top 25 football players of all time

Without a doubt, the wildest statistic among these 150 players is that Spielman made 29 tackles against archrival Michigan in his junior season. 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. 1 USC. 104. "It looked like he was going just as fast as possible when all of a sudden he would put on an extra burst of speed and be gone." At the time of his retirement, Marino held over 40 total NFL records (youll see those record breakers later), and was the first quarterback to ever surpass both the 50 and 60,000 passing yard threshold, and the 400 touchdown pass mark. 144. He led the Dawgs that season with 744 receiving yards. Lionel Messi has been named the greatest footballer of all time following his World Cup win. 43. In 30 career games with the Orange, the three-time All-American scored 46 total touchdowns and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. In 1998, Arrington became the first sophomore to be named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after he totaled 65 tackles, 7 sacks and 2 interceptions. Diego Maradona Jerry Rice 2. 86. Marcus Mariota (QB, Oregon, 2012-14) Against UTEP, he set an NCAA record with 406 yards on 43 carries with six touchdowns. 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. Bennett blitzed and launched his 6-foot-4, 235-pound body at Beuerlein's torso. Rushing yards: 1,666 | Touchdowns: 38 | Interceptions by: 7 Passing yards: 9,349 | TD passes: 77 | Pass efficiency rating: 139.3 Hayes used to tell his players you either get better or you get worse. View 25 photos 1-DT Joe Greene (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) 2-QB Ben Roethlisberger. His talent has scarce equal on this list, and as the second-greatest wide receiver in NFL history (youll meet number one a little later), he has the stats and records to make a case for its most talented. The late Walter Payton, rest his soul, has a legitimate argument to be placed multiple spots higher on this list. His ranking here is still debatable and should be a credit to those ranked above him, rather than a knock on his legacy. Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (1973); 2-time NFL champion, 9-time First-team All-Pro (1957-1965); Second-team All-Pro (1966); 8-time Pro Bowler, Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1963; 3-time NFL champion (1932, 33 43,); 1st-team All-Pro (1932, 33, 34, 36), Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (1992); Super Bowl V champion; 3-time First-team All-pro (1966,1967,1968); five pro bowls, Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (2018); 5-time First-team All-pro (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007); 3rd all-time receiving yards; six pro bowls, Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (1982); 5-time First-team All-Pro (1966-1970); 3-time Second-team All-Pro (1965, 1973, 1974); NFL Rookie of the Year (1962); 14-time Pro Bowler (this is a career NFL record. 3 USC, 21-20, in 1967. As a sophomore (1.004 yards), he broke the Pitt school rushing record. Rushmore. USC coach John Robinson thought Lott was the better tackler, so he ended up in the Trojans' secondary, where he became one of the most feared hitters in the sport's history. 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. Despite that, his NFL stats and influence are both undeniable. "Deion Sanders, no doubt about it," Bowden says. Manning gained 540 yards of total offense, an SEC record that stood for more than three decades, in a 33-32 loss. The schools who put the most players on this list are archrivals closing in on the 100th anniversary of their first meeting. 111. Teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2019); 6x First-Team All-Pro; 4x Second-Team All-Pro; 14x Pro Bowl. Of course, his stats and records are nothing to sneeze at either: aside from a Super Bowl win and several deep playoff runs, he owns the all-time record for season passing yards crowns (7) and passing touchdowns (4). OSU was 27-2 and won at least a share of three straight Big Ten titles in Tatum's three seasons. During his three seasons, the Buckeyes won 23 of 28 games, captured back-to-back Big Ten titles in 1954 and '55 and claimed the 1954 national championship. 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. 123. 10. Ray Lewis 13. 99. And he was a terrific punter in an era when that was a primary weapon. As a junior, Woodson had eight interceptions with 43 tackles, while catching 11 passes for 231 yards with one score. Achievements: Inducted into Hall of Fame in 2004; two-time Super Bowl champion (1998, 99); 1989 AP MVP; 1998 Super Bowl MVP; 1992 Walter Payton Man of the Year; 9-time Pro Bowler; Achievements: Inducted into Pro Footbal HOF 2010; 18,355 rushing yards, No. Campbell rushed for 2,046 yards in his first two seasons in Austin. Hayes once said you lose one game for every sophomore you start. He became a Rhodes Scholar and was No. The Panthers went 42-6 in Marino's four seasons, finishing as the country's No. The Crimson didn't lose another game until 1915. The challenge was daunting, considering each person had to assess talent back to 1920. 29. 1 pick by the St. Louis Rams in the 1997 NFL draft. Jack Tatum (DB, Ohio State, 1968-70) 63. Teams: Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants. He averaged 16.6 yards per catch and set an FBS record with at least one TD in 18 consecutive games. he didn't beat Florida. It took someone as iconic as Sammy Baugh to keep O'Brien on the TCU bench. Otto Graham is one of the forgotten greats of the game if youre not a huge football fan, or a proper Cleveland Browns fan. Lowe and Bennett are the only three-time All-Americans in the rich history of Alabama football. Rushing yards: 3,221 | Touchdowns: 30 | Return yards: 1,198 114. He had 478 total yards with four touchdown passes in a 45-40 loss to Alabama in the CFP national championship after the 2015 season. By his junior year, USC won a share of the conference championship. In his last two seasons, Ogden not only helped make a two-time 1,000-yard rusher out of Karim Abdul-Jabbar, he also allowed a total of only two sacks. His game-ending Hail Mary pass to upset Miami on Thanksgiving Friday will be replayed for as long as fans watch highlights. College: At North Carolina, Peppers was consensus All-American in 2001 and won the Lombardi Award and the Chuck Bednarik Trophy. Kinnick landed in the ocean rather than endanger the ship and died at age 24. 82. 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. Peppers was a transcendent athlete who led the FBS in sacks in 2000 and also played 56 games for North Carolina's storied basketball program. Passing yards: 5,747 | Total offense: 6,636 yards | Passing TDs: 49 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. -- Ivan Maisel. 1 player at his position and in the state of California. He finished his four seasons in Columbus under head coach Earle Bruce with 546 tackles, still third among Buckeyes all time, and intercepted 11 passes. He holds the all-time season passer rating record with 122.5, and holds the NFLs all-time lowest career interception percentage (1.4%). He is the first quarterback to beat all 32 teams, and his three MVP years are the most times the award was consecutively received. 96. Vince Young (QB, Texas, 2003-05) If for nothing else, the NFLs career sack leader cant slide lower than the low 20s. 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. Receptions: 168 | Receiving yards: 3,467 | Total TDs: 54 Standing at 6-foot-7, Ted Hendricks, known as "The Mad Stork," possessed quite an advantage in battles with overmatched offensive linemen. 12. From here on out, we are dealing with absolutely undisputed top-of-the-mountain prestige. Green was a three-time first-team All-American. Former Florida running back Emmitt Smith recalls rushing for 224 yards and two touchdowns vs. Alabama in his first career start for the Gators. Cornelius Bennett (LB, Alabama, 1983-86) All-purpose yards: 6,987 | Rushing yards: 3,922 | Touchdowns: 33 Former Pitt RB Tony Dorsett is moved when remembering the respect he was shown by Navy during a 1976 game. He ran for more than 200 yards in each of his last four regular-season games and won the Heisman Trophy. The most difficult accomplishment of Allen's Trojan career may have been winning the starting tailback job. Hendricks tallied 26 interceptions during his career, and. Suh finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. The offensive line needs more respect. Versatile. On the second Saturday night of the season, Brown returned a punt for a touchdown against Michigan State. Grantland Rice once famously wrote, "Eleven Bronko Nagurskis could beat 11 Red Granges or 11 Jim Thorpes. And thats what youre doing with a quarterback., Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1998); 9x First-Team All-Pro; 2x Second-Team All-Pro; 11x Pro Bowl; MoY. Synonymous with the peak of the San Francisco 49ers, Montana was the undisputed GOAT quarterback before a certain Patriot/Buccaneer leveled up in the 2010s (more on that later). As a senior, he guided UT to a 10-1 record and 27-0 shutout of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The 1934 All-American perfected catching the ball in traffic and made the end around a devastating threat. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1990); 4x Super Bowl Champion; 1x DPoY; 9x First-Team All-Pro; 2x Second-Team All-Pro; 9x Pro Bowl; DRoY. Additionally, Army teammate Bill Yeoman, the Hall of Fame coach of the Houston Cougars, said late in his life that Davis "is still the most phenomenal athlete I ever saw." 27. as his initials imply, Terrell Owens earned 6 Pro Bowl invites and 5 First-team All-Pro selections in his 16 season stint in the NFL. Gonzalez also famous for his durability and glue-like hands: he only missed two games over his entire NFL career, and has only fumbled the ball twice in his career. Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2018); 5x First-Team All-Pro; 6x Pro Bowl. Harmon's final college game was his masterpiece. RANKED: The 25 Greatest Soccer Players Ever 25. Hes ridden both efficiency and talent to all-time statistical highs, and an MVP-level performance in 2020 and 2021 is nothing to sneeze at. But the highest winning percentage of any quarterback in history and yards per pass attempt is nothing to sneeze at. Perhaps best known as a commentator on Monday Night Football and for his acting roles in the TV sitcom "Webster" and film "Blazing Saddles," Karras was a menacing tackle at Iowa and for the Detroit Lions. Since 1995, the Chuck Bednarik Award has been given to college football's best defensive player. Young won his final 20 games at Texas but is synonymous for one moment in time: his fourth-down touchdown run with 19 seconds left in a 41-38 victory over USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl, which gave the Longhorns their first national title in 35 years. Gary Beban (QB, UCLA, 1965-67) Bryant is ranked as the No. Eusbio DA Silva Ferreira (January 1942 - 5 January 2014) was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker. All season long, ESPN will celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football. Rodgers is perhaps best remembered for his 72-yard punt return for a score in Nebraska's 35-31 decision over Oklahoma in the Game of the Century in 1971. That Payton made the Time Magazine All-America team as a senior while playing at I-AA Jackson State illustrates a few things: how good a back Payton was to draw that sort of acclaim in the era of Archie Griffin, Joe Washington and Anthony Davis; how slowly the SEC took integration seriously (Mississippi State had barely begun to integrate and Ole Miss not at all when Payton, a Mississippi native, went to college); and how HBCU football may have peaked in the mid-1970s. A year earlier, he was the Rose Bowl MVP after running for 192 yards and four touchdowns while passing for 180 yards and another score in a 38-37 win over Michigan. To play him at any other position would have been a shame. 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. John David Crow (RB, Texas A&M, 1955-57) 26. But Mullen is a shrewd judge of talent. 3. In 2020, it will be Ali Daei's all-time international scoring record (109) that is in his sights. [3] [4] Among defensive players, Jim Marshall's 270 is the longest. Rushing yards: 2,110 | Total offense: 3,410 yards | Touchdowns: 33 He ran for 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1972 and had 1,522 yards with 17 scores as a senior. Rimington was not only a two-time All-American, but also a two-time Academic All-American as well. No, he didn't win a national championship and (because!) Alex Karras (DL, Iowa, 1955-57) He didn't win the Heisman, but being a folk hero turned out just fine. Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr offered Arrington perhaps the greatest compliment a linebacker can receive when he compared Arrington to Lawrence Taylor. Cannon was a two-time consensus All-American and won the 1959 Heisman Trophy. Nobis was a two-time All-American in 1964 and '65, averaged nearly 20 tackles per game and won the Outland Trophy and Maxwell Award as a senior. Head coach Joe Paterno eyeballed George's frame on his recruiting visit and saw a linebacker. He won the Nagurski and sealed his place among the game's elite. Jay Berwanger (RB, Chicago, 1933-35) Rushing yards: 1,839 | Total offense: 2,760 yards | Touchdowns: 22 The Tar Heels finished 11-1 and claimed their last ACC title in 1980. White excelled on the field and in the classroom at Colorado. Tim Tebow ? 2 once. 18. Early in the season he sealed a 24-14 defeat of Notre Dame with a diving catch of a 25-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-1. He missed three games and never showed that downhill beer-truck style that made him so dangerous. USC won 34 straight games and two national titles during Bush's sensational three-year career. Former Pittsburgh coach Foge Fazio, one of Ditka's teammates with the Panthers, once compared him to a prizefighter: "He just couldn't wait for the bell to ring and get back out there." Ogden combined size (6-8, 310) and strength (NCAA champion shot-putter) in a way that few offensive linemen have before or since. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1972); 2x NFL Champion; 9x First-Team All-Pro; 1x Second-Team All-Pro; 11x Pro Bowl. 132. Rodgers returned eight punts or kickoffs for touchdowns, which is tied for the FBS all-time lead, and averaged 13.8 yards each time he touched the ball. Tom Brady. Coaches always maintain that the longer a game goes, the more that talent will reveal itself. He became the first player in FBS history to run and pass for 20 touchdowns in a season. 107. 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