front runner and I'm coming out of here with this trophy.
10:15You know what?
10:16I will tell you this.
10:17So, I barely made it there.
10:19I was in Kentucky the night before for the Johnny Unitas Award.
10:23There was an ice storm in New York.
10:25I flew out at, like, 4 in the morning, 5 in the morning, got there, no hot water in the
10:31DAC,
10:32old building, took a freezing cold shower, ran downstairs, and the 13th floor.
10:40And the USA Today, that was back when they – remember, it was Friday, Saturday, Sunday paper.
10:45So, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and it said I was going to win.
10:49It was like, hey, here's the front runner.
10:50They had interviewed people and this.
10:52So, I had that.
10:55Or at least that was out there.
10:57So, I took out an index card, I don't know, probably Friday, and wrote, like, some notes.
11:03If I win, I want to make sure I thank these people.
11:07We sat there.
11:09NBC was doing the telecast.
11:10OJ Simpson was one of the hosts of the show.
11:14And the Dolphins-Bills game in Buffalo, Marino and Kelly, went overtime.
11:23So, it was live, but we couldn't go on until their game was over.
11:29So, like, not only are you nervous, like, I walk in, I have no idea.
11:33You don't know if you're going to win.
11:34I'm the last person, like, to walk in the Heisman room, and it's the three of us on stage.
11:41And, you know, we're sitting there talking, and I had obviously met the guys before, and Garrison, I'm like, at
11:49the end, Garrison was in the middle, and Marshall was on the other end.
11:52Garrison goes, well, what are you doing after this?
11:54And I said, well, what do you mean, what am I doing after this?
11:58I'm like, I go, what if you win?
12:01You don't have a speech?
12:03I go, I got a speech.
12:04He goes, you have a speech?
12:06I go, yeah.
12:08I'm like, I'm preparing that I won.
12:10If I don't, then I'm throwing it away, you know?
12:14Like Garrison Hurst was just planning on going to Applebee's or something?
12:17Yeah.
12:18I was like, you know, it was almost like, hey, do you want to go out in New York City
12:22after this?
12:23And I'm like, go on, dude, I don't even know.
12:26I just got here.
12:27I think I might have media.
12:28I think I might have media to do.
12:30I don't think I can go sightseeing.
12:32I was.
12:32I'm like, did you read the paper?
12:35Yeah.
12:37I might have a chance.
12:39You know?
12:40So, yeah, exactly.
12:42I think so.
12:42They're saying there's a chance.
12:44So they're saying there's a chance.
12:46Yeah.
12:46But then the game comes back.
12:48You know, it was just crazy.
12:49I was watching Marino and Kelly, and they're in the snow.
12:51So, and we're waiting, and that was as soon as the game was over, they come live.
12:58You know, here's NBC coming in live, and they do a half-hour show, and until they open that
13:05envelope, no, nobody in that room knew.
13:07When you heard your name, when they said, and the Heisman Trophy goes to this year, and
13:11you heard your name, like, did you have that, you know, moment where people talk about that
13:17every, all the work I put in, it all came to fruition in this moment, all the early
13:23mornings, and the late nights, and the watching what I eat when all my friends were eating pizzas.
13:30I don't know if it's, I don't know if it's relief, like, that it's over, and you won.
13:34And all I remember is my mom screamed, like, audibly, like, like something was going down
13:41and wrong, just, ah, you know, and I, and I got up, and I shook Garrison's hand, shook
13:49Marshall's hand, and went up there, and, and kind of at that point, it's just like a blur.
13:55I mean, think about it, you're a 20-some-year-old kid, and you're just, you won something that's,
13:59you know, forever going to be with you.
14:02I mean, it changed your life. That changed your life. You can never take away, I'm a
14:06Heisman Trophy winner, you know, that's like, I mean, the pinnacle, right?
14:10You know, in the whole weekend, Hawk, the whole weekend, the other winners are like,
14:15you don't realize what you've done, now you will, you know, and it's like, as you go through,
14:23you know, the seasons, and, you know, you're 10 years after, and 15, and 25 years after,
14:29and you're still, you know, talked about it, yeah, it's just, you know, it's, you're,
14:36you're part of history. I mean, I, I just, you know, I, I have so many great memories being
14:40up there, whether it's seeing my daughter sitting next to Earl Campbell when he couldn't
14:45get on the stage, and she was probably five or six, somewhere in there, had her American
14:49Girl doll. She's telling Earl Campbell and showing him, like, her doll, like, on the TV show,
14:55and I, and I'm sitting there just watching her, smiling, you know, and being, I remember
15:00one year, like, the Raiders, obviously growing up the West Coast, the Raiders were like, you
15:05know, they were, I, I, they were successful, they were awesome, and, like, Marcus was,
15:11obvious, Mark Salas was a star, and I remember, like, seeing him, and Marcus isn't there every
15:15year in New York, and I just, hey, Marcus, how you doing, it's Gino, and he looked at me,
15:20like, and he was like, I know who you are, and I'm like, man, I, you know what I mean,
15:25I, I'm like, you know, I, I don't know, I'm just, you know, I mean, yeah, yeah, Marcus
15:31Allen knows who I am. Yeah, it's just like, I'm like, yeah, but Marcus, I haven't seen you
15:35in probably four or five years. I, I don't know, you know, I just kind of do that, but
15:39yeah, it's, it's pretty awesome. Yeah, Gino, we see you on the TV commercials. We, we, we
15:44know, we know. I didn't get, hey, I didn't get picked this year. I don't get to cash some
15:47checks. You know, right up my alley. No, no, no, those are, hey, I will tell you this,
15:55Channing, that's why you got to join the union, whether it's the 519, the plumbers, the screen
15:59actors guild, because them extra envelopes coming in the mail. I was like, what are these
16:04from? Oh, those are, those are union checks. Those are screen actors guilds. I'm like, peace.
16:09I learned how to take pictures of checks now on your phone and cash them. It's amazing.
16:14You know, I got to, you know, you're like those, you're like those kids. Like if I
16:18give my daughter cash, she's like, what am I going to do with this? I'm like, you use
16:22it. I'm like, you know, cash isn't king now. You don't go to the bank branch, Gino, to
16:26cash. You know what? I went today. I actually, I went through the drive-thru because, because
16:33I had a, my $287 check from all the, uh, number 13 Toretta Heisman jerseys that were sold
16:42last year. I got $287. So I went to the bank and I cashed it. Yeah. Let's get to talk
16:48to
16:48the teller interaction. Yeah. I know my account number. I write it on top. I said, my account
16:55number's right at the top of that check, put deposit only on the back. And I go in there
16:59and physically cash a check. Who the hell's buying a number 13 Toretta jersey in 2025 and
17:0626. Bro, they got, they, they, they made Heisman jerseys for all of us. I would do
17:12something on. People are buying yours. Yeah, they have them at, uh, they have
17:16them at Dix. It's a sporting good down the street, you know? You're a hater, Gino. Don't
17:20answer his questions. Gino, I need, I need some more to this story, Gino. So what's
17:25it? Did, uh, did you and Garrison Hurst go out and give out some, uh, big
17:30tortellini that night? What happened after you won the Heisman? No, that was, that was a blur.
17:34There was so much, there was so much media at that point in time. And then, uh, you
17:39know, I, I definitely drank some cold Coors lights. I know that you, you really, you've
17:45got to be the toast of the town, right? When you win the Heisman trophy and you've
17:49got all the previous Heisman trophy winners who are there and there was six
17:54inches of ice on every car outside. I was, it was, it was like an apocalyptic scene
18:00when I got to New York, I was like, what, what, what is an ice storm? And
18:04you're like, cars are like solid ice cube over, over the top of them. So yeah,
18:10it was, you know, he, he's part of a fraternity that literally lets one person
18:17in per year. I mean, that's really like, you think of masters, you think of
18:23Superbowl MVP, right? Like it has to be just one person.
18:29You know what it is? It's, it's like part of your, you're part of history, but you
18:33had that magical season and things worked like, you know, listen, I, yeah, I wasn't
18:39a front runner at the start of the season and I'm sure a lot of the guys I'm Mark
18:42Ingram. I know he wasn't a front runner when he started the season at Alabama.
18:46I mean, you know, so there's, there's lots of guys. You're not the front runner and
18:51it's, there are so many things I would say, like not in a winner's control where
18:59it's just like, yeah, you can have a great, I mean, Cam Ward had a great, best season
19:05the UM quarterback could have and has ever had, but other things and a couple more
19:11victories he didn't have. So that didn't it, everything didn't come together. So I
19:16think it's, there are so many things that, uh, that come together, um, for each of us
19:22and we've all won the award when we're, let's take wanky out of it. We're all 21 to, you
19:27know, 23 years old or 20 to 20 to 23 years old. Um, so what wild, uh, I love talking
19:35about that stuff. Gino Toretto, but we're out of time, but Solana has a joke. Go ahead
19:38Solana before we, uh, we have to wrap things up. Ready for this one, Gino? Uh, yeah, I am. By
19:46the
19:46way, this, this, you know what? You got to work on that camera angle. It's just, it's
19:50not good. It's like, like I'm looking like right at the top of your forehead and, and
19:55you can't miss his forehead. I know. That's why I'm like going, Hey, mine's
20:00like, I don't want the camera. He's already signed in. He goes after him on the forehead.
20:08Do you live in Miami or, or do you not see the sun? Like back that up. Like I'll send
20:15you
20:15some self-tanner and put it on your face. I mean, you are Latin, right?
20:20Gino, do you see your own forehead on the camera? Because your forehead is significantly
20:26bigger than me. I know, but I don't put the camera angle like this.
20:33Like, seriously? Like, I know you don't, but it looks like, and Hawk will remember this,
20:41the spray hair paint. It looks like you got spray hair paint on top of your head because,
20:47because your face is so white and your hair is so dark. You're the white Carlos Boozer.
20:59Now make, now kill him with a joke, Solana.
21:05By the way, I was in the studio on Monday. I didn't see any of you there.
21:09I'm not even mad because the whole segment, all I was thinking was how the hell did this
21:13bum beat Marshall Falk for the height?
21:18Hey, hey, Solana, you ain't the first and you ain't going to be the last.
21:24Gino, why couldn't the pasta unlock the door?
21:33Because it didn't have the key.
21:36Gnocchi's.
21:45Gnocchi.
21:46All right, all right, all right.
21:47You know what? I have, I have a, I have a book here.
21:52Come on, Gino, don't be upset. Eat some spaghetti, brother. Come on.
21:56That's, that's in my dad jokes book. I don't. That's in my dad jokes book.
22:00I got this for Father's Day.
22:02Gnocchi.
22:03That is a great joke.
22:05ZD what I did there?
22:09It's terrible.
22:10Gino Toretta, the Heisman Trophy winner, he joins us on Thursdays,
22:15courtesy of our friends at the Plumbers Local 519.
22:19If you're graduating high school or changing careers or know someone looking
22:23for a future with purpose, excellent training, and real opportunity,
22:28now is the time to take a serious look at UA Plumbers Local 519.
22:34Thank you, Gino.
22:35That was fun.
22:36That was an excellent fade you got, Solana, though.
22:38I like it.
22:41High and tight.
22:42Deep fade.
22:44High and tight.
22:44Thank you, Gino.
22:44The Jaws Are Happy Forever.
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