2015 Heisman Trophy speech: Derrick Henry thanks supporters at Alabama and at home

Alabama running back Derrick Henry won the 2015 Heisman Trophy, beating out Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. Here’s his emotional speech after winning the award, transcribed below.

I’m a little nervous. I don’t do this every day. But first off, I just want to thank God for bringing me here and winning this prestigious award. He’s been so good for me in my life and I’ve been honored and blessed to get this opportunity. Since I was a kid, this has been a life-long goal and a dream of mine, and I’m just so thankful.

First, I would like to thank the Heisman Trophy trust for allowing me to join this brotherhood with former winners who are standing behind me, some of my football heroes I looked up to and idolized myself behind. And it’s just been an honor to be here and be with these guys. And Christian and Deshaun, man, y’all, keep at it man. God is behind y’all. You’ve had a successful season. I’m sure I’ll see y’all again here next year.

Mom and dad. My mom, my best friend, who brought me into this world. I just want to thank you so much for always being there for me. Through my struggles, you always heard me. Anytime, I was struggling, you’d always be there for me. I’d call you late at night, you’d be asleep, it would be at three o’clock in the morning and you would answer for me, just to hear what I have to say and help me get through what I need to get through. To my dad, my No. 1 fan, man. Kept me in sports, always there for me, day after day, always saying, being so young and being so supportive and keeping me in sports, I just want to thank you so much, man, and always being there for me, man, and even in the games, every game I played, you were always loud. I’d probably be able to hear you in Alabama, but there’s 102,000 people, so I wouldn’t be able to hear you.

My grandmother, the one who made me who I am today, I want to thank you so much. Even though you can’t be here, I feel you in spirit and I love you so much. You made me who I am today. Hard work, dedication and just doing what I want to do. You always tell me to keep God first and prayed that I’d always make it far, and I just want you to know that I love you, and that I’m praying for you.

To my teammates, my brothers, my family and the boys I love the most. Coming into Alabama from Florida, they all accepted me, they all loved me and they all supported me. And this season, man, just seeing me as a leader, taking me as a leader, young guys following behind me, watching me work every day, and all I want to do is affect them by the way I practice and by the way I work hard. And I just want to thank them so much.

My offensive line, if I could have had them here, I would have brought them all, you know what I’m saying? They work so hard for me, they take pride in controlling the line of scrimmage, making sure I have success. And through this year, just looking at these guys, the courage they had in me, the faith they had in me, I knew I couldn’t let them down. Everybody’s always asking about carries, and what I thought about it and what I felt, but when you’ve got teammates like that who love you and care for you, it doesn’t matter how you feel or how bad it hurts, or what hurts, you’ve just got to make sure you make those guys happy by helping them win and getting a victory.

To Coach Saban, a great ambassador, man. The man who believed in me by recruiting me, bringing me to the University of Alabama, seeing me grow as a player and as a person, and you can learn a lot from him, just from the game and from football. And every day I come to that football facility, I know it’s going to be a challenge. I know every day it’s not going to be easy. No day is easy, but I know every day I’m going to be challenged by you. You’re a loyal coach, you always challenge us, and I just love you coach, man. Without you I wouldn’t be here today.

Coach Burns, like I said, I could go on and on, but these past few years have been a blessing, just to be coached by you. And just as much as you’re proud as me, every day I wake up and I’m so proud to call you my coach. Every day, I wake up and I’m so proud to call you my coach. And just to watch the guys you’ve coached in previous years, I knew the day we talked when you recruited me that I would have the chance to be up on this stage. And I just want to thank you so much, coach. I know it was a hard time being patient with me, but you stuck through it. Every day, you worked with me, every day you helped me grow as a player, and as a person, and I can learn so much from you. Every day, you just spit knowledge to us about life and football, and it’s bigger than the game, and I just want to thank you so much.

To Coach Pat and J.T., I love you all, I love y’all, and y’all know how much y’all mean to me. I thank God for y’all every day, for the blessings y’all bring into my life, and for bringing y’all into my life. You know, y’all always believed in me as a young kid, that I could go somewhere and be something special. Without y’all, I wouldn’t be here today. Countless hours of being with me, away from y’all’s family, and y’all family accepted me as one, I just want to thank y’all so much, man, and God is good just to have y’all in my life, always supporting me and always being around.

To Coach Cochran, I forgot Coach Ramsey man, my high school coach, who was also there for me and watched me grow as a player, and always made sure I worked hard and gave me every opportunity to go to college football. To Coach Cochran and his strength staff at Alabama, Coach Cochran, I just want to thank him so much, because he spent relentless hours with us every day. He’s like a head coach to us all, and every day he’s worked with us he brings energy, we all feed off him, and he makes sure we’re in the best shape possible to go out there and perform at the highest level, and I just want to thank him so much and his staff. He makes sure his staff is always on point and makes sure we do what we need to do.

To the athletic director, Bill Battle, I just want to thank you for allowing me to play at the University of Alabama. There’s so much you do for our program, and I just want to thank you so much that you dedicate it to us. You played at Alabama, your roots are Alabama, it’s always in you and I just want to thank you so much.

To the University of Alabama, for the education they provided me, specifically Chancellor Witt and President Bell, who are both here tonight, and all of my professors, I thank you all for helping me grow as a person and as a student. And you know, there’s no easy way of going through college, and I faced adversity but you all helped me and gave me an opportunity to come to the University of Alabama, the best school in the country. And to the Alabama academic support staff, Jeff Allen, the training room staff, and really all the support staff at Alabama that does so much in so many aspects to help me be successful, I just want to thank y’all who have helped me so much, who have done so much for me. Without y’all, I couldn’t have done it.

And I just want to talk to the kids who are watching this on TV today, and I just want to give you all advice. I hope I’m somebody you can idolize yourself behind and look up to, because God is everything, and always keep God first, always pray, don’t be afraid to pray, he’ll always hear your cry, and if you have dreams, go chase them. If you believe it, you can achieve it, and God will be there every step of the way. I’m a living testament, man. Growing up, having this dream, I’m so nervous, but I never thought I’d be up here, but God is good and I get down on my hands and knees every night and thank Him for everything, so just keep God first, always pray and always chase your dream.

And I want to accept this trophy, and rest in peace, my brother Altee Tenpenny, he’s been a brother to me, who died this year. I just want to tell him I love him and I miss him, and God bless and Roll Tide.