Inside Max Duggan’s week-long Heisman odyssey: ‘This red-headed Targaryen was on fire’

As he walked the streets of Manhattan, TCU quarterback Max Duggan experienced a new level of stardom.

Tourists and New Yorkers recognized him on the street and wished him and TCU luck. He even heard a “Go Frogs” chant from one of the pedestrians.

His mother Deb and other family with him were pleasantly surprised at the interactions.

How could they not remember Duggan’s efforts a week earlier in the Big 12 championship game? On that day, he lay face down in the turf of AT&T Stadium, physically and emotionally hurting as the Horned Frogs came within an inch of a Big 12 title.

By Saturday, he was clad in a gray plaid suit that covered a large scab on his elbow from the battle against Kansas State. He wore a lavender dress shirt and purple tie to match, with a TCU pin on his lapel. About 500 people poured into the luxurious Appel Room at the Jazz at Lincoln Center for the annual announcement of the Heisman Trophy, which goes to the top college football player.

He didn’t win the award; University of Southern California’s Caleb Williams did. But coming in second in the Heisman race is nothing compared with where he was a week earlier, when he was fighting through tears in an apology to Fort Worth and the TCU fanbase for not completing a perfect 13-0 season and capturing the Big 12 championship.

There’s no need to apologize this time, as Duggan honored the school he loves by serving as the ultimate ambassador for TCU during a week that was supposed to be about him. And despite falling to Kansas State, TCU was chosen to be the first Texas team to head to the College Football Playoff.

Duggan admits the loss still sticks with him, but the agony has been replaced by a joy during a whirlwind week that took him from Fort Worth to New Jersey to Baltimore to New York.

Not in Iowa anymore

The senior quarterback from Iowa had never been to New York City before. Or Baltimore, or Philadelphia. He also had never experienced this level of stardom as he’ll lead TCU to its unlikely appearance in the playoffs at the end of the month.

Duggan’s week started Wednesday, flying on TCU chancellor Victor Boschini’s private jet to Baltimore to accept the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. After the plane was diverted to New Jersey because of weather, Duggan and his group were picked up by John Unitas Jr., the son of the late Colts quarterback, and taken to his father’s statue at M&T Bank Stadium.

Duggan was presented with Unitas’ No. 19 jersey while taking in the statue of the Super Bowl champion and three-time NFL MVP.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Duggan said. “I’m lucky to be here.”

Duggan’s admiration of Unitas has a personal touch to it. His father and high school coach, Jim, had a Unitas trading card growing up and Duggan got the opportunity to show the card to Unitas Jr., highlighting the connection between their fathers.

It was that moment when it began sinking in how special this trip was, and it was only getting started.

“I realized where I was at and how lucky I am to be here, how lucky TCU is to be here,” Duggan said.

A true student of all sports, Duggan didn’t leave Baltimore without stopping at the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum.

From there, Duggan enjoyed the Unitas ceremony before hopping on a train Thursday for a two-and-a-half-hour ride to New York City.

That’s when his week reached another level.

Top of the world

As Duggan navigated the Big Apple, the greetings and recognition from onlookers continued. Someone in a wave of people crossing the street shouted, “Go Frogs!”

His destination: the Marriott Marquis hotel, next to Times Square. The flashing billboards and advertisements are visible from many rooms in the majestic 51-floor hotel.

Duggan waited in one of those rooms Thursday night when he was presented with the Davey O’Brien award during the live College Football Awards show.

Being recognized as the best quarterback and accepting a trophy named after a former TCU legend means everything to Duggan. Seeing coach Sonny Dykes and teammates Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and Steve Avila receive their own national awards was just as fulfilling.

“It was awesome, those guys mean a lot to me,” Duggan said. “To see those guys get what they deserve, this is what it’s all about. You want guys around you that you’ve seen put in so much work get everything that they deserved.”

He made sure they all knew how proud he was of them before setting his phone to Do Not Disturb, muting dozens of congratulatory texts and notifications.

On Friday morning, Duggan and the rest of the Heisman finalists were in a ballroom on the seventh floor of the Marquis, surrounded by a stream of reporters. Duggan doesn’t love being the center of attention. He would rather shift it to his teammates and coaches. Being in the spotlight is new for him, but he came to appreciate it.

“It’s something that not a lot of people get to experience,” Duggan said. “It’s awesome, and I’m grateful to be here. It’s good for TCU and the recognition to get our logo out there and tell our story about our program and our school. I’m glad to be here.”

When it comes to TCU’s story, Duggan was thinking about what kind of message he wanted to send to the millions who would watch the Heisman presentation Saturday night and read the coverage of the ceremony. What does he want people to remember?

“I know people want to talk about the big brands and the logos, but Fort Worth is a special place,” Duggan said. “Just the camaraderie of people, the fans, the students and the players. Getting to be there, I think that’s the biggest thing; people love that school.”

No one has a stronger love for TCU than Duggan, who opted to stay with the Horned Frogs despite not being named the starting quarterback after training camp. During the televised Heisman presentation, Dykes added to Duggan’s growing status by sharing how the quarterback reacted to not winning that role.

“He came back and said, ‘Coach, I get it. I’m not happy about it, but I’m going to do everything I can to help this football team,’” Dykes said. “‘In my role as the backup quarterback, I’m going to be the best backup quarterback in the country.’ Fortunately for all of us, he got an opportunity and took it and ran with it.”

After starting quarterback Chandler Morris was injured against Colorado in the season opener, Duggan took control of the offense and never let go.

Duggan earned respect not only from his coaches and TCU fans, but also his fellow Heisman competitors. Heisman winner Caleb Williams sees a lot of himself in Duggan.

“I understand how tough the Big 12 is,” Williams said. “To see him go out there and compete and hear his story, I can relate to some of his story about not being the starter and working for it. He’s a competitor. You can see it when he’s out there.”

Fellow finalist C.J. Stroud offered his own impressions of Duggan after watching TCU closely, following his best friend and former high school teammate Mark Perry.

“He’s a dog,” Stroud said. “He won’t stop, he won’t quit. I’ve watched every game and watching Max, he’s great in the pocket. He can extend plays. He works really hard on his footwork, he’s really what you ask for when it comes to a college quarterback.”

After receiving praise from fellow finalists, Duggan wrapped up his Friday at a dinner with past Heisman winners, where he met all the stars who helped him fall in love with the game.

“Doug Flutie, RGIII, Danny Wuerffel, Coach Spurrier, Tony Dorsett,” Duggan said. “There are so many more names that you got to meet. You grew up watching this ceremony, watching these guys. My dad talks about all these guys. It’s so surreal to be able to shake these guys’ hands.”

Saturday night, special night

The next night, Duggan joined 23 past Heisman winners — Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel, Desmond Howard and Steve Spurrier among them — on stage with the other finalists.

The Appel Room at the Lincoln Center accommodates hundreds of people. Duggan had gotten the lay of the land at rehearsal Saturday morning. During the broadcast on ESPN, Duggan was asked the same questions he’d heard all week, but there was no fatigue in his answers. He gladly tells his story if it helps TCU.

“At TCU, that was the university I wanted to be there whether I was the starting quarterback or handing out Gatorade,” Duggan said on camera. “I started as a backup and that was my role. You get back in, you better help the team win.”

That was his mentality, and he executed it countless times throughout the season. Later in the night, his mother and father joined him onstage. Deb Duggan confirmed what everyone already knew and said her son really loves TCU.

His father added how his son was uniquely built for what happened to him this season.

“From when he was just a little boy competing in youth sports into high school and into college, he was just wired different,” Jim Duggan said. “He had the will to succeed, the will to win. It’s just part of his DNA.”

At 7:51 p.m. CT, the announcement was made.

Duggan finished second with 188 first-place votes and 1,420 points overall — a significant gap behind Williams’ 544 first-place votes and 2,031 points. But this was the closest Heisman race in four years.

As Williams was announced as the winner, he and Duggan shared a tight embrace.

“The year that they had, the year that Max has had, I’m not sure that’s ever happened before,” said USC coach Lincoln Riley.

From backup to one of the nation’s best college quarterbacks? The brother of TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley might be right: This could be one of college football’s most unique stories.

Heisman winner Robert Griffin III weighed in on social media and said Duggan was the story in college football.

“Max Duggan was a man on a mission and I’m not talking about BYU,” Griffin said on Twitter. “This red-headed Targaryen was on fire.”

The “Game of Thrones” reference fits nicely after TCU focused on its House of Duggan theme to campaign for the quarterback to win the Heisman.

He came up shy of achieving that, but after spending a week promoting TCU and sharing the story of his team, Dykes and his family, it’s hard for him to feel defeated.

Duggan ended his odyssey by spending time with his family, then tuning in to watch No. 24 TCU take down SMU 83-75 at Dickies Arena in basketball.

He did not leave New York with the Heisman trophy, but the sense of victory remained after he lived out some of his wildest dreams and put TCU on a national stage in the process.

The final chapter of his incredible season is yet to be written. The Horned Frogs play Michigan in the national semifinals on Dec. 31.