Davey O ' Brien Robert David O ' Brien ( June 22 , 1917 – November 18 , 1977 ) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles . He played college football at Texas Christian University and was drafted in the first round ( fourth overall ) of the 1939 NFL Draft . In 1938 , O ' Brien won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award . The Davey O ' Brien Award , given annually to the best quarterback in collegiate football , is named for him . Early life . O ' Brien was born in Dallas , Texas . He attended and played high school football at Woodrow Wilson High School . While there , he was an All - State selection and led the high school to the Texas state playoffs in 1932 . College career . O ' Brien began playing college football at Texas Christian University ( TCU ) in 1935 , and was backup for Sammy Baugh . He became the starter in 1937 , and was named to the first - team All - Southwest Conference . In 1938 , O ’ Brien threw for 1 , 457 passing yards — a Southwest Conference record that stood for ten years . He had only four interceptions in 194 passing attempts , and his NCAA record for most rushing and passing plays in a single season still stands today . That season , he led the Horned Frogs to an undefeated season , as they outscored their opponents by a 269 - 60 margin and held nine of their ten regular - season opponents to seven points or less , including three shutouts . They finished the season with a 15 – 7 victory over Carnegie Tech in the 1939 Sugar Bowl and the National Championship title . O ’ Brien was named to 13 All - America teams and became the first player to win the Heisman , Maxwell and Walter Camp trophies in the same year . He was also the first Heisman winner from TCU , and the first from the Southwest Conference . Off the field , he was also an honorary member Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity , Texas Gamma chapter . Professional career . O ' Brien was drafted in the first round ( fourth overall ) of the 1939 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles , who gave him a $ 12 , 000 bonus and a two - year contract . In his first season in the NFL , he led the NFL in passing yards as a rookie with 1 , 324 yards in 11 games , breaking his old TCU teammate Sammy Baugh ' s single season passing yardage record . In 1940 he again led the league in several passing categories , including attempts and completions . The Eagles gave him a $ 2 , 000 raise , but he retired after the 1940 season . In his professional career , O ' Brien completed 223 of 478 passes for 2 , 614 yards and 11 touchdowns . He was also a defensive back and punter , intercepted four passes for 92 yards and punted nine times for an average of 40 . 7 yards per kick . Life after football . After two seasons with the Eagles , O ' Brien retired from football to become an agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) , where he worked for ten years . After completing his training , he was assigned to the bureau ’ s field office in Springfield , Missouri . He was a firearms instructor at Quantico , Virginia , and spent the last five years of his FBI career in Dallas . He resigned from the bureau in 1950 and went to work for H . L . Hunt in land development . He later entered the oil business , working for Dresser Atlas Industries of Dallas . He was also president of the TCU Alumni Association , a YMCA board member , a chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party , a supporter of Golden Gloves youth boxing programs , and a deacon of University Christian Church . He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1956 . From 1960 – 1964 , he was the color commentator on Dallas Cowboys telecasts . In 1971 he was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery to remove a kidney and part of his right lung , but eventually died from the disease on November 18 , 1977 . O ' Brien ' s 1938 , and Tim Brown ' s 1987 , Heisman Trophy awards gave Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas the distinction of being the first to produce two Heisman winners . In 1989 , O ' Brien ( posthumously ) and Brown were inducted together into Woodrow Wilson High School ' s newly created Hall of Fame in celebration of the school ' s 60th anniversary .