Woodrow Lowe (LB, Alabama, 1972-75) Nile Kinnick (RB, Iowa, 1937-39) 24. 1 UCLA to lead the No. Michel Platini and Roberto Baggio make up the top 10. Who else makes the top 25? Reid also excelled as a heavyweight wrestler and shortened his NFL career in order to pursue his love of music. Ronnie Lott (DB, USC, 1977-80) Inside, the 22-yard lines are painted Tar Heel blue. Blanchard at fullback, Glenn Davis at halfback, and quarterback Arnold Tucker all made it to the College Football Hall of Fame. Carter stood 5-11 and weighed only 161 pounds, and that might have been while wearing a helmet and cleats. To play him at any other position would have been a shame. The Bulldogs went 33-3 during his three seasons. He was an All-American in football in 1943 and in basketball the next year. Tom Brady can now rightfully claim his title as the GOAT as he rides into the sunset, for good this time. John Cappelletti (RB, Penn State, 1971-73) The Top 25 NFL Players of All Time | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats It's why Smith waited until junior high to use his full birth name. Let us know on Twitter or Facebook. Receiving yards: 1,944 | Return yards: 1,448 | Touchdowns: 35 A bruising and powerful runner, Owens set what was then an NCAA record with 17 consecutive 100-yard rushing games. 117. "No Sooner player cast a longer shadow over its rich tradition than Lee Roy," Switzer said after Selmon died of a stroke in 2012. He finished with five touchdowns and threw for a sixth. Big for his day at 6-1, 195, Berwanger nonetheless had 9.9 speed. That was never a problem for Ditka, who led Pitt in receptions for three straight years and was a menacing defensive lineman and punter. Rushing yards: 3,221 | Touchdowns: 30 | Return yards: 1,198 Zico 15. Despite that, there will be many who still believe Ronaldo is, in fact, the GOAT. In the 53 seasons since, the Boilermakers have returned to Pasadena once. Parker, a cat-quick guard and menacing blocker, was the measuring stick for any lineman under legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes. He is one of only four men inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. The only thing Woodson didn't do on the football field? "When you're standing on the sideline, as a coach, you just feel his presence out there," Carr said. Top 30 Best Football Players of All Time - IMDb 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. 38. The Trojans recruited Lott and 1981 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen to play safety or running back. Byron "Whizzer" White (RB, Colorado, 1935-37) He remains North Texas' only All-American. He made 19 touchdown catches and scored four others. A two-time All-American, he won the Heisman, Walter Camp Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Jim Thorpe Award in 1997. As a senior in 1938, he was named a consensus All-American, finished third in Heisman voting and made the cover of Time magazine. Ameche was born Lino Dante Amici to Italian parents, but at the age of 16, he decided his name wasn't tough enough. Raghib "Rocket" Ismail (WR, Notre Dame, 1988-90) Lionel Messi has been named the greatest footballer of all time following his World Cup win. You dont get a nickname like the Golden Arm for nothing. The next two seasons, Thomas played like him. In 1978, he had 33 tackles against Arkansas and 31 against Ohio State. He paid his way by painting walls and washing dishes at a fraternity house. Rushing yards: 5,598 | Rushing TDs: 46 | All-purpose yards: 6,545 That sums up Peyton Mannings career. Top 100 soccer players. Best players in the world Passing yards: 3,940 | Touchdowns: 33 | Total offense: 5,197 yards He completed an unheard-of 57 percent of passes as a sophomore. USC coach John Robinson once called White "the most competitive athlete I've ever seen." If you havent already noticed, one-team players, particularly one-team quarterbacks, are given special attention on this list. Mostly remembered for his time on the Green Bay Packers, Favre made history on the back of a legendary decade in the 1990s. Rushing yards: 1,683 | Total offense: 2,254 yards | Touchdowns: 35 Hart was a three-time All-American and won the Maxwell Award in his final season. Completing the podium is Brazilian legend, Pele. Kenny Easley (DB, UCLA, 1977-80) After watching Nobis suffocate Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Roger Staubach in a 28-6 victory over Navy in the 1964 Cotton Bowl, Army coach Paul Dietzel called Nobis "the finest linebacker I've ever seen in college." Mike Ditka (TE, Pitt, 1958-60) As a senior, Glover had 100 tackles and nine tackles for loss. Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1977; 1st-team All-Pro (1965, 66, 67, 68, 69); 4-time Pro Bowler; four seasons in top 10 of all NFL rushers; career cut short by injuries; as a rookie scored four TDs, including 96-yard kickoff return, against Vikings, and later in season scored six touchdowns against 49ers including an 80-yard pass play, 50-yard run and 65-yard punt return. By the end of his freshman year, however, the quiet, hardworking Ham had established himself as the bell cow of the recruiting class. According to Pitt's sports information department, the Panthers devised the term "pancake block" when tallying how many times Fralic put an opponent on his back. He had a sack in every game but two and had four in a 45-6 victory over The Citadel, another school record. "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 was named All-American in 1986. In his junior and senior seasons, Sims rushed for 3,268 yards and 42 touchdowns. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1979 Class); 4x Champion (1x Super Bowl, 3x pre-Super Bowl); 3x MVP; 1x MoY; 5x First-Team All-Pro; 3x Second-Team All-Pro; 10x Pro Bowl. He rushed for 114 yards in the season opener against TCU, and at midseason, Sayers torched Oklahoma State for a Big Eight-record 283 yards on only 22 carries. He is best remembered for making 22 tackles in Nebraska's 35-31 win over Oklahoma in the Game of the Century in 1971. Against rival Ohio State, Harmon ran 25 times for 139 yards with three touchdowns, passed for 151 yards with two more scores, kicked four extra points, returned three kickoffs for 81 yards, intercepted three passes and averaged 50 yards on three punts. The Sooners ran 60 offensive plays in the game -- and Jordan was involved in 31 tackles (15 solo stops and 16 assists). Plunkett might have won the Heisman only because the favorite, Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning, broke his left arm late in the season. Just look at the top of every record. Jim Brown (RB, Syracuse, 1954-56) White was a consensus All-American and was named SEC Player of the Year. Tackles: 315 Okay, lets talk about this. The Great Dayne weighed nearly 270 pounds coming out of high school, and Wisconsin was the only school that recruited him as a primary ball carrier. His rise and stardom launched the popularity of the forward pass, and to have him here rather than his quarterback points to the game changer that he truly was. In 2005, he ran for 1,740 yards, scored 19 touchdowns and helped the Trojans reach the national championship game. For all the wondrous feats that Lujack, the 1947 Heisman Trophy winner, achieved running the Irish offense in the greatest era of Notre Dame football -- his teams went 26-1-1 and won the national championship in each of his three seasons -- his most important single play came on the defensive side of the ball. The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players was a ten-part television series that set out to determine the top 100 greatest NFL players of all time. By Ameche's senior season, the 220-pound fullback needed special shoulder pads. Ties were broken by using the highest single vote a player received. Green was a three-time first-team All-American. Sanders, as a sophomore, backed up Thomas and led the nation in kickoff returns (31.6-yard average), in part by returning the first kickoff of the season for a touchdown. The Fighting Irish, in Brown's first three seasons, went 17-17. First, Steve Owen, the coach of the New York Giants in the 1940s, declared Davis "better than Red Grange. The Worst of the Madden Curse. Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (2016); 3-time First-team All-Pro (1999, 2001, 2003); Second-team All-Pro (2000); seven pro bowls. McCaffrey capped the season by setting a Rose Bowl record with 368 all-purpose yards in Stanford's 45-16 rout of Iowa. Peterson brought size, speed and endurance to an Oklahoma offense then better known for putting up big passing numbers. The reigning holder of the NFLs single-season rushing record (2,105), Eric Dickerson amassed 13,000 career rushing yards and nearly broke the 2,000 rushing-yard benchmark his rookie year, despite playing only 14 games. Walter Payton (RB, Jackson State, 1971-74) 70. Former Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning recounts the time he got to conduct the Tennessee band after a game. Legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden called Marino "a pro quarterback in college, really," and Penn State's Joe Paterno said Marino was the best college quarterback he'd ever coached against. Four other Trojans tailbacks would follow his path. Layne led the Longhorns to within one point of a Southwest Conference title as a freshman and returned from the Merchant Marines the next season to win an SWC championship. 1 all-time; 4,409 attempts, No. Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2008; 2-time Super Bowl champion (1987, 91); 1996 Walter Payton Man of the Year; 1st-team All-Pro (1991); 7-time Pro Bowler. He was an All-American and won the Outland Trophy in 1995. He intercepted five passes, averaged 42.0 yards per punt, and completed 55.3% of his passes in an era when anything over 50% was exceptional. What does that mean? Sammy Baugh (QB, TCU, 1934-36) At 6-foot-4 with a lightning-quick release, Marino surely looked like an NFL quarterback. Or maybe College Football 200. Davis led Syracuse to the 1959 national championship, almost single-handedly beating Texas 23-14 in the Cotton Bowl. In 30 games from 1964-66, the Irish defense had 12 shutouts and allowed only 188 points, an average of 6.3 points. Until our number one-ranked player came along, he was the leagues iron man. Hendricks tallied 26 interceptions during his career, and. Brees was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. In the next 10 minutes, he ran for scores of 67, 56 and 44 yards. Warren Sapp (DL, Miami, 1992-94) The online publisher has ranked the greatest footballers of all time and Messi is in at No.1. At Booker T. Washington High School in Pensacola, he was an All-American and named National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today. Leon Hart (E, Notre Dame, 1946-49) 11-100 in our list of the greatest NFL players of all time: Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (1987); 4-time Super Bowl champ; 5-time First-team All-Pro (1972-1974, 1977, 1979); 3-time Second-team All-Pro (1971, 1975, 1976); 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1972, 1974); NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (1969); 10-time Pro Bowler, Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1979); 6-time first-team All-Pro (1965, 1967-1970, 1972); 2-time second-team All-Pro (1966, 1971); 8 Pro Bowls; 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1969, 1970), Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, New York Jets, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2000; 4-time Super Bowl Champion (1982, 84, 88, 89); 1st-team All-Pro (81, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91); 10-time Pro Bowler, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1998; 1st-team All-Pro (1981, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90); 11-time Pro Bowler; 1991 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year, Teams: Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1980); 5-time First-Team All-Pro (1965-1969); 3-time second-team All-Pro (1964, 1970, 1972); 8 Pro Bowls; 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1967, 1968); NFL didnt record sacks an as official stat until 1982, but it is said Jones had 194.5 during his career, Teams: Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2011; 2-time Super Bowl Champion (1995, 96); 1994 AP Defensive Player of the Year; 1st-team All-Pro (92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 98); 8-time Pro Bowler, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1965; 3-time NFL Champion (1950, 54, 55); 4-time AAFC champion (1946, 47, 48, 49); 3-time NFL UPI MVP (1951, 53, 55), 1st-team All-Pro (1947, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 55); 5-time Pro Bowler. "He blocked out the sun," Colts general manager Ernie Accorsi said. 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. Of the four games Purdue lost in Griese's junior and senior seasons, three were to top-10 teams. In his only Iron Bowl, Newton led the Tigers from a 24-point deficit to win at Alabama, 28-27. Hall of Fame. As a senior, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Thomas made 39 tackles for loss, 27 of them sacks, and added 44 quarterback hurries. As a freshman, Plunkett pushed back when head coach John Ralston wanted to move him to defensive end. He led Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, to a state championship as a senior, but his only scholarship offers were from Purdue and Kentucky. Naturally, as only one of two defensive players to earn MVP honors, and the only one to do so unanimously, Lawrence Taylor is popularly regarded as the greatest defensive player in the history of the NFL. Teams: New England Patriots; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Notable accolades: 7x Super Bowl Champion (1st All-Time); 5x Super Bowl MVP (1st All-Time); 3x MVP; 3x First-Team All-Pro; 3x Second-Team All-Pro; 2x OPoY; 15x Pro-Bowl; multiple Super Bowl, playoff & regular season records. Rushing yards: 2,386 | Yards per rush: 6.6 | Touchdowns: 35 He continues the trend of definitive GOATs at their position, and only slides down to 3rd because of the insane longevity of the two players ahead of him. Vick guided the Hokies to their first undefeated regular season in school history and first national championship appearance, in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (2019); 6-time First-team All-Pro (1999-2001, 2003, 2008, 2012); 4-time Second-team All-Pro (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007); 14-time Pro Bowler (tied for most all-time); holds the NFL record for total receiving yards by a TE (15,127); Leads the NFL in career receptions for TEs (1,325); Second in NFL history for receptions behind Jerry Rice; tied for most seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards by a TE (4). Simpson averaged 31 carries and 156 rushing yards per game. That the best player in the history of college football didn't win the Heisman Trophy says less about the player than it does about college football. He was not big (6-0, 191), didn't have a particularly strong arm, and beat no one with his legs. Hayes once said you lose one game for every sophomore you start. Those who saw him play make Mr. Outside's long list of records read like the dry text that it is. He threw or rushed for 42 touchdowns, and more importantly, the 1965 All-American and 1966 Heisman runner-up led the Boilermakers to play to their potential. His hard work and heart were famous, as he notably made a switch to OT briefly to understand how to beat blockers. Franz Beckenbauer 10. But Plunkett showed his worth, leading a Cinderella team to the Pac-8 championship and the Rose Bowl (where No. A defensive back during his first two seasons at Penn State, Cappelletti moved to running back as a junior. Smith was well aware of his father's legacy at Arkansas. Jim Thorpe is remembered more for his general cultural impact than NFL influence. Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1980; Super Bowl Champion (1972); 1st-team All-Pro (1964, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71); 11-time Pro Bowler, Teams: Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (2019); Super Bowl Champion; 5-time First-team All-Pro (2004, 2006-2008, 2010); 3-time Second-team All-Pro (2003, 2009, 2011); 9-time Pro Bowler; NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2004); Tied for Most Career Playoff Interceptions (9); Longest Interception Return in NFL History (107 yards); Most Career Interception Return Yards (1,590); First player in NFL history to return an interception, punt, blocked punt and fumble for a TD; Holds the record for most multi-interception games in a career (12); Tied for most career blocked punts returned for TD (3), Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1974); 7-time first-team All-Pro (1956-1957, 1959-1963); 7 Pro Bowls; 4th most interceptions in NFL history (68); most interceptions in a season in NFL history (14), Teams: San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Achievements: Super Bowl XLIV champion; 2-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2008, 2011); First-team All-pro (2006); 12 pro bowls, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1972; 2-time NFL champion (1958, 59); 1st-team All-Pro (1957, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 64); 11-time Pro Bowler, Teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons.
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