He finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior despite playing at the Division I-AA (FCS) level. Ohio State head coach John Cooper gave George the ball 604 times for 3,369 yards over his last two seasons. 20 on its all-time list of college football players. Merlin Olsen put the Utah State Aggies on the map in the early 1960s, especially his senior season, when they finished 10th in both the AP and UPI polls. He has rushed for 14,820 yards and ranks fifth all time in career rushing yards. Passing yards: 2,094 | TD passes: 18 | Total offense: 2,532 yards 4 on ESPN's 150 greatest college football players; A look at Buckeyes among Top 150 greatest 106. Let's be honest—what separates the greatest from the great is pretty slim, so there's almost no way everyone will agree with the final results. Found inside69 on The Sporting News 1999 list of the top 100 Greatest Football Players NAIA College Hall of Fame Inductee NCAA Silver Anniversary Team US. Army All ... Anthony Carter (WR, Michigan, 1979-82) Three-time All … The only thing Woodson didn't do on the football field? Adrian Peterson (RB, Georgia Southern, 1998-2001) He rushed for 173 yards in an 18-15 upset of Harvard in 1911. 60. In 30 games from 1964-66, the Irish defense had 12 shutouts and allowed only 188 points, an average of 6.3 points. Lott had a Hall of Fame career with the San Francisco 49ers and is still one of the greatest to ever play at USC. He had 97 tackles as a freshman, a school-record 232 as a sophomore, 188 as a junior and 145 as a senior. As a sophomore, he threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns to lead Stanford to a 31-14 upset win at No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he had a Hall of Fame career. It seems there was nothing Jim Thorpe couldn't do on a football field, a baseball diamond or an Olympic track. Even after Tomlinson set school records with 2,554 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior at Waco's University High, Texas and Texas A&M thought he was too small and too slow. We couldn't tackle him." Tackles: 288 | Interceptions: 21 | Interception return yards: 389 Terry McLaurin was so good, so quickly at the NFL level that he … He chose to play for the Black Knights. While it’s impossible to do a program with such a proud history complete justice, here are just ten of our most legendary UGA football players of all-time. With the trio of Selmon brothers anchoring a dominant defensive line, OU went 32-1-1 between 1973-75 and won two national championships. Bo Jackson (RB, Auburn, 1982-85) Alabama won the game 28-10, marking the Tide's first victory over the Irish in five tries. The two-time Consensus All-American who amassed 369 tackles in only three seasons (7th in FSU history) was the fourth overall pick of the 1993 NFL Draft and record over 1,000 tackles during his career with the New York Jets. Our ranking of the Top 100 players in college football for the 2019 season is now complete. He did it all as a pioneer, one of the first African-American students to receive a scholarship to play football at Minnesota, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Robinson never hid his offensive strategy: give the ball to a bell-cow back, put him behind a physical offensive line, and voila. Early in his junior season, he ran for 269 yards against Arkansas State and 300 against San Jose State. In three years with the Ducks, the dual-threat QB passed for nearly 11,000 yards, and rushed for another 2,237. Tatum was one of the most feared hitters and tacklers in the country as a safety. Heads you win, tails you lose." He had three straight 200-yard rushing games in the final month of the 1973 season, helping Penn State finish 12-0. He was the 6th pick of … Ed Marinaro (RB, Cornell, 1969-71) Spurrier won the 1966 Heisman Trophy as Florida's quarterback and returned to his alma mater to coach the Gators to their first national title three decades later. 62. Rushing yards: 3,616 | Yards per rush: 8.4 | Touchdowns: 53 Barry Sanders had one of the greatest seasons in college football history when he won the Heisman Trophy for Oklahoma State in 1988. Notre Dame is ranked #2 all time in win percentage behind only Michigan. Versatile. L.T. … Named the all-time best Florida State player in a Noles 247 countdown, Deion Sanders is seen here with his 1988 Jim Thorpe Award, honoring him out as the nation's top defensive back. White's mental fortitude was on display in his final college game, the 1980 Rose Bowl, in which he carried the ball 39 times for 247 yards -- while battling the flu -- in a 17-16 victory over Ohio State. The Crimson didn't lose another game until 1915. Coaches always maintain that the longer a game goes, the more that talent will reveal itself. Nevers ran for 114 yards on 34 carries in the Cardinal's 27-10 loss to Notre Dame, which was only 13 fewer yards than the combined total of the famed Four Horsemen. As a senior for the Gophers in 1929, Nagurski became the only player ever named All-American at two positions: tackle on defense and fullback on offense. During his senior season in 1980, he set a UNC record with 16 sacks to go with six other tackles for loss and 69 tackles in total. American former football player Jim Brown is widely considered as the greatest professional athlete of the United States’ sports history. Bonus points were awarded for Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and/or Outland Trophy wins. 1. More importantly, he led TCU to an 11-0 record and the national championship. Rodgers was shifted to the I-back position, and he scored on runs of eight, four and five yards, while he caught a 50-yard pass for another score. As a junior, when Oklahoma lost the Game of the Century to Nebraska, 35-31. Some of the stories told of Thorpe sound apocryphal. 121. Jim Plunkett (QB, Stanford, 1968-70) Hayes used to tell his players you either get better or you get worse. Berwanger won the Heisman before it was the Heisman, taking the inaugural award in 1935. In 1992, his sophomore campaign, the running back rammed his way to 1,630 yards. Skip to main content Watch. Receptions: 45 | Receiving yards: 730 | TDs: 7 51. Sims' pro career was cut short to injuries, but nothing can take away those two amazing seasons in Norman, Okla. Mike Rozier's 1983 campaign is still one of the greatest single-season performances in college football history. He joined his brothers Lucious and Dewey on the defensive line. Lowe is one of four Crimson Tide linebackers on this list, and it is no fluke that he holds his place among players such as Lee Roy Jordan, Cornelius Bennett and Derrick Thomas. In the era of one-platoon football, Cannon could do pretty much anything on the football field (and he wasn't bad off of it -- he could heave the shot put over 54 feet). He became the first black quarterback chosen in the first round of the NFL draft when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made him the 17th pick in 1978, and he became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl when he led the Washington Redskins to a 42-10 decision over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. McDonald finished third in the 1956 Heisman vote, known as the one Paul Hornung won even though Notre Dame went 2-8. In the 2005 season, USC running back Reggie Bush beat out Vince Young for the Heisman, but in the following January's BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl, it was Young who turned in the MVP-winning performance, and led his Longhorns to a 41-38 win the over the Trojans, a thriller that was named the best bowl game of all time by the Football Bowl Association. Apparently, voters weren't ready to give the award to a non-white player. It might have more to do with how televising the sport came into its own in the 1960s and blossomed in the mid-1980s, after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the restrictions placed on television appearances by the NCAA. His coach, Terry Donahue, once told The (Baltimore) Sun that on his recruiting visit to the Ogden home in Washington, D.C., "I was just struck by how massive he really was." He also starred on the baseball and track teams and even played parts of 10 seasons in Major League Baseball. And he was a terrific punter in an era when that was a primary weapon. Here are the top 50 players of all time. As a senior, Plunkett won the 1970 Heisman. With hands developed by catching bricks from his father as a boy, Rice caught more passes (102) than any other NCAA player in 1983 and more touchdowns (27) than anyone else in 1984. Passing yards: 9,430 | Passing efficiency: 162.8 | Touchdown passes: 82 Kenny Easley (DB, UCLA, 1977-80) Vince Young (QB, Texas, 2003-05) 81. He was also called on to throw a number of passes each year, as well as play defensive back and kick. If you can't get a scholarship offer, you may as well be the best walk-on ever to play the sport. He was the Heisman Trophy runner-up and won the Sammy Baugh and Davey O'Brien awards. Found inside – Page 52^5^ ^ Jin} ders, Jerry Levras A College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches ... Sanders had one of the greatest rushing seasons of all time as a star ... Throw in 11 claimed national championships, which have spanned from 1901-1997, 23 undefeated seasons and three Heisman winners and you’ve got a legacy that’s easily as rich as any in the sport. Player profiles compiled by Free Press … The debate for ‘DBU’ — where the greatest defensive backs in college football hail from — swings from Florida to LSU to Ohio State every year. He won the 1977 Heisman Trophy vote in a runaway, like a beer truck going downhill. Brown averaged 21.7 yards per catch and finished with 1,847 all-purpose yards in 1987 and earned All-America honors for the second straight season. Chris Snee, G. The four-part series goes behind the scenes with all four CFP teams, leading up to and through the semifinals and the national championship game. Tackles: 107 | Tackles for loss: 33 Found inside – Page 142He retired as the Giants all time leading passer with 2,576 completions, 33, ... SOURCES: College Football Online: the Top 100 Football Players * #27 ... Tackles: 214 | Sacks: 24 | Interceptions: 4 It also overshadowed a short but game-changing college legacy. 47. The 2006 Biletnikoff Award winner's speed, hands, size and work ethic made him almost impossible to cover. In Hart's time, Notre Dame went 36-0-2 and won national titles in 1946, '47 and '49. 2. Tackles: 176 | Sacks: 19.5 While the Hokies lost 46-29, Vick's 43-yard touchdown run and a performance in which two FSU defenders tore ACLs attempting to tackle him are the enduring memories of the game. Incredible, we say again. Seen here in action during his NFL career, Dave Rimington was a dominant, starting center for Nebraska from 1980-1982. He was named All-American and won the Butkus Award in 1988. Passing yards: 4,402 | Passing TDs: 28 | Yards per completion: 12.6 To narrow the list, we looked first at players who'd been unanimous, first-team, All-America selections. From the creators of The Mad Dog 100 comes a definitive ranking of each sport's greatest players, places, and moments in sports history, featuring such top ten lists as the Top 10 Coaches of All Time, the Top 10 Sports Venues, the Top 10 ... Top 10 All-Time L.A. City FB Teams. Breaking down the teams with the best uniforms in college football. He made first-team All-American three times (1973, 1975 and 1976), and he finished his career with 6,082 rushing yards, a record that would stand until Texas' Ricky Williams broke it in 1998. Rushing yards: 2,704 | Yards per carry: 5.4 | Touchdowns: 46 Woodson remains the only true defensive player to win the award, but even he was helped by the fact that he returned punts and played some receiver during the Wolverines' 12-0 season, which resulted in a share of the national championship. Found inside – Page 1... ranked Out of Their League number 63 in its Top 100 Sports Books of All Time . ... Does the book relate to the current big time college and NFL player ? 1 overall selection, which he was a year later. In the NFL, Olsen was part of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line. White was a consensus All-American and was named SEC Player of the Year. 10. At 6'6", 278 pounds, Munoz had a unique skill set for linemen, as he was agile, strong and quick. Found inside – Page 77It stood as an all - time Volunteers ' percentage record for nearly 30 years ... list of the top 100 , he went unselected because of relative inactivity . Interceptions: 18 | Tackles: 162 | Total TDs: 6 1 twice and No. He had 11 games with 200 or more yards, which is tied for most in FBS history. ; "Deacon" arrived early in his NFL career -- spent his freshman season in 1958 at South Carolina State. 76. Ndamukong Suh became one of the best stories of 2009 and was even considered a Heisman front-runner after a dominating performance on the defensive line. 16. 30. Receiving yards: 742 | TD catches: 13 135. They also had multiple consensus All-American players who went on to see time in the NFL. Against UTEP, he set an NCAA record with 406 yards on 43 carries with six touchdowns. 141. The son of a Minnesota sports writer, Fitzgerald had his hands on a football at an early age as a Vikings ball boy. A defensive back during his first two seasons at Penn State, Cappelletti moved to running back as a junior. 55. He finished fourth in 2000 Heisman voting and won the Doak Walker Award. In his final two seasons, Dayne led the Badgers to back-to-back Rose Bowl victories, running for a combined 446 yards in victories over UCLA and Stanford. He didn't win the Heisman, but being a folk hero turned out just fine. Merlin Olsen (DL, Utah State, 1959-61) 56. His biggest play came against USC in 1948, when he caught a short pass and broke no fewer than eight tackles to score a 35-yard touchdown to tie the Trojans 14-14 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. 131. Davis scored two touchdowns, intercepted a pass to set up the other one, and scored two 2-point conversions. In doing so, the star of the now-defunct Carlisle Indian Industrial School paved the way for multi-sport stars such as Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and Jim Brown. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne wouldn't have had to wait until 1994 to win his first national championship if the Cornhuskers hadn't failed to convert a 2-point conversion with 48 seconds left in a 31-30 loss to Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl. Tackles: 546 | Sacks: 8 | Interceptions: 11 Jim Brown. Grantland Rice bestowed Grange with the nickname "the Galloping Ghost." His skills were not limited to the gridiron. He was also the Orange's place-kicker and scored 43 points -- on six touchdowns and seven extra points -- in a 61-7 decision over Colgate in 1956. 1 UCLA lost to O.J. Layne was so good as a freshman at Texas that another heralded recruit, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Y.A. he didn't beat Florida. Top 10 college football players of all time; Best College Football Players of All Time, Ranked; The Unveiling of College; Lawrence Taylor, Julius Peppers, and Charlie Justice named to; Archie Griffin No. 100 and the Jags making it to year No. Blanchard ran on seven of the nine plays, for 48 of the 52 yards, including the last 10. Receiving Yards Career Leaders and Records. Howard "Hopalong" Cassady (RB, Ohio State, 1952-55) He's the best football player in the country returning next year." One of The U's signature players of the 1980s, Vinny Testaverde went 23-3 as a starter, per the College Football Hall of Fame, and, in 1986, won Miami's first-ever Heisman Trophy. As part of ESPN's year-long initiative marking the 150-year anniversary of college football, we set out to rank the 150 greatest college football single-season teams of all time. 124. Approximately two-thirds of the 150 greatest players took the field from the 1960s through the 1990s. Drew Brees (QB, Purdue, 1997-2000) Billy Sims (RB, Oklahoma, 1975-79) 96. Ricky Williams sure could run. The Trojans recruited Lott and 1981 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen to play safety or running back. Herschel Walker was the best running back to ever play the game, and he exploded on the scene as a freshman at Georgia in 1980, the same year the Bulldogs won a national championship. Ernie Davis (RB, Syracuse, 1959-61) He left Lubbock and enrolled at Oklahoma, where he walked on and, after sitting out a year, started the first game for which he was eligible. Catch up on previous rankings from the series with Nos. "Touchdown Tommie" was the perfect fit for Nebraska coach Tom Osborne's offense, and he helped deliver Osborne's first national championships in back-to-back seasons in 1994 and '95. He set FCS career records with 14,496 passing yards and 16,823 total yards. He is Nebraska's all-time leader with 25 touchdown catches and 1,515 punt return yards. 45. That adage spurred Griffin throughout his senior year; he won the Heisman again. Although Bo also brought Herschel to mind with his combination of speed and power, Bo, unlike Herschel, had a little shimmy when he needed it. 145. While playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Page graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School. 20. A statue of Earl Campbell stands outside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, where the Texas powerhouse starred from 1974-1977. White won two Bronze Stars in Pacific combat in World War II and in 1962 became the youngest man to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. He would be gone two years later, dying from leukemia. When Newsome graduated, he owned pretty much every receiving record Alabama had to own. Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden began to use him in a no-huddle shotgun set midway through Ward's junior season. One thing is certain: Few players were as tough as Nevers, who played in the 1925 Rose Bowl with two injured ankles, which had both been broken earlier in the season. Rate 5 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 1 star . He finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1965 and '66. In 1989, he had 19 sacks and 27 tackles for loss and was named a unanimous All-American and the Pac-10 defensive player of the year. Rushing yards: 4,682 | Yards per carry: 5.2 | Rushing TDs: 45 "Don had the most fluid motion you had ever seen when he was running," said Bear Bryant, who was the other end on the Tide team. He rounded out his resume with two Rose Bowl victories, and a pile of awards, including the 1999 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award. In his only Iron Bowl, Newton led the Tigers from a 24-point deficit to win at Alabama, 28-27. Hannah was also the best lineman to ever play at Alabama, earning All-America honors in 1971 and '72 and winning the Jacobs Award as the sport's best blocker as a senior. His four-year rushing totals: 1,863 yards as a freshman, 1,421 as a sophomore, 1,279 as a junior and 1,834 as a senior. It's why Smith waited until junior high to use his full birth name. 26. Tackles: 211 | Tackles for loss: 25 Even more impressive, McNair brought his team back from 11 fourth-quarter deficits to win. He declared for the draft after that season and was selected No. Found insideIt probably wasn't easy for a lot of people to accept, the idea of a gay player in college football. I'd like to think we helped change minds. On top of all ... 6. He set a school record by throwing 131 touchdown passes. 57. Ronnie Lott developed a reputation as one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the nation during his days at USC. In three seasons as a Sooner, Mayfield led his second school to three Big 12 championships and two playoff berths, and won the 2017 Heisman. 148. Jack Tatum (DB, Ohio State, 1968-70) John Lujack (QB, Notre Dame, 1943, 1946-47) The 134 tackles he made as a sophomore in 1973 remain an Alabama single-season record, and 44 years later, he has slipped from first to only fourth in career tackles (315). In 1985, a trophy awarded to the best linebacker in college football was named in his honor. Here are the top 10 all-time NFL players from Boston College, as determined by NFL.com's Jim Reineking (follow on Twitter @jimreineking ). The best college football programs of all time have multiple Heisman Trophy winners. There are many who believe Brown should have won the 1956 Heisman Trophy, but instead it went to Paul Hornung from a Notre Dame team without a winning record. Tim Tebow? George (6-3, 227) delivered as much punishment as he took, showing an ability to run inside the tackles and out. Vince Lombardi is the greatest head coach in the history of the NFL, and even a sixth Super Bowl ring for Bill Belichick won’t change that. In 1933, the NFL split into conferences for the first time, and in that season they also had another first. Rushing yards: 4,443 | Yards per rush: 5.8 | Rushing TDs: 40 Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers helped the Cornhuskers win their first two national championships, in 1970 and '71, with his scintillating kick and punt returns and big plays on offense. 54. Staubach won the Heisman Trophy after his junior season in 1964, when the Midshipmen finished 9-1 and No. Alabama's John Hannah has been called the greatest lineman ever as a guard under Bear Bryant. Jay Berwanger (RB, Chicago, 1933-35) Rushing yards: 1,839 | Total offense: 2,760 yards | Touchdowns: 22 Found insideHis four single-season INTs tied for all-time best among Longhorn linebackers. ... Trophy winner (recognizing college football's top defensive player). Interceptions. 1. In the east Texas of the early 1960s, not even a Joe Greene could break through the color line erected by the Southwest Conference. Bubba Smith wanted to play for the Texas Longhorns, and coach Darrell Royal would have loved to bring him to Austin. Bednarik retired as the greatest middle linebacker in history, and the eight … He also had a big game, including an interception, in Illinois' 17-7 win over Washington in the Rose Bowl that season. 15. Rimington remains the only two-time Outland winner (1981, 1982), a record likely to remain as safe as Archie Griffin winning two Heismans. As a senior, Dorsett led Division I-A in rushing with 1,948 yards and scoring (12.2 points per game) and won the Heisman Trophy, not to mention leading the Panthers to a 12-0 record and the 1976 national championship. As Florida's quarterback, Spurrier was an All-American twice. Bennett had nine more sacks in his senior season, finished with 19 tackles for loss, won the Lombardi Award and was named All-American. Charles Woodson became Michigan's third player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1997, and all he had to do was beat out Tennessee's Peyton Manning. I've just seen Superman in the flesh," Notre Dame coach Ed McKeever once said of Blanchard. His "Bo Over the Top" touchdown leap broke a nine-game losing streak in the Iron Bowl, Bear Bryant's last. Ron Dayne (RB, Wisconsin, 1996-99) 68 on ESPN’s list of the top 100 players in the NFL this season. In 1985, Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per rush, which at the time was the best single-season average in SEC history. As a senior, Marinaro made every All-America team, won the Maxwell Award and finished second for the Heisman. Smith was an All-American in 1965 and 1966. He started every game in his college career and left early for the NFL, where he was drafted fifth by the Chiefs. He became a Rhodes Scholar and was No. As a junior in 1981, Marino completed 59% of his passes for 2,615 yards with a best-in-the-nation 34 touchdown passes. The NFL Network recently compiled a list of the 100 best players in NFL history, as selected by a blue-ribbon panel. Jerry Rice (WR, Mississippi Valley State, 1981-84) Our list starts and ends with quarterbacks listed among the Heisman … Tackles: 229 | Tackles for loss: 63 He had 23 against USC in 1977. Every return, catch or run by Rocket Ismail brought a mix of anticipation and excitement. Burrow's other 2019 honors included the Heisman, the Maxwell, the Walter Camp -- and, oh, yes, a 15-0 season that culminated in a 42-25 victory over Clemson for the national championship. Griffin remains a living legend in Columbus. Lujack, the only player between Blanchard and the end zone, made a diving tackle at the Army 36 to save the touchdown. The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #47 Honus Wagner. 116. That's not legal now. Allen is USC's second-leading rusher all-time with 4,810 yards. Rushing yards: 2,957 | Yards per carry: 8.3 | Touchdowns: 59 An asterisk (*) after a player's name indicates bowl stats are included. In his junior and senior seasons, Sims rushed for 3,268 yards and 42 touchdowns. And won the Heisman Trophy. Although he did not lead Notre Dame in rushing, receiving or scoring in 1953, his versatility on both sides of the ball helped him claim the Heisman and a spot on the cover of Time. 78. If you aren't sold on his overall athletic ability, then consider that Munoz was talented enough to pitch for USC's 1978 national championship baseball team. Deshaun Watson (QB, Clemson, 2014-16) The Heisman race, in particular, wasn't even close: Mariota captured more than 90 percent of all first-place votes. In the college-football world, he was Mr. 50. In his junior year of 1963, he won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award. Davey O'Brien (QB, TCU, 1936-38) And that's why he's our No. Rushing yards: 2,071 | Yards per rush: 5.3 | Touchdowns: 31 Born in Guatemala, the "Mad Stork" was a menacing defensive end who earned unanimous All-America honors in 1967 and '68. Tittle, transferred to LSU after only two weeks of preseason camp. Peterson brought size, speed and endurance to an Oklahoma offense then better known for putting up big passing numbers. A ferocious defender on the field and a gentle giant off it, Olsen was a two-time All-American at Utah State and won the Outland Trophy as the sport's best interior lineman as a senior in 1961. At Army, Glenn Davis was "Mr. Outside" to Doc Blanchard's "Mr. Breaking down the teams with the best uniforms in college football. He also led Carlisle to an 18-15 upset of Harvard in which he scored every point, and the team finished 11-1. Jim Brown (RB, Syracuse, 1954-56) Oklahoma was so deep in running backs in those days that Pruitt might not have gotten enough touches to win the Heisman. He even had two nicknames: "Neon Deion" and "Prime Time." 13. Former Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning recounts the time he got to conduct the Tennessee band after a game. He was named the Big Ten's MVP in 1963 and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting the next year. The 6'7", 325-pounder also lined up on the defensive line in goal-line situations. Mike Ditka (TE, Pitt, 1958-60) Found inside – Page 51in football at Syracuse University New York, where he was an all-around ... and is the only player in NFL history to average over 100 rushing yards per game ... Rushing yards: 3,556 | Touchdowns: 54 | All-purpose yards in 1988: 3,250 From 1993-95, Frazier led Nebraska to three straight undefeated regular seasons. The 1934 All-American perfected catching the ball in traffic and made the end around a devastating threat. And so very, very fast. Bowden called it "the Kentucky Derby" offense, because the Derby is known as the fastest two minutes in sports, and Bowden put Ward into what was then known a two-minute offense. He went on to have a Hall of Fame NFL career, and later he had some small roles in movies and as a football analyst on TV. However, the season that Joe Burrow just finished is without a doubt the best passing performance over the course of a season in college football … Smith, an east Texas native and an African American, came along too soon to play in the Southwest Conference. 104. Dave Rimington (C, Nebraska, 1979-82) Passing yards: 2,181 | Rushing yards: 823 | Passing TDs: 15 After college, he had an amazing career with the Chicago Bears. 44. Given his shot, Sanders produced an unbelievable season. His 5,263 career rushing yards total ranked sixth in NCAA history at the time. Campbell rushed for 2,046 yards in his first two seasons in Austin. College Hall of Fame honoree status worked in a player's favor, but wasn't weighted too heavily so as to not skew the results in favor of older players. The Alcorn State quarterback passed ... 49. 92. 52. That showing earned him the Heisman Trophy. Tebow, 247Sports said, "transcend[ed] sport and often impacted the national conversation.". Manning won the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Sullivan Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award during his senior season in 1997. Reid is a member of both the College Football and the Country Music Halls of Fame. Faulk finished with 1,429 rushing yards that season, and came in ninth in the Heisman vote. Found insideDonahue believed that, to be truly exceptional, his teams needed great safeties ... a charter member of the Top-100 all-time college football players club. College Football Top 25: Team uniform rankings. As a senior, he also caught 44 passes for 399 yards and a touchdown. 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Basketball players of all time. that White 's record-setting 246 all-purpose yards again ( 211.6 per! 50.8 rushing yards per punt return vs. Ohio State 24 tackles for loss 2019 season is now complete time multiple. Tennessee band after a redshirt season, when he finished third in voting... Many voters also doubted the strength of his ability to use his speed to pursue a,... It more than 300 tackles over his final year. years, but also a four-year starter on 100th... First Heisman Trophy three times many consider the greatest lineman ever as a senior, averaged! 1958/1960 ) David Jones -- his nickname was the first sophomore to win the Trophy. To third team his final season and was an imposing figure on Barry Switzer recruiting him halftime... A commitment to the Pac-8 championship and entered the championship game, where the Texas Longhorns, the... Carlisle won the Maxwell Trophy the performance, televised on ESPN, Brown! Steel Curtain defense in 1971 guard him, either at 6-foot-4 with raised... Schonert in a league where everyone cheated, SMU flaunted its disregard for 2019! Laid a pad on him. celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football players his brothers and. Nfl team and '78 chose to return for a touchdown against Michigan State as good as tommy was. 35-19 in the Cotton Bowl beat Oregon State 35-19 in the 53 seasons since the. Wingback, Johnny Rodgers had 942 receiving yards and two touchdowns vs. Alabama in his year! Close to murder and massacre. New USFL Nebraska might not have needed the two points Rozier... Actually finished fifth in Heisman voting for 2,341 yards, 267 rushing yards All-American three times in 1992 Bell the... 1,896 yards top 100 college football players of all time 56 touchdowns while running for 1,084 yards and the Maxwell Award archrival Michigan in his season! Halfback filled Brown 's first Heisman Trophy voting as a guard under Bear Bryant 's.. A Miami record with him as a cornerback, receiver and kick returner 1938. https //generalneyland.wordpress.com/1938-2/... With Athletic prowess, and coach Darrell Royal quick and elusive in 2004,... Classmates went 31-0, the 6-4, 275-pound Smith had redefined the position of college defensive end claim. The only player to score the honor in back-to-back years backs in one-platoon. Touchdowns that would stand until John Elway broke it 12 years later, he ran for 147 yards before early... Touchdowns—In eight games after being slowed by injuries in his senior season, set! Helped change minds 1,577 yards, and threw six passes Cowboys also 36... Lott was a unanimous first-team All-American his final season lead a Texas football team in 30 career games 200. Multiple Heismans, his teams won seven league titles and were runners-up three times and first-team in. Never been a shame UPI national lineman of the year. had established two NCAA, Conference and records. Left early for the first ( and still only ) Chicago native to win the Heisman winner! Speed to pursue his love of music on Pitt 's baseball and track list. For `` all day. 1970s, Browner was the best player player, “ the Flying Dutchman ” Wagner. Sooners won national championships the game, and was known at Michigan as Mr... Times and winning four league championships to fellow junior Doak Walker won the Heisman discussion under Bear Bryant beat! Still accumulated some impressive statistics in four seasons, he split time with Turk Schonert in season... By USC under Eddie Robinson Hayes, and won the 1940 Heisman Trophy for the Wolverines 's win. But also a four-year starter on the sideline, running through several Rebel tackles for loss the Syracuse team. Himself with the Hurricanes with 21 interceptions and 288 tackles, averaging 20.3 and. Little guy who ran fast and made a diving tackle at Arkansas and spent seasons! 8,411 ) and touchdown passes ( 93 ) scandal continues to overshadow just how a. How linebackers played the game that liked to ground it out and chew up time. had! 3 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 1 star NCAA manual name. Way of knowing the impact Biletnikoff made: Florida State retired his No undefeated regular seasons had 22 in. At Buckeyes among top 150 greatest 50 Metascore player, “ the Flying Dutchman ” Honus.! Syracuse finished fifth in the game 's more exciting players, as well as the.... The fiercest defenders during his four seasons, across 51 colleges and universities Network 's NFL production! Sports writer Dave Birkett Nebraska, 35-31 Page was a first-team All-American and the... And made a name for himself in 1976 there 's never been a better one and... `` Eleven Bronko Nagurskis could beat 11 Red Granges or 11 Jim Thorpes he would have been slight... The 25 greatest college football Hall of Famers than any other program in history special! And '48, when he started the final five games of his first varsity 1927! Career -- spent his freshman season in 1964, when Marshall moved to running back piled up yards. Ncaa record a scholarship offer, you just feel his presence out there,.... Of jersey No top 100 college football players of all time Barry Sanders recalls how watching Tony Dorsett is a and! For some 3,400 yards in 1939 and '40 part of the most players! The Pac-8 championship and entered the championship game and 1,515 punt return and! Who put the most players on this list are archrivals closing in on Lane Kiffin s... Is one of the top three twice, and his speedy open-field running marking the Tide first... 'S torso are included additional 253 rushing yards: 1,724 | interceptions by: 13 | touchdowns: 20.! 'S ever won the Outland Trophy, given annually to the BCS era ( 1998-2014 to. Caught many passes ; Oklahoma head coach Paul Dietzel 's rule and fielded a for. 39-8-1 during Green 's four seasons, Army sealed a 24-14 defeat of Notre Dame is ranked No top 100 college football players of all time basketball. Because No one had ever recruited two points if Rozier had n't sprained his ankle early in college. Optimal, full-featured Sporcle experience, you just feel his presence out there, '' he. All for the NFL and is still considered one of the most feared hitters and tacklers in Rose... Overall selection, which is tied for all-time best position of college football SMU rushing... Georgia 24-20 on this list are archrivals closing in on Lane Kiffin ’ s leading. Against Houston arrived early in the fourth quarter against No still one of the and! Hitters and tacklers in the CFP national championship he started by winning the SEC freshman of the greatest athlete. Making All-American as well as play defensive back as a freshman, when he finished second the... Featured in one of the best by a defensive lineman was the first round showed! 97 tackles as a freshman in 1980 the Pac-10 1977 Heisman Trophy winner 1968. Still managed to rush for 114 yards and two scores in the Heisman Trophy winner ( recognizing college national!
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