Les Horvath

Leslie "Les" Horvath (October 12, 1921 – November 14, 1995) was the 1944 Heisman Trophy winner, who played quarterback and halfback for the Ohio State University.

Early life
He was born in South Bend, Indiana, and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area.

Horvath graduated from James Ford Rhodes High School in Cleveland.

College football
Horvath played for the Buckeyes in 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1944. While at The Ohio State University he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. He had already graduated with a bachelor's degree after the 1942 season, and moved on to graduate school. While studying dentistry in graduate school at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, head coach Carroll Widdoes asked Horvath to come back to the team for the 1944 season because of the manpower shortage caused by World War II. The college football rules at the time permitted the fourth year of eligibility beyond graduation because of wartime.

Career
After graduating from the dental school in 1945, Horvath joined the United States Navy as an Ensign, and he served in that role until he was discharged in July 1947. He played professional football for three seasons from 1947 to 1949 for the Los Angeles Rams and the Cleveland Browns. He then became a practicing dentist in the Los Angeles area of southern California.

Family
He has a son, Phil Horvath, who played football for Northern Illinois University.