It is a very unreliable way to figure out who the top college football players of all time were.
Sometimes it gets things right, but not as often as it should. It might seem easy to name the 50 best college football players of all time. But with over 125 years of history to sort through, the task quickly becomes very hard.
Every season, there are a lot of players on the field, and some of them become legends. But which few of these legends deserve more attention than the rest?
Which of them deserves to be the best college football players of all time? This article breaks it all down.
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50 Best College Football Players of all Time
#1. George Gipp
George Gipp is one of the top college football players of all time. Even though Gipp had never played football before going to Notre Dame, Knute Rockne talked him into joining the Irish football team. He led the Irish in passing and running in his last three years with the team (1918-1920).
Gipp was more than just the team’s quarterback. He also punted, returned kicks, and played linebacker and cornerback, among other positions. Gipp’s death at age 25 from strep throat may be what people remember most about him.
#2. Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard is one of the best college football players of all time. He may be best known today as the co-host of ESPN’s College GameDay. But he used to be popular at the University of Michigan for breaking records.
Howard tied or broke 12 U-M records and 5 NCAA records while he was there. At the time, he won the 1991 Heisman Trophy by the largest margin ever. With 17 out of every 20 votes going to him as the winner. The College Football Hall of Fame made him a member earlier this year.
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#3. Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice didn’t get noticed by the best football teams in the country. It seems a little strange seeing as he is one of the top college football players of all time. However, Rice didn’t let that stop him.
Rice went to college at Mississippi Valley State, where he broke NCAA Division I-AA records for most receptions in a single game. The most receptions in a season, most yards in a season, and most touchdowns in a season.
His number of receiving touchdowns also set an NCAA record for all divisions. Rice was a unanimous Division I-AA All-American in 1983. In 1984, even though he played at a Division I-AA college. He finished ninth in the Heisman voting and got named an AP All-American.
#4. Eric Dickerson
Eric Dickerson had planned to play football for Texas A&M. However, his grandmother liked SMU head coach Ron Meyer, so Dickerson switched his plans. Dickerson and Craig James were both parts of SMU’s famous “Pony Express” rushing attack.
In the end, Dickerson ran for 4,450 yards, which was enough to break the Southwest Conference record. He also tied legendary SMU running back Doak Walker’s record of 48 touchdowns.
He is one of the best college football players of all time. Dickerson came in third place in the Heisman voting during his senior year.
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#5. Lawrence Taylor
Taylor had a great college career in North Carolina from 1978 to 1981. In the 1981 NFL draft, he was the second overall pick. Taylor got named captain of the Tar Heels’ defense and had 16 sacks in his last year in Chapel Hill, 1980.
In 1980, he was also an All-American and the ACC Player of the Year. Lawrence Taylor is one of the best college football players of all time.
#6. Anthony Carter
During Bo Schembechler’s time at Michigan, the Wolverines were popular for having the most typical Big Ten offense. This was a big, strong running game that took up a lot of time before scoring.
Anthony Carter gave Michigan a big play option in the passing game if the running game failed. Carter had 37 touchdown catches by the time he left Ann Arbor in 1982. Anthony Carter is one of the best college football players of all time.
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#7. Baylor’s Mike
Mike Singletary has to be one of the first names that come to mind when you think of the best linebackers in football history.
He is one of the top college football players of all time. Singletary is in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
He won the Davey O’Brien Memorial Trophy twice, and he still holds a lot of school records at Baylor.
For example, he made 232 tackles in a single season as a senior in 1978. It was the first time Baylor had ever won 10 games in a single season.
#8. Johnny Lujack
Lujack was one of the best football players of the first half of the 20th century. In 1946 and 1947, he led Notre Dame to back-to-back undefeated national championships.
Like many other famous Notre Dame players, Lujack was a great running back, safety, and punter. Lujack also won the Heisman Trophy in 1947. Johnny is one of the best college football players of all time.
#9. Charlie Ward
In 1993, Florida State’s Seminoles led quarterback Charlie Ward to a 12-1 record and the school’s first national championship.
That year, Ward’s lead over Desmond Howard in the Heisman vote was bigger than Howard’s.
Depending on the measure (percentage of first-place votes or vote points), Ward’s Heisman win was either the biggest or second-biggest (after O.J. Simpson) in history.
Ward chose to play in the NBA instead of college football, but he is still one of the best college football players of all time.
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#10. Anthony Munoz
Anthony Munoz missed a lot of his senior season. But that doesn’t mean we can’t put this monster of an offensive lineman on our list of the top 50. Anthony is one of the top college football players of all time.
Both defensive ends and tackles couldn’t get to the Trojan backfield because of how strong and quick this blocker was. Munoz did great things on the football field. He also pitched for the USC baseball team that won the national title in 1978.
#11. Derrick Thomas
Derrick Thomas was without a doubt one of the best linebackers of the 1980s. Thomas had an unheard-of 27 sacks in 1988, and he had 52 by the end of his career at Alabama.
Thomas went on to have a successful NFL career before a car accident at age 33 cut his life short. He is, however, still one of the best college football players of all time.
#12. Bubba Smith
Bubba Smith was a highly sought-after defensive end recruit, and his dream was to play for the Texas Longhorns. Smith was black, and the Southwest Conference wouldn’t let black people play.
So Bubba chose Michigan State, and in 1965 he helped the Spartans win the national title. After that, it wasn’t long before the SWC saw how stupid its policy was.
After 10 years in the NFL, Bubba Smith entertained a new generation as Moses Hightower in the Police Academy movies.
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#13. Warren Sapp
When you think about all the great players who have played for the Miami Dolphins over the years, Warren Sapp is without a doubt one of the best.
Sapp was an All-American twice. In 1994, the Football Writers Association of America named him the Defensive Player of the Year.
During the same season, he also took home the Lombardi Trophy, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and the Bill Willis Award.
#14. Larry Fitzgerald
Even though the 21st century isn’t that old yet, some great players have already come out since 2000. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best college football players of all time.
Fitzgerald was a sophomore at Pitt when he won the Walter Camp Award, the Biletnikoff Award, and the Paul Warfield Award.
Fitzgerald caught 92 passes for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns during that season. Based on his stats, he is the best receiver in the history of the Pittsburgh Panthers.
#15. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Ndamukong Suh was one of the best defensive linemen in recent years. Late in the 2009 season, when he was playing for Nebraska, he was even thought to be a Heisman candidate.
It was the best finish for DL since 1972 when he finished fourth in the Heisman voting. Suh was the first defensive player to win the AP’s College Player of the Year award since it started in 1998.
Suh is now known for being a terror on defense for the Detroit Lions. He is one of the top college football players of all time.
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#16. Syracuse’s Jim Brown
Jim Brown is not only one of the best college football players of all time but also one of the best athletes of all time. Brown ran for 986 yards and 14 touchdowns in 1956. He did this in eight games.
In the last game of the 1956 season, Brown scored six touchdowns on the ground. He also added seven extra points as the Orangemen’s kicker.
Brown is a member of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Brown also played basketball and track for Syracuse. He also played football and lacrosse. Brown is one of the best college football players of all time.
#17. Steve McNair
Steve McNair got a few scholarship offers after high school, including one from Florida. The Gators wanted him to play defensive back, though. McNair wanted to play quarterback, so he chose Alcorn State, which is in Division I-AA.
McNair broke NCAA records for all divisions during his senior year in 1994. He had nearly 6,000 yards of total offense and 53 total touchdowns. McNair won the Walter Payton Award for being the best player in Division I-AA. He came in third place in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
He still holds Division I-AA/FCS records for total offense (14,496) and passing yards (14,496). (16,283). Steve is one of the top college football players of all time.
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#18. Mike Reid
Over the years, Penn State’s best teams are popular for having defenses that make it hard for opponents to score. Mike Reid, a defensive tackle for Penn State, was a big part of the great teams of the late 1960s.
This consensus All-American won the Outland Trophy and the Maxwell Award his senior year.
After which he came in fifth place in the Heisman voting that year (1969). He is one of the most recognized college football players of all time.
#19. Tom Harmon
Of all the college football teams in the country, Michigan might be the one with the most history. To be one of the best players in Michigan history is to be one of the best players in the history of college football. Tom Harmon fits that description.
Harmon led the country in rushing in both 1939 and 1940. His 1940 season is still thought to be one of the best for a running back. Harmon had almost 3,500 yards of offense in 1940, which was a huge number for that time.
He did this by passing, running, receiving, and returning kicks. Harmon also kicked for the team and started as a defensive back.
Harmon won the Heisman Trophy in 1940 with little trouble.
#20. Ronnie Lott
USC has had more than its fair share of great players, and Ronnie Lott wasn’t the least of them.
Lott was on the USC team that won the national championship in 1978. The Trojans also played in two Rose Bowls with Lott as the leader of the defense.
Lott was a unanimous All-American in 1980, and he went on to have a great pro career with the San Francisco 49ers, which was not far from his college campus. He is one of the top college football players of all time.
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#21. John Hannah
John Hannah is on almost every list of the best college football players that has ever been.
As an offensive lineman for Alabama under the legendary Bear Bryant, this two-time All-American was by far the best O-lineman to ever wear the Crimson Tide uniform. He is also one of the best offensive linemen in college football history.
Bryant said that Hannah was the best offensive lineman he had ever coached. Hannah has been an All-American twice.
She is in both the college football and the professional football halls of fame. Hanna is one of the best college football players of all time.
#21. Billy Sims
Oklahoma’s head coach Barry Switzer put a lot of time and effort into getting Billy Sims to come to OU. However, Sims had a lot of injuries in his first two years there.
It looked like he might be one of those highly-touted recruits who never turned out to be good. Wrong.
As promised, Sims’ talent exploded in his junior and senior years for the Sooners. As a junior in 1978, Sims won the Heisman Trophy with 1,762 yards on just 231 carries, which is an amazing 7.6 yards per carrying.
Sims finished the season with 1,896 yards after getting another 134 yards in the Sooners’ bowl game. This was an Oklahoma record that stood until 2004.
During his senior year, Sims came in second in the Heisman voting. He is one of the best college football players of all time.
#22. O.J. Simpson
Most of the time, it’s not okay to put O.J. Simpson on a “greatest” list that doesn’t end with “examples of getting away with murder.”
Basically, Simpson had a great career at USC, even though he was not guilty of two murders and found guilty of armed robbery.
Simpson only played for USC for two years, but he ran for 3,423 yards. This puts him fifth on the list of all-time USC rushers.
After graduating from USC, O.J. had a Hall of Fame career in the NFL before becoming a sportscaster. He also played small parts in low-budget movies, the most well-known of which are the Naked Gun movies. O.J is one of the best college football players of all time.
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#23. Charley Trippi
Even though his time at UGA got cut short, Charley Trippi was one of the best Georgia Bulldogs of the 20th century. Trippi won the Most Valuable Player award at the 1943 Rose Bowl. He helped the national champion Bulldogs beat UCLA 9-0.
After the 1942 season, Trippi left UGA to fight in World War II. He came back to play for two more seasons in 1945 and 1946. Charley is one of the best college football players of all time.
#24. Marcus Allen
Before 1981, no running back had ever gained 2,000 yards. Marcus Allen ran past the 2,000-yard mark. He didn’t just reach it.
Allen was the first player to finish a season with 2,000 yards or more. In 1981, he had a ridiculous 2,427 yards on the ground.
The Heisman Trophy was a well-deserved reward for a season in which he broke 16 NCAA records and set many other records.
#25. Ernie Nevers
Today, college football players can get help right away from trainers and go through a lot of medical tests. They can’t go back on the field until they get the all-clear from doctors.
Ernie Nevers played in the 1925 Rose Bowl against Notre Dame despite having two broken ankles. When you have a turf toe, you have to stay off your feet for a few weeks. Even more impressive is the fact that Nevers ran for 114 yards despite having two broken ankles.
Nevers was an All-American at Stanford, and he also ran track and played baseball for the school. After he graduated from high school, Nevers played football and baseball for a living. He is one of the best college football players of all time.
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#26. Christian’s Davey O’Brien
There has only been one Heisman winner for TCU football in its long history. Davey O’Brien is a legendary quarterback whose name lives on in the Davey O’Brien Award.
He won the 1938 Heisman Trophy by throwing for 1,457 yards and 19 touchdowns. It was a record at the time.
Even though that may not sound like much today, in the 1930s, when the forward pass was just starting to become a popular play, O’Brien’s numbers were so good that he became the first college football player to win the Heisman, Maxwell, and Walter Camp awards all in the same season.
#27. Charles Woodson
The 1997 Michigan Wolverines could thank one player for winning the national championship. That player was Charles Woodson.
Woodson scored touchdowns as a wide receiver or return specialist when he wasn’t picking off passes as a cornerback. Charles is one of the best college football players of all time.
Woodson was so good that he won the Heisman Trophy as the first and, so far, only player who played mostly on defense.
Even though there have been many great defensive players over the years, it may never happen again that a defensive player wins the Heisman Trophy. This is because the award voters seem to favor offensive players.
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#28. Ron Dayne
Ron Dayne changed the NCAA Division I-A record books by the end of his time at Wisconsin. He left Madison after gaining 6,397 yards on the ground, which was more than any other Division I-A/FBS player.
Even though it might be hard to believe, those numbers do not include his stats from the bowl game. Dayne ran for 6,397 yards during the regular season.
In three bowl games, he ran for another 692 yards, bringing his total to a whopping 7,089 yards during his four years as a Badger.
#29. Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders of Florida State has to be one of the first names that come to mind. He is one of the top college football players of all time.
Sanders was a first-team All-American during his sophomore and junior years. That’s how he got the nickname “Prime Time.”
Quarterbacks soon learned not to throw the ball to Sanders’ side of the field. Deion soon found other ways to help, especially by returning kicks. Sanders was also on the baseball and track teams at FSU. He played Major League Baseball after he got done with the NFL.
#30. Bronko Nagurski
Bronko Nagurski is one of the most famous names at the University of Minnesota. He started his career as a tackle, but for the 1928 season, he got moved to fullback. By the standards of the 1920s, his 230-pound body was huge, and he could run right over most opponents.
He was an All-American at both the tackle and fullback positions. Bronko is one of the best college football players of all time.
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#31. Ernie Davis
At Syracuse, Ernie Davis was more than just a great running back. Davis was the first player of color to ever win the Heisman Trophy. He did this in 1961.
Before that, Davis had a hard time in his personal life. He faced the worst racism the South had to offer while leading the Orangemen to the 1959 national championship and Cotton Bowl victory over Texas. Davis became MVP of that game.
The Express, which came out in 2008, is an inspiring movie about Davis’s journey. It showed his fight against segregationists and outright racism while he was at Syracuse.
It may not be as good as movies like Rudy, but it is still worth seeing. Davis never played in the NFL, which is a shame.
Davis was the first black player to take first overall in a draft. He is one of the most recognized college football players of all time.
#32. Glenn Davis
One half of the famous Army duo Inside-Outside, Glenn “Mr. Davis was a very fast halfback who could run around defenders on sweeps and speed down the field once he was in open territory. He is no doubt, one of the best college football players of all time.
Davis came in second place for the Heisman in both 1944 and 1945. He finally won the award in 1946. During the long years of World War II, Davis and his partner, “Mr. Inside” Doc Blanchard, helped keep the nation’s spirits up.
#33. Tim Tebow
Maybe it’s too soon to say where Tim Tebow will rank on a list of the 50 best athletes of all time. After all, Tebow only took off his Florida Gators uniform for the last time a few short years ago. Tebow is one of the best college football players of all time.
Tim Tebow is both loved and hated as one of the biggest college football stars of the last 10 years. Whether you like him or dislike him, you can’t deny how well he did in Florida.
Tebow had a small part in Florida’s 2006 BCS championship season. But the next year, he became the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman.
After that, he was always in the running for the Heisman, but he never won it again. He did, however, lead the Gators to the 2008 BCS title.
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#34. Dave Rimington, Nebraska
People agree that Dave Rimington was the best college center of all time. Rimington was a beast off the field as well.
He was the perfect example of what a college football player should be: a student-athlete. Rimington was also named an Academic All-American twice. He also won the Outland Trophy twice.
#35. Bo Jackson
Even before the rest of us knew what Bo knew, he was one of the best Auburn Tigers football players ever. Jackson ran for 1,786 yards in 1985.
He averaged 6.4 yards per carrying. Jackson won the 1985 Heisman Trophy for having the best single-season SEC record with 6.4 yards per carrying.
Jackson’s number 34 got retired by Auburn, and he went on to have a successful career. With the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and the American League’s Kansas City Royals. Bo Jackson is one of the most recognized college football players of all time.
#36. Roger Staubach
There is one name that stands out in the long history of football in Annapolis. Roger Staubach is by far the best football player to ever play for the United States Naval Academy. In 1964, when he won the Heisman Trophy, he led the Navy to its best finish ever.
After college, the Dallas Cowboys picked him in a draft. Staubach wanted to join the US Navy, so he did a short tour of duty in the South China Sea during the Vietnam War. As a 27-year-old rookie, he joined the Cowboys and went on to have a Hall of Fame career there.
#37. Doc Blanchard
Doc “Mr. Inside” Blanchard was the other half of the Army’s fast and deadly running attack. Davis and Blanchard were one of the best teams in the game when they played together. The year before Davis won the Heisman Trophy, Doc Blanchard took home the prize.
Blanchard was the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy. During his 1945 Heisman season, he led Army to a national title and scored 19 touchdowns. He is one of the best college football players of all time.
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#38. Howard Cassady
There have been many great players at Ohio State, but Howard Cassady may be the most important to the school’s history of excellence. Between 1952 and 1955, Cassady played in 36 games for the Ohio State Buckeyes and scored 37 touchdowns.
He was the best runner in the country at the time, and he was also a great cornerback for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
He also won the Heisman Trophy and made Ohio State win the national championship.
#39. Earl Campbell
There’s a reason why the NFL makes its players go to college for at least two years before they can join the pros. Most 18-year-olds aren’t physically mature enough to handle the brutal hits every Sunday in the NFL.
Earl Campbell might be different. The famous Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer once said that Campbell was the only player he had ever seen who could have gone straight from high school to the NFL and been a star.
Coming from the coach of your biggest rival, that’s pretty high praise. He is one of the most recognized college football players of all time.
Campbell was the first Longhorn to win the Heisman Trophy and lead the country in rushing. He did this in 1977.
#40. Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus is probably the best candidate for the title of “greatest linebacker ever.” During his time at Illinois, Butkus made 373 tackles. But many people forget that he also played center for the Illini.
This College Football Hall of Fame member is an easy choice for any top 50 list, and he is also a lock for any top 10 list.
#41. Tony Dorsett
On the football field, being small doesn’t help you out very often. When you play running back, you are one of them. Tony is one of the best college football players of all time.
Even though it’s hard to remember, Pittsburgh used to be a big deal in college football across the country. Tony Dorsett was right in the middle of that.
Dorsett not only led the Panthers to the national championship in 1976. He also won the Heisman Trophy that same year.
This three-time All-American finished his career at Pitt with 6,082 rushing yards. It was an NCAA record that stood until 1998. He is one of the best college football players of all time.
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#42. Jim Thorpe
Even today, the best way to praise an athlete is to say that he or she is like Jim Thorpe. Thorpe was an All-American at Carlisle in 1911 and 1912, and he helped Carlisle beat Harvard 18–15 in a shocking upset. Carlisle beat Harvard, and Thorpe scored all of the points in the game.
Carlisle won the national championship in 1912, and it was clear why: no one else on the field was even close to being as good as Thorpe. Thorpe was also a great football player and ran track in the Olympics. Jim is one of the best college football players of all time.
#43. Barry Sanders
It’s hard to believe that Barry Sanders only started one season at Oklahoma State. Especially considering how well he did statistically in 1988. Barry Sanders is one of the most recognized college football players of all time.
Sanders was one of the best, if not the best, running backs in college football history. During the regular season, he ran for 2,628 yards and scored 39 touchdowns. It broke many Oklahoma State and NCAA records. During that season’s Holiday Bowl, he added another 222 yards and five touchdowns.
Sanders won the 1988 Heisman Trophy and went on to have a successful, record-setting career with the Detroit Lions. This was after he had spent two years as an unknown backup.
#44. Archie Griffin
Archie Griffin would be a must-have on any list of the best college football players. He is one of the top college football players of all time. Griffin is the only person to have won the Heisman Trophy twice. An Ohio State fan said that if God had played football, Griffin would be the closest thing to Him.
Griffin won college football’s top award in 1974 and 1975. But some people still think that his 1975 trophy was more because of his reputation than anything else. After all, in terms of stats, his senior year wasn’t quite as good as his junior year.
#45. Tommie Frazier
As much like a god as Archie Griffin seems to be in Columbus, Tommie Frazier is like a football god in Lincoln. In the 1990s, Frazier was Nebraska’s quarterback and led the team to two straight national championships.
He is the only quarterback in the last 40 years to do this. Tommie is one of the best college football players of all time.
When Frazier finally left Lincoln, he had set new records for total offense, touchdown passes, and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. He also beat several NCAA records.
The only thing Frazier doesn’t have on his resume is a Heisman Trophy. In 1995, he came close. That year, he came in second in the voting.
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#46. Doak Walker
Doak Walker is one of the best players of all time, and he may even be the best running back in football history. Walker won the Heisman in 1948 when he was a junior at SMU. During that season, he ran for 537 yards. He also played quarterback sometimes and was often a defensive back. He also kicked for SMU.
After four years at SMU, Walker had rushed for 1,928 yards, caught passes for 454 yards, and thrown for 1,654 yards. Today, the Doak Walker Award goes to the best running back in the country. He is one of the most recognized college football players of all time.
#47. Red Grange
Dick Butkus is the only other player in Illinois whose number has retired. Red Grange, also known as “The Galloping Ghost,” is that player. In his first game for the Illini, against Nebraska, he ran for three touchdowns.
At Illinois, Grange ran for 3,362 yards, caught passes for 253 yards, and scored a total of 31 touchdowns in his career. During his three seasons, from 1923 to 1925, he also threw for 575 yards. Red Grange is one of the best college football players of all time.
#48. Steve Owens
Owens is one of the best college football players of all time. He was born in Gore, Oklahoma, and grew up in Miami, Oklahoma. He always wanted to play football for the Oklahoma Sooners. Owens was a tough and strong runner who set an NCAA record at the time by running for 100 yards in 17 straight games.
He also set records for the most carries (905), rushing yards (3,867), touchdowns (56), and points in an NCAA career (336). Owens carried the ball 358 times for 1,523 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior in 1969. Even though the Sooners had a 6-4 record, he won the Heisman Trophy.
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#49. Charles White
White was once called “the most competitive athlete I’ve ever seen” by USC coach John Robinson. He is one of the most recognized college football players of all time.
White was responsible for 70 of USC’s 80 yards on the game-winning drive, including a 1-yard touchdown run with 90 seconds left. In 1979, he won the Heisman Trophy by running for 1,803 yards and 18 touchdowns. This made him the best back in the country. In 31 games, he ran for at least 100 yards. During his time at USC, the team went 42-6-1 and won three Rose Bowls.
#50. John Cappelletti
Cappelletti is best known for his emotional speech when he won the Heisman Trophy in 1973. In it, he said that his football accomplishments were nothing compared to the fight his 11-year-old brother Joey put up against leukemia.
During his first two years at Penn State, Cappelletti played defense. Cappelletti is one of the most recognized college football players of all time.
As a junior, he switched to running back. In 1972, he ran for 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He ran for 1,522 yards and 17 touchdown in his last year of high school In the last month of the 1973 season, he ran for 200 yards three times in a row, which helped Penn State go 12-0.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Tommie Frazier, QB, Nebraska. Frazier is to many, the best college football player of all time. In 1994 and 1995, he was the only quarterback since the 1950s to lead his team to two straight national championships.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who went to college as Lew Alcindor. From 1966 to 1969, he played for UCLA for three years. Alcindor’s college team went 88-2 and won the National Championship all three years he was there.
Charlie Ward is one of the most decorated players in college football history. As a senior quarterback on Florida State’s National Championship team in 1993, he won every award he was eligible for.
These are the best quarterbacks in college history:
Robert Griffin III. Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy in a race that was one of the closest in history.
Jim McMahon. Jim McMahon was an All-American twice while he was at BYU.
Colt Brennan
Peyton Manning
Eric Crouch
Cam Newton
Kellen Moore
Dan Marino, and
Eric Crouch
Archie Griffin, a running back for Ohio State, won the award in 1974 and 1975. He was the first and, to this day, the only player to win it twice. Griffin won his first Heisman in 1974 after running for 1,695 yards and 12 touchdowns on 256 carries.
Tommie Frazier and A.J. McCarron A.J. McCarron led Alabama to wins in 2011 (the 2012 BCS National Championship). And 2012 (the 2013 BCS National Championship) (2013 BCS National Championship). Since Tommie Frazier did it in 1994 and 1995 when he was the starting quarterback, he was the first to do it since then.
John Gagliardi is the all-time leader with 489 wins, most of which came at the NCAA Division III level. Gagliardi started as a head coach at Carroll in Helena, Montana, in 1949. He then moved to Saint John’s in Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1953, where he stayed until he retired at the end of the 2012 season.
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Conclusion
In the first 150 years of the game, about 5.3 million people put on a uniform, so there was a lot of talent to choose from.
First, we looked at players who got picked for the first team of All-America by everyone. We hope from this list, you have learned about the top college football players of all time.
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References
- espn.com– Greatest football players of all time
- fanbuzz.com– ESPall-time American Team
- athlonsports.com– Top 50 football players of all time
- collegecliffs.com– 15 best college football players of all time
- Image Link
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