47. 53. Ed Marinaro (RB, Cornell, 1969-71) As the highest-ranking Buffalo Bill, Bills Mafia would riot if he slid any lower than that too. Ward also won the Heisman Trophy and, just for grins, led the basketball Seminoles to the Elite Eight. Youll find that wide receivers are rare on these types of lists. Smith, an east Texas native and an African American, came along too soon to play in the Southwest Conference. 57. Well, it's an Argentine one-two with Messi pipping the late Diego Maradona to the GOAT title. Mike Garrett (RB, USC, 1963-65) Joe Montana 9. As a sophomore in 1978, Lott helped the Trojans go 12-1 and win a share of a national title. Rushing yards: 3,556 | Touchdowns: 54 | All-purpose yards in 1988: 3,250 He showed enough promise to make head coach John Robinson move another running back named Ronnie Lott to defense. As a senior in 1970, Manning led the Rebels to a 5-1 start and a No. Rushing yards: 4,303 | Rushing TDs: 43 | Yards per carry: 6.6 Passing yards: 14,496 | Passing TDs: 119 | Rushing yards: 2,327 Instead, Howard impressed the entire country. Teams: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers. "Nobody in college football can block him." Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (2005); 3-time First-team All-Pro (1984-1986); 4-time second-team All-Pro; NFL MVP (1984); Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (1998); NFL Rookie of the Year (1983); NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1994); 9-time Pro Bowler; Held multiple NFL passing records that have since been broke. Achievements: Two-time Super Bowl champion. Honourable mentions: Paolo Maldini (Italy), Ferenc Puskas (Hungary), Garrincha (Brazil), Bobby Charlton (England), Gerd Muller (Germany) Without further ado, here are our ten greatest footballers. Ranking the 25 greatest Steelers of all time He ran for 100 or more yards in 31 games. Bo Jackson? Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (2007); 3-time Super Bowl champ; First-team All-Pro (1991); Two-time Second-team All-pro (1992, 1993); five pro bowls. Rushing yards: 4,715 | Yards per carry: 5.1 | Rushing TDs: 50 One, namely Randy Moss, just narrowly missed this list, but two FCS players did make it. Watch on ESPN+. He averaged 174.6 yards per game, and he carried the ball an astounding 34 times per game over three seasons. Ranking the 10 greatest football players of all time 52. It took someone as iconic as Sammy Baugh to keep O'Brien on the TCU bench. Honestly, the biggest nod to his greatness was the effectiveness of a Colts offense (and team, really) that rested solely on his shoulders. McCaffrey led the nation in all-purpose yards again (211.6 yards per game) as a junior, before declaring for the NFL draft. 116. Achievements: Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973; 2-time NFL champion (1958, 59); 1st-team All-Pro (1958, 59, 60); 6-time Pro Bowler, Teams: Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1991; 1979 AP MVP; NFL PFWA MVP (1978, 79); AP Offensive Player of the Year (1978, 1979, 1980); 1st-team All-Pro (1978, 79, 80); 5-time Pro Bowler, Teams: San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (2015); 8-time First-team All-Pro (1991-1996, 1998, 2000); 2-time Second-team All-Pro (1997, 1999); NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1992); NFL Man of the Year (1994); 12-time Pro Bowler, Teams: Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers, Achievements: Super Bowl XLV champion; 2009 Defensive Player of the Year; 3-time First-team All-Pro (1999, 2009, 2011); Four-time Second-team All-Pro (2000, 2008, 2010, 2015); nine pro bowls; NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Teams: San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (1978); Super Bowl VI champion; AFL Champion (1963); AFL Player of the Year (1963); 6-time First-team All-Pro (1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968); Second-team All-Pro (1969); seven pro bowls, Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1977); 2-time Super Bowl champ; 2-time Super Bowl MVP; 5-time NFL champ; 4-time Pro Bowl; first-team All-Pro (1966); 3-time second-team All-Pro (1961, 1962, 1964); NFL MVP (1966); holds the NFL record for the highest postseason passer rating (104.8), Achievements: 5-time First-team All-Pro (2012-2015, 2018); 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014, 2015); Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2017); 5-time Pro Bowler; Pro Bowl Defensive MVP (2014); Bert Bell Award (2014); first player with multiple 20-sack seasons (2012, 2014), Achievements: 1st-team All-Pro (2008); 2-time 2nd-team All-pro (2009, 2011), 11-time Pro Bowler, Pro-Bowl MVP (2008); Holds NFL record for most seasons with 90+ receptions (8); Most TD receptions in a postseason (7 in 2008); Most receptions in a postseason (30 in 2008); Most receiving yards in a postseason (546 in 2008); Third all-time in career receptions (1,303); Second all-time in career receiving yards (16,279), Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (1997); 5-time First-team All-pro (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983); Second-team All-Pro (1984); nine pro bowls, Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (1988); 4-time Super Bowl champ; 6-time First-team All-Pro (1974-1979); 2-time Second-team All-Pro (1973, 1980); NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1975); 8-time Pro Bowler. 42. At 5-9, 170, Davis might have been too slight for today's game. Accomplishments: 14x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro, 7x Super Bowl champion, 3x NFL MVP, HOF All-2000s Team, HOF All-2010s Team, 2x AP OPoY, 2009 Comeback Player of the Year. Woodson's versatility and big-play ability allowed him to become the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman since the sport moved to a two-platoon system in the early 1960s. 3 USC, 21-20, in 1967. Updating and ranking the 25 greatest college football players of all time He finished third in Heisman voting and won the Payton Award as the top FCS player in 1994. Cornelius Bennett (LB, Alabama, 1983-86) So, without further ado, let's jump right into the top-20 countdown. Few linebackers hit as hard or as often as Butkus, a two-time All-American at Illinois. Who is the best soccer player in the world? List of top footballers in Baker Mayfield (QB, Texas Tech/Oklahoma, 2013/2015-17) Of very few players can we say, "He changed the game." Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1985); 2x Super Bowl Champion; 1x Super Bowl MVP; 1x MVP; 1x Second-Team All-Pro; 6x Pro Bowl; MoY; Bert Bell Award. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1980); 1x Super Bowl Champion; 7x First-Team All-Pro; 2x Second-Team All-Pro; 11x Pro Bowl. On the centennial of black-college football in 1993, Jones was named to the All-Time HBCU team. For his career length alone, he holds the positional all-time record for career receiving yards (15,127) and receptions (1,325), trailing only two wideouts for the most receptions overall. He remains North Texas' only All-American. LaVar Arrington (LB, Penn State, 1997-99) "He could turn a football game around like no one else.". 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. He was named the Big Ten's MVP in 1963 and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting the next year. The next two seasons, Thomas played like him. Campbell got healthy, lost the 20 pounds, and -- under new head coach Fred Akers -- rushed for 1,744 yards, 6.5 yards at a time. "He's so fast, agile and competitive." He has won the Ballon D'Or, the annual award given to the best player in the world, 7 times, 2022 FIFA World Cup winner and an Olympic gold medal winner in 2008. While Brown is best known as the running back who launched the legend of jersey No. His school total-offense record (which doesn't include 1,794 return yards or his 42.6 punting average) stood for 45 seasons. 119. Owens was born in Gore, Oklahoma, and raised in Miami, Oklahoma, and he dreamed of playing for the Sooners. The Top 25 Greatest NFL Players of All Time Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2010); 1x MVP; 1x Super Bowl MVP; ORoY; 4x First-Team All-Pro; 2x Second-Team All-Pro; 8x Pro Bowl; multiple records (rushing yards, touchdowns, attempts. At Florida State, he was a two-time consensus All-American and helped lead the Seminoles to their first national championship in 1993. Coaches always maintain that the longer a game goes, the more that talent will reveal itself. Few players in history left indelible marks during -- and after -- their college careers the way Bush did. Jerry Rice (WR, Mississippi Valley State, 1981-84) 111. 56. 77. Achievements: NFL Most Valuable Player (2012); NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2012); 4-time First-team All-Pro (2008, 2009, 2012, 2015); 3-time Second-team All-Pro (2007, 2010, 2013); seven pro bowls; NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2007). 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. The story of the Cowboys scout and prospect son Dallas just drafted, 150 media members, college administrators, and former coaches and players, The 150 greatest teams in college football's 150-year history, The 150 greatest games in college football history, The 150 greatest coaches in college football's 150-year history, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Munoz suffered a left knee injury in the 1979 season-opening 21-7 victory over Texas Tech and needed surgery. . Passing yards: 9,430 | Passing efficiency: 162.8 | Touchdown passes: 82 Receiving yards: 404 | Touchdowns: 3 He was an All-American and won the Outland Trophy in 1995. Tackles: 214 | Sacks: 24 | Interceptions: 4 It would be something close to murder and massacre." Warrick Dunn (RB, Florida State, 1993-96) Despite the heavy controversy surrounding his career, Terrell Owens was the greatest wide receiver of his day outside of Randy Moss. 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. Tackles: 250 | Interceptions: 14 | Fumble recoveries: 10 Ranked! The 100 best football players of all time Nile Kinnick (RB, Iowa, 1937-39) Fitzgerald won the Walter Camp and Biletnikoff awards and was a unanimous first-team All-American in 2003. Tackles: 251 | Blocked kicks: 4 "Would it put an end to the debate of Maradona or Messi? Ndamukong Suh (DL, Nebraska, 2005-09) Rushing yards: 1,864 | Total offense: 2,538 yards | Touchdowns: 24 21. 70. 19. The Sooners hopped on his back and rode to the BCS Championship Game, where they got steamrolled by USC. Sacks: 30.5 | Tackles for loss: 53 An heir to the great Steelers defenses of decades past, Woodson did his part to continue that legacy before helping the Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV. ET on ABC Little, who majored in religion and history and returned to Syracuse to earn a master's degree while playing in the NFL, once said, "God gave you two ends. Seattle Seahawks (1995-1999) Dallas Cowboys (2000-2003) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004-2008) New England Patriots (2009) Pittsburgh Steelers (2009) Washington Redskins (2010) Joey Galloway has had a. Kinnick turned down a lucrative NFL contract to go to law school. Tommie Frazier (QB, Nebraska, 1992-95)
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