At Iowa State’s football media day in early August sophomore running back Troy Davis said one of his goals this season was to win the Heisman Trophy, and people chuckled.

They aren’t chuckling now.

“I didn’t feel bad because people are always trying to talk about Iowa State and saying that it’s sorry and Iowa State will never have a Heisman candidate,” Davis said. “I’m just trying to prove everybody wrong. A Heisman candidate can go to any school, anywhere.”

On Dec. 1 Davis was officially invited as one of five finalists for the Heisman Trophy. The announcement ceremony will be held this Saturday at 7 p.m. in New York City’s Downtown Athletic Club, the organization that sponsors the event. Other finalists are Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier, Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel, Northwestern running back Darnell Autry and Ohio State running back Eddie George. ESPN will televise the event live.

A smiling Davis took questions on Thursday after receiving the AT&T Long Distance Award for the most rushing yards per game in Division I football this season. Davis led the nation in rushing this year with over 182 yards a game and was the first sophomore in major college history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.

Davis will receive an engraved plaque for the award and AT&T will provide a $1,000 donation on his behalf to the NCAA Degree-Completion Award program, which aids student-athletes who have exhausted their financial aid.

The Downtown Athletic Club will fly Davis to New York this morning at 8:30, along with sports information director Tom Kroeschell, from Des Moines. ISU head football coach Dan McCarney will arrive by private jet on Saturday. The club will also fly Davis’ parents from Miami.

“I won’t be disappointed if I don’t win the Heisman because I know that I tried my best at everything I did,” Davis said.

“I won’t be mad or nothing like that because I’ll have my mom and dad there.

Both of them are like a Heisman Trophy right there.”

Davis said pre-Heisman jitters weren’t affecting him yet.

“I’m not nervous at all. I’ve just got to go out there, celebrate and see who’s the winner,” he said.

Davis’ brother, Darren, made his official visit to ISU last weekend and enjoyed being in Ames with his brother, Davis said.

Darren Davis has already given ISU football a verbal commitment, but cannot officially sign a letter of intent until Feb. 7.

The older Davis said he showed his brother the campus and the football facilities — then went to a party on Friday and two parties on Saturday.