1.
College football
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It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. No minor league farm organizations exist in American football and it is in college football where a players performance directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will declare for the professional draft after 3 to 4 years of collegiate competition. Those not selected can still attempt to land an NFL roster spot as a free agent. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League, college football remained extremely popular throughout the U. S, in many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests. This allows them to more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium. College athletes, unlike players in the NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries, colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as football, by the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as Rugby football. The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges, the first documented gridiron football match was a game played at University College, a college of the University of Toronto, November 9,1861. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College, also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, modern Canadian football is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional mob football played in England. The games remained largely unorganized until the 19th century, when games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football, Princeton University students played a game called ballown as early as 1820. A Harvard tradition known as Bloody Monday began in 1827, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes, in 1860, both the town police and the college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. The Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a figure called Football Fightum. The authorities held firm and it was a dozen years before football was again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called Old division football, the rules of which were first published in 1871, all of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities
2.
Running back
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A running back is an American and Canadian football position, a member of the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a play, to catch passes from out of the backfield. There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a play, depending on the offensive formation. A running back may be a halfback or a fullback, a running back will sometimes be called a feature back if he is the teams starting running back. The halfback or tailback position is responsible for carrying the ball on the majority of running plays, in the modern game, an effective halfback must have a blend of both quickness and agility as a runner, as well as sure hands and good vision up-field as a receiver. Quarterbacks depend on halfbacks as a safety valve receiver when primary targets downfield are covered or when they are under pressure, occasionally, halfbacks line up as additional wide receivers. As a trick play, running backs are used to pass the ball on a halfback option play or halfback pass. The difference between halfback and tailback is the position of the player in the offensive formation. In historical formations, the lined up approximately halfway between the line of scrimmage and the fullback. Because the halfback is usually the main ball carrier, modern offensive formations have positioned the halfback behind the fullback. As a result, some systems or playbooks will call for a tailback as opposed to a halfback, in most modern college and professional football schemes, fullbacks carry the ball infrequently, instead using their stronger physiques as primary lead blockers. On most running plays, the leads the halfback, attempting to block potential tacklers before they reach the ball carrier. When fullbacks are called upon to carry the ball, the situation calls for gaining a short amount of yardage. Fullbacks are technically running backs, but today the term running back is used in referring to the halfback or tailback. Although modern fullbacks are rarely used as carriers, in previous offensive schemes fullbacks would be the designated ball carriers. In high school football, where player sizes vary greatly, fullbacks are still used as ball carriers. In high school and college offenses, the triple option uses the fullback as a primary ball carrier. The fullback plays a role by establishing an inside running threat on every play
3.
Southern Methodist University
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Southern Methodist University is a private research university in Dallas, University Park, and Highland Park, Texas. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates satellite campuses in Plano, Texas, SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. Of the universitys 11,643 students,6,411 are undergraduates, the main campus of the university is divided into seven schools, including the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, the Bobby B. The university was chartered on April 17,1911, by the five Annual Conferences in Texas of the Methodist Episcopal Church, classes were originally planned to start in 1913 but were postponed until 1915. SMU was established after the attempt to relocate Southwestern University from Georgetown, Texas, the first relocation effort by Polytechnic College president Hiram A. Boaz and spearheaded by Southwestern president Robert Stewart Hyer involved merging Southwestern with Polytechnic College. The post-merger university would retain the Southwestern name while occupying Polytechnics campus in Fort Worth, the merger never came to fruition, primarily because the Dallas Chamber of Commerce set up a committee to raise funds and entice Southwestern to relocate to Dallas. This proposal gained traction since Southwestern was operating a medical school in Dallas. Plans were drawn for the campuss first building, Memorial Hall, Southwesterns trustees rejected the relocation plan, prompting Hyers resignation and move to Dallas to establish Southern Methodist University. SMU retained close connections to Southwestern and Polytechnic, Southwestern president Hyer became SMUs first president and Hiram A. Boaz, a Southwestern graduate, resigned as president of Polytechnic to become SMUs second president. Polytechnic attempted to become a school of SMU before becoming a womens college. SMU acquired Southwesterns medical school in Dallas and operated it until 1915, Southwestern and SMU were athletic rivals until Southwestern became a small liberal arts college. The church decided to support the establishment of SMU and dramatically increase the size of Emory University at a new location in DeKalb County, at the 1914 meeting of the General Conference, SMU was designated the connectional institution for all Conferences west of the Mississippi River. Classes were planned to begin in 1913, but construction delays on the universitys first building prevented classes from starting until 1915. In the interim, the only functioning academic department at SMU was the college it had acquired from Southwestern University. SMU named its first building Dallas Hall in gratitude for the support of Dallas leaders and local citizens and it remains the universitys symbol and centerpiece. Designed by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge after the Rotunda at the University of Virginia, Dallas Hall opened its doors in 1915 and housed the university as well as a bank. It is registered in the National Register of Historic Places, SMUs nickname The Hilltop was inspired by Dallas Hall, which was built on a hill. The universitys first president, Robert Stewart Hyer, selected Harvard crimson, in 1927, Highland Park United Methodist Church, designed by architects Mark Lemmon and Roscoe DeWitt, was erected on campus
4.
Stanford Cardinal football
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The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conferences North Division. Stanford, the academic institution with a FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The team is known as the Cardinal, adopted prior to the 1982 season. Stanford was known as the Indians from 1930 to January 1972, a student vote in December 1975 to change the nickname to Robber Barons was not approved by administrators. Stanford has fielded football teams every year since 1892 with a few exceptions, like a number of other teams from the era concerned with violence in the sport, the school dropped football in favor of rugby from 1906 to 1917. The school also did not field a team in 1918 or in 1943,1944, the school participated in the first-ever Rose Bowl against Michigan in 1902, in which they were routed 49-0. Its annual Big Game against California is the oldest and most storied rivalry in the Pac-12, the Cardinal also compete for the Legends Trophy against independent rival Notre Dame. Stanford claimed National Championships in 1926 and 1940, in 1926, led by legendary coach Glenn Pop Warner, who still has the most wins in Cardinal history, the team was undefeated in the regular season and tied Alabama in the 1927 Rose Bowl. The 1940 team went unbeaten and untied after defeating Nebraska 21–13 in the 1941 Rose Bowl, quarterback Jim Plunkett is the only Stanford player to win the Heisman Trophy, doing so in 1970. Stanford first fielded a team in 1891. The team was without a coach and only played a few games, early football pioneer Walter Camp served as Stanfords head coach in 1892 and from 1894–1895. Football on the Pacific Coast had been on the rise since the late 1910s, early in 1922, Warner signed a contract with Stanford University in which he would begin coaching in 1924. Health concerns, a significant pay raise and the status of Pacific Coast football made Warner make the big change. Years later, he wrote, I felt my health would be better on the Pacific coast, weather conditions at Pittsburgh during the football season are rather disagreeable, and much of the late season work had to be done upon a field which was ankle deep in mud. At the close of every season I would be in physical condition. Doctors advised me that the climate of the Pacific coast would be better for a man of my age. In 1924, Warner began his tenure at Stanford. When he began coaching, Stanford was one of nine teams in the Pacific Coast Conference, Warner inherited a notable squad from the previous year, including Ernie Nevers and All-American ends Ted Shipkey and Jim Lawson
5.
Doak Walker
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Ewell Doak Walker Jr. was an American football player. He played college football as a halfback at Southern Methodist University, Walker then played professionally in the National Football League with the Detroit Lions for six seasons, from 1950 to 1955. Walker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959, the Doak Walker Award, awarded annually since 1990 to the top running back in college football, is named after him. Born in Dallas, Texas, Walkers father was the assistant superintendent of schools for Dallas, Walker attended Highland Park High School in University Park, where he was a five-sport athlete in football, basketball, baseball, swimming, and track and field. In 1944, Doak Walker led his school football team to the State Championship. He and future college and NFL star Bobby Layne were teammates at Highland Park, following his graduation from high school in 1945, Walker joined the Merchant Marine as part of the American effort in World War II. The war was coming to a close, however, and Walker was discharged at the end of October 1945, in the Shrine game he garnered notice, throwing a tying touchdown pass for the West team. Walker did not play football in 1946, as he was called up by the U. S. Army in March 1946. His stint was brief, playing football for the Brooke Medical Center service team in San Antonio before being discharged in January 1947, following his discharge, Walker re-enrolled at SMU and rejoined the Mustangs football team. As a sophomore, he led Southern Methodist to a 1947 SWC championship and was named to a myriad of All-American teams and he gained similar All-American honors in 1948, and 1949. Walker won the Maxwell Award as a sophomore in 1947 and the Heisman Trophy in 1948 as a junior, during his award-winning 1948 season, Walker gained 532 yards on the ground, carrying the ball 108 times for a 4.9 yards per carry average. He also threw six passes from the halfback position, going 26-for-46. As a receiver, Walker hauled in 15 passes for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns, on the defensive side of the ball, he intercepted three passes. He also punted for a 42.1 yard average for the Mustangs, returned punts and kickoffs, Walker finished the year with 11 touchdowns scored, which combined with his kicking put 88 points on the scoreboard for the year. Walkers impact on SMU and football in the Dallas area led to the Cotton Bowls expansion and nickname and he was also a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, the mens society Cycen Fjodr, and lettered on the SMU basketball and baseball teams. In 2007, Walker was ranked No.4 on ESPNs list of the top 25 players in football history. Following his junior year at SMU, Walker was selected by the Boston Yanks with the pick of in the 1949 NFL draft. Following his senior season, the Detroit Lions acquired his rights in January 1950
6.
SMU Mustangs football
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The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University. The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the American Athletic Conference, in June 1915, Ray Morrison became SMUs football, baseball, basketball, and track coach, in addition to being to a math instructor. The football team began as a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the first game played by SMUs football team was a 13-2 victory over Hendrix College. After winning two games in a span of two seasons, Morrison left SMU for Fort Oglethorpe upon the United States’ entry into World War I, during this time, the football team was known as the Parsons, due to the large number of theology students on the team. On October 17,1917, the name Mustangs was selected as the schools mascot, for the 1917 season, Morrison would be replaced by J. Burton Rix, who would lead the Mustangs to a 3-2-3 record in their final season in the TIAA. The Mustangs’ first season in the conference ended with a 4-2 record. J. Burton Rix would continue to coach the team until the 1921 season, in which he was replaced by W. A. Cunningham and Victor Kelly, his co-coaches that season, as the team went on to lose six games. Ray Morrison would return to SMU in 1922, co-coaching the team with former Vanderbilt teammate Ewing Y, for the 1922 and 1923 seasons, Morrison would focus on the backfield and ends, while Freeland focused on the linemen. The team became known as the Aerial Circus by sportswriters because of Morrisons passing offense, Morrison would become known as the father of the forward pass, due to the teams use of passing on first and second downs, instead of as a play of last resort. At the time, most teams utilized the forward pass five to six times in one game, in the 1922 season, the Mustangs would compile a 6-3-1 record. Furthermore, end Gene Bedford and back Logan Stollenwerck were named first-team All-Southwest Conference, Bedford would go on to be the first player to play in the National Football League for the Rochester Jeffersons. In the 1923 season, the SMU Mustangs would go on to compile a perfect 9-0 record, after this season, Freeland would leave the SMU football team, later becoming head coach for the Texas Tech University football team, leaving Morrison as the sole head coach for SMU. SMU would go on to play in their first bowl game in 1924, playing in the Dixie Classic against West Virginia Wesleyan College, by 1926, the team began playing their home games at Ownby Stadium. In their first game at Ownby Stadium, the Mustangs defeated North Texas State Teachers College 42-0, the first Homecoming game would also be played in 1926, resulting in a 14-13 victory over Texas Christian University. The team would continue to have winning seasons until the 1932 season, the Mustangs would win their second conference title in 1926, compiling an 8-0-1 record, and a third conference title in 1931, compiling a 9-0-1 record. In 1928, guard Choc Sanders would become SMUs first All-American, in 1929, tackle Marion Hammon would become SMUs second All-American. After a winning 1934 season, Morrison left SMU to take over the Vanderbilt Commodores football team after the retirement of Dan McGugin, Morrison would be replaced by Matty Bell in 1935. Known as a coach, Bell brought discipline to his team
7.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
8.
Detroit Lions
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The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference North division. The team plays its games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, despite success within the NFL, they could not survive in Portsmouth, then the NFLs smallest city. The team was purchased and relocated to Detroit for the 1934 season and they are one of four current teams and the only NFC team to have not yet played in the Super Bowl. Aside from a change to maroon in 1948 instituted by then head coach Bo McMillin. The design consists of silver helmets, silver pants, and either blue or white jerseys, the shade of blue used for Lions uniforms and logos is officially known as Honolulu blue, which is supposedly inspired by the color of the waves off the coast of Hawaii. The shade was chosen by Cy Huston in 1935, houston, the Lions first vice president and general manager, said of the choice, They had me looking at so many blues I am blue in the face, Huston said about the selection. But anyway, its the kind of blue, I am told, there have been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years, such as changing the silver stripe patterns on the jersey sleeves, and changing the colors of the jersey numbers. White trim was added to the logo in 1970, in 1998, the team wore blue pants with their white jerseys along with grey socks but dropped that combination after the season. In 1999, the TV numbers on the sleeves were moved to the shoulders, in 1994, every NFL team wore throwback jerseys, and the Lions were similar to the jerseys used during their 1935 championship season. The helmets and pants were silver, the jerseys Honolulu blue with silver numbers. The team wore solid blue socks along with black shoes, the helmets also did not have a logo, as helmets were simple leather back then. The Lions also wore 50s-style jerseys during their traditional Thanksgiving Day games from 2001 to 2004 as the NFL encouraged teams to wear throwback jerseys on Thanksgiving Day, in 2003, the team added black trim to their logo and the jerseys. The face masks on the changed from blue to black with the introduction of the new color. Additionally, a home field jersey which makes black the dominant color was introduced in 2005. For 2008, the dropped the black alternate jerseys in favor of a throwback uniform to commemorate the franchises 75th anniversary. The throwback uniform became the teams permanent alternate jersey in 2009, the Lions officially unveiled new logo designs and uniforms on April 20,2009
9.
Texas Longhorns football
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The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate team representing the University of Texas at Austin in the sport of American football. The Longhorns compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference, the team is coached by Tom Herman and home games are played at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Beginning in 1893, the Texas Longhorns football program is one of the most highly regarded and historic programs of all time. From 1937 to 1946 the team was led by Hall of Fame coach Dana X. Bible, and then from 1957 to 1976 the team was led by Hall of Fame coach Darrell K. Royal, who won three national championships. In 2012, the program was valued at $805 million. In 2008, ESPN ranked Texas as the seventh-most prestigious college football program since 1936, as of the end of the 2016 season, Texas all-time record is 891–359–33, which ranks as the second-most wins in NCAA Division I FBS history. Other NCAA records include 108 winning seasons out of 122 total seasons,23 seasons with 10 or more wins,9 undefeated seasons, and 26 seasons with at most one loss or tie. From 1936 to 2012, the Longhorns football teams have been in the AP or coaches rankings 66 out of 76 seasons, finishing those seasons ranked in the top twenty-five 48 times, Texas claims four Division I-A national championships and 32 conference championships. Seventeen Longhorns have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the Longhorns have played their home games in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Joe Jamail Field since 1924. The stadium is located on the campus of The University of Texas in Austin, the current DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium and Big 12 attendance record was set on September 4,2016 with 102,315 spectators. The final planned phase of the expansion includes the construction of permanent seating. However, the date of the construction phase to fully enclose the south end zone has not been set nor have any funds been raised. Before the Longhorns football team moved to DKR, they played their games at Clark Field from 1894 to 1924. Clark Field was a stadium located on the University of Texas campus. The Longhorns last game at Clark Field before moving to brand new Memorial Stadium occurred on October 25,1924, the Longhorns battled the Florida Gators to a 7–7 tie that day. The 1893 team did not always wear orange and they also wore gold and white uniforms. In 1895, the Texas Athletic Association moved to orange and white colors, in 1897, the Association moved to orange and maroon to save cleaning costs. The Cactus Yearbook at the time listed the University colors as either gold or orange and white until the 1899 Cactus declared the University colors to be gold, students at the Universitys medical branch in Galveston were in favor of royal blue
10.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football. As of 2017, there are a total of 310 members of the Hall of Fame, groundbreaking for the building was held on August 11,1962. The original building contained just two rooms, and 19,000 square feet of interior space, in April 1970, ground was broken for the first of many expansions. This first expansion cost $620,000, and was completed in May 1971, the size was increased to 34,000 square feet by adding another room. The pro shop opened with this expansion and this was also an important milestone for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as yearly attendance passed the 200,000 mark for the first time. In November 1977, work began on another project, costing US$1,200,000. It was completed in November 1978, enlarging the shop and research library. The total size of the hall was now 50,500 square feet, the building remained largely unchanged until July 1993. The Hall then announced yet another expansion, costing US$9,200,000 and this expansion was completed in October 1995. The buildings size was increased to 82,307 square feet, the most notable addition was the GameDay Stadium, which shows an NFL Films production on a 20-foot by 42-foot Cinemascope screen. Through 2017, all inductees except one, played part of their professional career in the NFL. For CFL stars, there is a parallel Canadian Football Hall of Fame, only one player, the Chicago Bears have the most Hall of Famers among the leagues franchises with 32 enshrinees. Enshrinees are selected by a 46-person committee, largely made up of media members, each city that has a current NFL team sends one representative from the local media to the committee. A city with more than one franchise sends a representative for each franchise, there are also 13 at-large delegates, and one representative from the Pro Football Writers Association. Except for the PFWA representative, who is appointed to a term, all other appointments are open-ended and terminated only by death, incapacitation, retirement. To be eligible for the process, a player or coach must have been retired for at least five years. Any other contributor such as an owner or executive can be voted in at any time. Fans may nominate any player, coach or contributor by simply writing to the Pro Football Hall of Fame via letter or email
11.
Washington Huskies football
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The Washington Huskies football team represents the University of Washington in college football. Washington competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference, the team is currently led by head coach Chris Petersen. Husky Stadium, located on campus, has served as the field for Washington since 1920. Washington has won sixteen Pac-12 championships, seven Rose Bowls, Washingtons all-time record ranks 21st by win percentage and 19th by total victories among FBS schools. The school holds the Division I FBS record for the longest unbeaten streak at 64 consecutive games, there have been a total of twelve unbeaten seasons in school history, including seven perfect seasons. Washington is one of four members of what became the Pac-12 Conference and. From 1977 through 2003, Washington had 27 consecutive non-losing seasons—the most of any team in the Pac-12, through the 2011 season, its 357 conference victories rank second in conference history. Washington is often referred to as one of the top Quarterback Us due to the history of quarterbacks playing in the National Football League. All but three of the last 20 starting quarterbacks dating back to 1970 have gone on to the NFL, Washington played its first 26 seasons of college football from 1889 to 1915 as an independent. The Pac-12 claims the history of each of these preceding conferences as its own, Washington and Cal are the only founding and continuous members in each of these successive conferences. *Member of College Football Hall of Fame Ten different men served as Washington head coaches during the first 18 seasons, while still an independent, the team progressed from playing 1 to 2 games per season to 10 matches per season as the sport grew in popularity. The school initially used a variety of locations for its home field, home attendance grew from a few hundred to a few thousand per home game, with on-campus Denny Field becoming home from 1895 onward. The 1900 team played in-state rival Washington State College to a 5–5 tie, gil Dobie left North Dakota Agricultural and became Washingtons head coach in 1908. Dobie coached for nine seasons at Washington, posting a 58–0–3 record. Dobies career comprised virtually all of Washingtons NCAA all-time longest 64-game unbeaten streak and included a 40-game winning streak, in 1916, Washington and three other schools formed the Pacific Coast Conference, predecessor to the modern Pac-12 Conference. In Dobies final season at Washington, his 1916 team won the PCCs inaugural conference championship, Dobie was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 as a charter member. Following Dobies tenure, Washington turned to a succession of coaches with mixed results, claude J. Hunt went a cumulative 6–3–1 highlighted by the schools second PCC championship in 1919, Tony Savage 1–1, and Stub Allison 1–5. This era concluded with the move from Denny Field to its permanent home field of Husky Stadium in 1920
12.
Rice Owls football
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The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USAs Western Division since 2005, Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls home football games. Rice Stadium was built in 1950, and has been the home of Owls football ever since and it hosted the NFL Super Bowl on January 1974. It replaced the old Rice Field to increase seating, total seating capacity in the current stadium was reduced from 70,000 to 47,000 before the 2006 season. The endzone seating benches were removed and covered with tarps, and all of the bleachers were replaced with new, metal seating benches in 2006. The stadium is currently undergoing further renovations. The Owls played in the eighteenth Cotton Bowl Classic against the Crimson Tide of Alabama, referee Cliff Shaw saw Lewis come off the bench and gave the Owls the 95 yard touchdown. Rice would win the game 28-6, with the only Crimson Tide score coming from Lewis, the yardage added to Moegles 265 yards rushing, a Cotton Bowl Classic record that would stand until Tony Temples effort in 2008. This would be the Owls last bowl win until the 2008 Texas Bowl, Rice Stadium also hosted a speech by John F. Kennedy on September 12,1962. In it, he used the Rice football team to challenge America to send a man to the moon, but why, some say, the moon. Why choose this as our goal, and they may well ask why climb the highest mountain. Why,35 years ago, fly the Atlantic and we choose to go to the moon. The rivalry is because Rice and SMU were two of four schools in the old Southwest Conference. Rice participates in a rivalry with Houston. UH and Rice play annually for the Bayou Bucket, a weathered bucket found by former Rice guard Fred Curry at an antique shop, Curry had it designed into a trophy for $310. The two universities are separated by five miles in Houston, the Cougars lead the series 29-11. The Cougars 2013 move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference has jeopardized the status of the series though, it is scheduled to resume in 2017. Rice and Texas have maintained a largely one-sided rivalry beginning in the days of the Southwest Conference. Texas 28 consecutive victories from 1966–1993 represents the sixth longest single-opponent winning streak in football history
13.
Garrison Hearst
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Gerard Garrison Hearst is a former running back in the National Football League for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Georgia, and was recognized as an All-American, a first-round pick by the Phoenix Cardinals, he also played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos of the NFL. He ran for 1,000 yards or more in four different seasons and he was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2001. Garrison Hearst was born in Lincolnton, Georgia and he attended Lincoln County High School in Lincolnton, where he was an all-state running back and broke several records. Hearst attended the University of Georgia, and played for the Georgia Bulldogs football team from 1990 to 1992, leading the nation in touchdowns and in scoring in his junior year. During his career, he established new school and Southeastern Conference records for points scored in a season, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, and average yards per carry *. Hearst was a consensus All-America selection, the Doak Walker Award recipient, ESPNs ESPY Winner for Outstanding Collegiate Athlete and he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. Hearst finished his career second on the Georgia records list in rushing yardage, all-purpose yardage. He also finished third in rushing touchdowns. Regarded as an excellent prospect, he was taken in the 1993 NFL Draft third overall by the Arizona Cardinals, Hearst was drafted by the Phoenix Cardinals in the 1993 NFL Draft. In Hearsts first two seasons with the Cardinals, he was used sparingly, in 1995, however, he broke out as a pro player, rushing for 1,070 yards. He was cut by the Cardinals in the 1996 training camp, Hearst was then claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played there one season, gaining 847 yards, but was picked up by the San Francisco 49ers. Hearsts best years came with the 49ers, in his first year,1997, he ran for 1,019 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the 49ers first 1000-yard rusher since 1992. The four touchdowns were more than he had scored in his pro career before 1997. Hearsts true coming out, however, occurred in 1998 and he ran for 1,570 yards and 7 touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. His total rushing yards placed him third in the NFL, behind only Terrell Davis, Hearst set a then franchise record for rushing yards in a season, breaking the former record held by Roger Craig. His 535 receiving yards gave him a combined 2,105 yards on the season, another franchise record held by Craig
14.
Georgia Bulldogs football
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The Georgia Bulldogs football program represents the University of Georgia in the sport of American football. The Bulldogs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and they play their home games at historic Sanford Stadium on the universitys Athens, Georgia, campus. Georgias inaugural season was in 1892, UGA claims two national championships, the AP and Coaches Polls have each voted the Bulldogs the national champion once. UGA declines to claim four national championships awarded by some selecting organizations and publications. The Bulldogs have won 14 conference championships, including 12 SEC Championships, and have appeared in 52 bowl games, the program has also produced two Heisman Trophy winners, four No.1 National Football League draft picks, and many winners of other national awards. The team is known for its history, unique traditions. Georgia was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Georgia participated in the SIAA from its establishment in 1895 until 1921, during its tenure in the SIAA, Georgia was conference co-champion in two years,1896 and 1920. In 1921, the Bulldogs, along with 12 other teams, left the SIAA, during its time in the Southern Conference, the team never won a conference championship. In 1932, the Georgia Bulldogs left the Southern Conference to form and join the SEC, the first mention of Bulldogs in association with Georgia athletics occurred on November 28,1901, at the Georgia-Auburn football game played in Atlanta. Traditionally, the choice of a Bulldog as the UGA mascot was attributed to the alma mater of its founders and first president, Abraham Baldwin, prior to that time, Georgia teams were usually known as the Red and Black. After a 0-0 tie with Virginia in Charlottesville on Nov.6,1920, the name has been used ever since. Uga is the name of a lineage of white Bulldogs which have served as the mascot of the University of Georgia since 1956. The current mascot, Que, officially took the role of Uga X on October 23,2015, shortly before Uga IX, or Russ, deceased Ugas are interred in a mausoleum near the main entrance to Sanford Stadium. Georgia is the school to bury its past mascots inside the football stadium. Glory, Glory is the song for the Georgia Bulldogs and was sung at football games as early as the 1890s. The rally song was arranged in its current form by Georgia professor Hugh Hodgson in 1915, while Glory, Glory is the most commonly played Georgia song, the schools official fight song is Hail To Georgia which is played after field goals. Today, freshmen are no longer required to do the chore, with students, alumni, how bout them Dawgs is a slogan of recent vintage that first surfaced in the late 1970s and has become a battle cry of Bulldog fans
15.
Texas Tech Red Raiders football
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The Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University. The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference, the program began in 1925 and has an overall winning record, including a total of 11 conference titles and one division title. On December 12,2012, former Red Raider quarterback Kliff Kingsbury became the teams 15th head coach, home games are played at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech fielded its first intercollegiate football team during the 1925 season, the team was known as the Matadors from 1925 to 1936, a name suggested by the wife of E. Y. Freeland, the first football coach, to reflect the influence of the Spanish Renaissance architecture on campus, in 1932, Texas Tech joined the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, also known as the Border Conference. That same year, the team won its first conference championship and was invited to the Sun Bowl, the game was played on January 1,1938, and resulted in a 7–6 loss to the West Virginia Mountaineers. Texas Tech suffered four more losses before their first postseason win in the 1952 Sun Bowl. Before withdrawing from the Border Conference in 1956, the Red Raiders won eight championships and one co-championship. In 1956, Texas Tech was admitted to the Southwest Conference and it gained full SWC membership and began official conference play in 1960. The Red Raiders won conference co-championships in 1976 and 1994, the team remained in the SWC until the conference dissolved in 1996. The university was invited and became a member in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference. Texas Tech was the member in the history of the Big 12 to boast a winning record every year since the conferences formation. In 2003, Texas Tech was the team to ever have 5 or more players with at least 60 receptions in a single season. In 2008, the Red Raiders were one of three teams involved in the first three way conference division tie. Texas Tech has competed as a member of three different conferences since 1925, the Red Raiders have won National Championships and 11 conference championships, the first 9 were Border Conference championships, and the most recent was the Big 12 South Championship won in 2008. The Red Raiders were previously members of the Big 12 South between its inception in 1996 and the dissolution of divisions within the Big 12 in 2011. † Denotes co-champions Texas Tech has played in 37 postseason bowl games with an record of 14 wins,22 losses. The 37 bowl game appearances by the Red Raiders rank the program 17th in all-time in bowl games played, Texas Techs first bowl game was at the conclusion of the 1937 season, only 13 years after the program was established
16.
Rashaan Salaam
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Rashaan Iman Salaam was an American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for four seasons during the 1990s. Salaam played college football for the University of Colorado and won the 1994 Heisman Trophy and he was picked by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Bears and Cleveland Browns of the NFL. Salaam died on December 5,2016, of an apparent suicide, Salaam was born in San Diego, California, the son of former Cincinnati Bengals running back Teddy Washington. He attended La Jolla Country Day School in suburban San Diego and he ran for over 100 yards in every game except one, and was recognized as a high school All-American. He was later inducted into the athletic hall of fame. Salaam attended the University of Colorado, where he played for the Colorado Buffaloes football team from 1992 to 1994, Salaam also won the Walter Camp Award and Doak Walker Award. The Chicago Bears selected Salaam in the first round, with the 21st overall selection and he played for the Bears from 1995 to 1997. As a rookie, he rushed for 1,074 yards, problems with injuries, fumbles, and marijuana use led him to spend only three years with the Bears. During his two years with Chicago, Salaam mustered only 608 combined yards. The Bears traded Salaam to the Miami Dolphins before the 1998 season, Salaam spent 1999 with the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers, but only played in two games for the Browns that year. Salaam briefly played in the XFL for the Memphis Maniax in 2001, but injury cut his season short and he finished the year with 528 yards gained. Salaam launched what appeared to be an attempt at an NFL career in 2002. Salaam was signed by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League on February 20,2004 and he was then suspended by the Argos in May, effectively ending his career. Salaam was found dead on December 5,2016, in a park in Boulder, an autopsy was performed due to the fact that authorities found a note near the body and were investigating it as a possible suicide. On December 29, it was confirmed that the cause of death was suicide, specifically a gunshot wound to the head, salaams blood-alcohol content was reportedly three times the legal driving limit and he had THC in his system. Salaam’s family did not consent to neuropathological tests that would have revealed whether he had previously sustained chronic head trauma and they declined to have his brain tested to determine whether his depression had been linked to such injuries from his days as a player. Salaam was Muslim and Islam prohibits bodies from being defiled after death
17.
Colorado Buffaloes football
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The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pac-12 Conference, having previously been a member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12, they were members of the Big Eight Conference, the CU football team has played at Folsom Field since 1924. The Buffs all-time record is 694–493–36 prior to the Valero Alamo Bowl at the end of the 2016 season, Colorado won a National Championship in 1990. The football program is 23rd on the all-time win list and 30th in all-time winning percentage, the football team also has the distinction of being the all-time NCAA leader in 4th down conversions. They are one of two NCAA Division I teams to complete a 5th down conversion and this was a result of a mistake by the officials and happened on a play displayed by chaincrew as the 4th down. Beginning in 1890, Colorado football has enjoyed success throughout its 125+ years of competitive play. Folsom Field was built in 1924, and since then, Colorado has a 308–169–14 record at home through the 2016 season, the road game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on November 24,2006 was Colorados 1, 100th football game. The game on September 12,2015 against Massachusetts was the schools 1, Colorado won its first national championship in 1990 under the direction of head coach Bill McCartney, who helmed the team from 1982 to 1994. The national title was split with Georgia Tech who won the United Press International Coaches Poll, whereas Colorado won the Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America polls. The largest arguments against Colorado were that they had a loss and a tie, whereas Georgia Tech had a tie and no losses, and Colorados unfair win in the Fifth Down Game against Missouri. Another major controversy was a Colorados Orange Bowl win over Notre Dame, the major argument for Colorado was that they played a more difficult schedule than Georgia Tech. Colorado capped the season with a 10–9 win over Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, Colorados tie came against Tennessee, who was ranked #8, the first week of the season when Colorado was ranked #5. The second week gave the Buffs a scare, scoring with 12 seconds left in the game on a 4th, the next week gave Colorado its only loss of the season, losing 23–22 to Illinois and dropping Colorado to #20 in the polls. Colorado then went on to teams ranked #22 Texas, #12 Washington, #22 Oklahoma. They ended the season 7–0 in the Big Eight Conference for the second straight season and they then capped the season with a win over Notre Dame who were number 1 until a loss in their second to last game of the regular season. A traditional college football rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers restarted in the 1980s when Bill McCartney declared the conference opponent to be their rival and his theory was since Nebraska was such a powerhouse team, if Colorado was able to beat them then they would be a good team. Colorado began to repeatedly threaten Nebraska in the late 1980s, following their win over the Huskers in 1986, in 1990, Colorado beat Nebraska 27–12 in Lincoln for the first time since 1967, en route to their first national title
18.
Eddie George
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Edward Nathan George Jr. is a former professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for nine seasons. He played college football for Ohio State University and won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 and he was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Tennessee Titans. George was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, post-football, George earned an MBA from Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management. In 2016, he appeared on Broadway in the play Chicago and he played Pop Warner football for the Abington Raiders. He attended Abington Senior High School until the grade. George made the decision to stay at Fork Union Military Academy for a prep school year. Such choices are made by high school football players hoping to improve their recruitment status with colleges. George went on to rush for 1,372 yards in his season at FUMA. George attended Ohio State University, where he majored in landscape architecture, as a freshman running back for the Buckeyes, George was an instant contributor. He scored three rushing touchdowns in a win over Syracuse University, however, he suffered a major setback in a game against the University of Illinois. In that game, George lost a fumble at the Illinois 4-yard line that was returned 96 yards for a touchdown, later in the game, with Ohio State leading by 2 points in the final quarter, George fumbled again, this time on Illinois 1-yard line. Illinois recovered the fumble and drove for the winning touchdown. Before the Illinois game, George had carried the ball 25 times and scored 5 touchdowns, in the following season, George was used as the teams third string running back, behind Raymont Harris. He carried the ball only 42 times, mostly when Ohio State had a lead late in games. However, as a junior, George became the starting running back. As a senior in the 1995 season, George rushed for a school record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns, an average of 148.23 yards per game, while also catching 44 passes for 399 yards and another score. One of his best performances of the year was in a 45-26 win over the University of Notre Dame and he also rushed for a school-record 314 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in OSUs victory over Illinois. In the 3 years since committing his 2 fumbles in the Illinois game as a freshman, George had over 600 rushing attempts, George left Ohio State second in school history in career rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns
19.
Ohio State Buckeyes football
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Ohio State has played their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio since 1922. Football was introduced to the university by George Cole and Alexander S. Lilley in 1890, Ohio State was a football independent from 1890 to 1901 before joining the Ohio Athletic Conference as a charter member in 1902. The Buckeyes won two conference championships while members of the OAC and in 1912 became members of the Big Ten Conference, Ohio State won their first national championship in 1942 under head coach Paul Brown. Following World War II, Ohio State saw sparse success on the field with three separate coaches and in 1951 hired Woody Hayes to coach the team. Under Hayes, Ohio State won over 200 total games,13 Big Ten championships and five national championships, following Hayes dismissal in 1978, Earle Bruce and later John Cooper coached the team to a combined seven conference championships between them. Jim Tressel was hired as coach in 2001 and led Ohio State to its seventh national championship in 2002 with a win in the Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State won seven Big Ten championships under Tressel and appeared in eight Bowl Championship Series games, on November 28,2011, two-time National Championship winning coach and Ohio native Urban Meyer became head coach. Meyer led his team to five championships in his first five seasons as well as a school record 24 straight victories. He led OSU to both the Big Ten and the first College Football Playoff National Championship of its kind in the 2014 season, giving Meyer his third title overall. In the spring of 1890, George Cole, an undergraduate, the Buckeyes first game, played on May 3,1890, at Delaware, Ohio, against Ohio Wesleyan University, was a victory. OSUs first home game took place at 2,30 p. m. on November 1,1890, the Ohio State University played the University of Wooster on this site, which was then called Recreation Park. Just east of historic German Village, the park occupied the side of Schiller between Ebner and Jaeger in what is now Schumacher Place. The weather was perfect, and the crowd cheered loudly, nonetheless, OSU lost to Wooster, 64–0. Wooster, physically fit for the game, showed OSU that training is critical to winning, thus, the tradition of training continues. Over the next eight years, under a number of coaches, the played to a cumulative record of 31 wins,39 losses. The first game against the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, was a 34–0 loss in 1897, a year that saw the low point in Buckeye football history with a 1–7–1 record. Jack Ryder was Ohio States first paid coach, earning $150 per season, in 1899 the university hired John Eckstorm to bring professional coaching skills to the program and immediately went undefeated. In 1901, however, center John Segrist was fatally injured in a game against Western Reserve University, although the schools athletic board let the team decide its future, Eckstorm resigned
20.
Ricky Williams
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Errick Lynne Ricky Williams Jr. is a retired American football running back who played twelve seasons in the National Football League and one season in the Canadian Football League. He played college football for the University of Texas, where he was a two-time All-American, Williams was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft and spent three seasons with the team before he was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. He played for the Dolphins for two seasons, and retired for the first time from football in 2004, due to his suspension from the NFL in 2006, he played for the Toronto Argonauts that year. Williams re-joined the Dolphins in 2007 and played with them until 2010 and he was formerly an assistant football coach at the University of the Incarnate Word and is currently a football analyst for ESPNs Longhorn Network. In 2015, Williams was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, Williams was born in San Diego, California, to 19-year-old Sandy Williams and her husband, 18-year-old Errick Williams. Growing up middle class, his parents divorced in 1983 and Williams, at the age of 5, was taking care of his sisters by putting them to bed and even cooking for them. Perhaps due to his home and the fact that his father was gone at such an early age. He also struggled academically, despite a test he took as a six-year-old which revealed that he had the intelligence of someone twice his age, Williams himself once said, I was always very bright, but not necessarily a hard worker. I think I was in eighth grade when I became really focused as a student, by high school Williams was an honor roll student and was named to the San Diego Union-Tribune All-Academic team. At San Diegos Patrick Henry High School, Williams primarily played baseball and football in addition to running track, Williams also wrestled, notably losing a match to future NCAA champion and three-time Super Bowl champion Stephen Neal. Entering high school at 59 and 155 pounds, Williams added an additional 25 pounds of weight before his junior season, due to his love of physical contact, Williams played outside linebacker and strong safety in addition to his primary position of running back. After being helped off the field he reentered the game and attempted one more carry but had to be carried off the field again, finished for the day. In the second round Williams ran for 110 yards in a 21–17 victory over Rancho Buena Vista, however, in the title game Patrick Henry lost 13–0 and Williams would be held to a season-low 46 yards, with his team amassing just 62 yards of total offense. Williams accepted a scholarship to attend the University of Texas. Williams holds or shares 20 NCAA records, and became the NCAA Division I-A career rushing leader in 1998 with 6,279 yards and he helped beat longtime rival Oklahoma rushing for 166 rushing yards and two scores. Williams broke the NCAA career rushing record during the rivalry game held the day after Thanksgiving between Texas and Texas A&M. After surging past Texas A&M linebacker Warrick Holdman, Williams took advantage of a block by fullback Ricky Brown. Williams then powered through an attempt by Texas A&M safety Rich Coady at the A&M12
21.
Ron Dayne
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Ronald Dayne is a former professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for eight seasons. Dayne played college football for the University of Wisconsin and won the 1999 Heisman Trophy and he was a first round pick of the New York Giants in the 2000 NFL Draft, and also played professionally for the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans of the NFL. Bowl statistics accounted for, Dayne is the leader in rushing yards in NCAA Division I FBS history. When Dayne was a child, his parents divorced, and he was sent to live with relatives and his athleticism and speed made him a star running back at Overbrook High School in his hometown of Pine Hill, New Jersey, and he was heavily recruited by many colleges. He also excelled at track and field, in 1995 he won the New Jersey Meet of Champions, setting a new meet record in the discus throw. In 1996 he won titles in both the shot put and discus, breaking both meet records won the Meet of Champions in both events and breaking his own meet record in the discus. He has the fifth-best distance ever thrown in the discus by a U. S. high school athlete at 216 feet,11 inches, eventually, coach Barry Alvarez promised Dayne a tailback position and persuaded him to come to play for the University of Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he played for the Wisconsin Badgers football team from 1996 to 1999, known as the Great Dayne and The Dayne Train throughout college, Dayne was the starting running back all four years at Wisconsin. Not a flashy or boisterous player, Dayne was a workman-like back and he had 1,220 carries during his career. Over his four seasons, Dayne set the NCAA Division I-A rushing record for yards in a career. He gained 1,863 yards as a freshman,1,421 as a sophomore,1,325 as a junior and he finally broke the record in the final game of the 1999 season against Iowa. Dayne ended his career with 6,397 rushing yards, eclipsing the record set the year by Ricky Williams of Texas. Dayne excelled in three games for Wisconsin. He rushed for 246 to lead the Badgers to a 38–10 victory in the 1996 Copper Bowl against Utah, garnering MVP honors. Dayne won MVP honors in both games, becoming only the player in the history of the Rose Bowl to repeat as MVP —. Bob Schloredt, Charles White were the first two, and Vince Young has subsequently accomplished this feat. Dayne won the Heisman Trophy in 1999 as well as other awards throughout college, including Big Ten Player of the Year for 1999 and his name and number is one of six displayed on the Camp Randall Stadium façade. Daynes #33 was officially retired during the November 10,2007, as of 2016, Daynes 6,397 career yards is second in the Division I-A career rushing list, trailing only Donnel Pumphrey of San Diego State
22.
Wisconsin Badgers football
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The Wisconsin Badgers football team is the intercollegiate football team of University of Wisconsin–Madison. The Badgers have competed in the Big Ten Conference since its formation in 1896 and they play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football. Wisconsin has had two Heisman Trophy winners, Alan Ameche and Ron Dayne, and have had nine former players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, as of January 2,2017, the Badgers have an all-time record of 685–489–53. The teams nickname originates in the history of Wisconsin. In the 1820s and 1830s, prospectors came to the looking for minerals. Without shelter in the winter, the miners had to live like badgers in tunnels burrowed into hillsides, the first Badger football team took the field in 1889, losing the only two games it played that season. In 1890, Wisconsin earned its first victory with a 106–0 drubbing of Whitewater Normal School, however, the very next week the Badgers suffered what remains their most lopsided defeat, a humiliating 63–0 loss at the hands of the University of Minnesota. Since then, the Badgers and Gophers have met 122 times, upon the formation of the Big Ten conference in 1896, Wisconsin became the first-ever conference champion with a 7–1–1 record. Over the next ten years, the Badgers won or shared the title three more times, and recorded their first undefeated season, going 9–0–0. With the exception of their undefeated season in 1912, in which they won their fifth Big Ten title. The 1912 season would be their last conference title until 1952, the team posted mostly winning seasons over the next several seasons however. 1942 was an important year for Wisconsin football, on October 24, the #6 ranked Badgers defeated the #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall, catapulting Wisconsin to the #2 spot in the AP poll. Unfortunately for the Badgers, their championship hopes were dashed in a 6–0 defeat by the Iowa Hawkeyes the following week. Nevertheless, Wisconsin won the remainder of its games, finishing the season 8–1–1 and #3 in the AP, afterwards, the Badgers struggled to regain their momentum, with their efforts hampered by many of their star players leaving as a result of World War II. In the late 1940s, fans began insisting that head coach Harry Stuhldreher resign, many times chanting Goodbye Harry, especially during 1948, Stuhldreher stepped down as head coach, while keeping his duties as athletic director. Stuhldreher then named Ivy Williamson as head coach The Badgers experienced great success during the 1950s under Williamson, in one stretch, from 1950-1954, the Badgers went 26-8-3. In 1952, the received its first #1 ranking by the Associated Press. That season, the Badgers again claimed the Big Ten title, there they were defeated 7–0 by the Southern California, and would finish the season ranked #11 in the AP
23.
LaDainian Tomlinson
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LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is a former professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for eleven seasons. He played the majority of his 11-year career with the San Diego Chargers, Tomlinson was selected to five Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro six times, and won two rushing titles. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in rushing yards, seventh in all-purpose yards, second in career rushing touchdowns. He currently serves as an analyst on NFL Network, Tomlinson will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2017, his first year of eligibility. Tomlinson played college football for Texas Christian University, earned consensus All-American honors and he spent nine seasons with the Chargers. In 2010, he signed as an agent with the New York Jets. Tomlinson is often referred to by his initials, L. T, an effective passer on halfback option plays, Tomlinson threw seven touchdown passes and ranks second behind Walter Payton for non-quarterbacks since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. He was named to the NFLs 2000s All-Decade Team as one of the top running backs of the 2000s, Tomlinson was born to Loreane Chappelle and Oliver Tomlinson in Rosebud, Texas. His father left the family when Tomlinson was seven years old, Tomlinson did not see his father very often afterwards. His mother worked as a preacher, at the age of nine, Tomlinson joined the Pop Warner Little Scholars football program and scored a touchdown the first time he touched the ball. Tomlinson attended University High School in Waco, Texas, where he played basketball, baseball, football, Tomlinson began his football career as a linebacker, but blossomed on the offensive side of the ball. Tomlinson amassed 2,554 yards and 39 touchdowns his senior year and he was named in the state all-star football team in 1997, which included future San Diego teammates Drew Brees and Quentin Jammer. In track & field, Tomlinson competed as a sprinter and was a member of the Waco University 4 ×100 m relay squad, Tomlinson was an avid Dallas Cowboys and Miami Hurricanes fan during his youth. He idolized Walter Payton and admired Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Tomlinson accepted an athletic scholarship at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, then a member of the Western Athletic Conference. He played for the TCU Horned Frogs from 1997 to 2000, prior to Tomlinsons arrival, TCU had appeared in only one bowl game in the previous 12 seasons, and had recently been downgraded to a minor conference after the breakup of the Southwest Conference. During Tomlinsons freshman and sophomore years, he split time with Basil Mitchell, in the 1998 season, he helped the Horned Frogs to their first bowl win in 41 years against the USC Trojans in the Sun Bowl. Tomlinson finished his season with an NCAA-leading 1,850 yards rushing to go along with 18 touchdowns, in his senior season in 2000, Tomlinson led the NCAA for the second time with 2,158 yards and 22 touchdowns, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nations best running back, and was a finalist for the 2000 Heisman Trophy and he completed his college career with 5,263 rushing yards, ranking sixth in NCAA Division I history
24.
TCU Horned Frogs football
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The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. The Horned Frogs compete in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States, TCU began playing football in 1896 and claims national championships in 1935 and 1938. TCU has one Heisman Trophy winner, Davey OBrien, and has had eight former players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the Horned Frogs play their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on the TCU campus in Fort Worth. TCU ranks as the 28th best college football program of all time, the Horned Frogs are also one of only four FBS teams to have played in all six College Football Playoff Bowls, winning all but the Fiesta and Orange. TCUs first year of football started on December 7,1896, TCU won its first game ever played by beating Tobys Business College to the score of 8–6, apparently not having to use any substitutes. TCU finished its first ever season with a record of 12–0–0, prior to joining the Southwest Conference in 1923, TCU amassed a record of 165–15–0. In 1912, TCU went 8–1–0 and scored 230 points while only allowing 53 points the whole season, in 1920, TCU won its first conference title as a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Horned Frogs 9–1–0 record earned them a spot in the Fort Worth Classic, also known as the Dixie Bowl, although the game was played in Fort Worth, Centre won the game 63–7. In 1923, TCU endured a 5-game winning streak during its first year in the SWC, but it earned a 2–1–0 conference record, one loss that year was a 40–21 decision against TCUs emerging rival, the SMU Mustangs, who went 9–0 en route to a conference championship. The next year, TCU finished second place in the conference with a 5–1 SWC record, after two great seasons, the Horned Frogs righted the ship. Prior to 1923 TCU had had a door of coaches. Following entrance to the SWC, the established a high degree of stability, employing just four coaches over the next 43 years. Under those four coaches (Bell, Schmidt, Meyer, and Martin, matty Bell, who began coaching the Frogs in 1923, had his best year in 1928, his last year as coach. That years only came at home 7–6 to the Baylor Bears. That year the Frogs finished in place in the conference at 8–2–0 overall. The 1929 season saw the arrival of Coach Francis Schmidt and TCUs first SWC title, the title was won in the last game of the year on November 30,1929 against SMU. Coming into the game TCU led SMU in the conference standings, TCU had 4 wins, while SMUs conference record was 3–0–1. Since this was the last conference game of the year for teams, TCU could win its first SWC title with a win or a tie
25.
BYU Cougars football
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The Cougars began collegiate football competition in 1922, and have won 23 conference titles and 1 national title in 1984. The team has competed in different athletic conferences during its history. The team plays games at the 63, 470-seat LaVell Edwards Stadium. BYU traces its roots back to the late 19th century. Benjamin Cluff became the principal of Brigham Young Academy in 1892 and was influenced by his collegiate studies at the University of Michigan to bring athletic competition to Brigham Young. After a twenty-year ban on football, the sport was brought back to BYU on a basis in 1919. BYU was admitted to the Rocky Mountain Conference in 1921 and had its first winning year in 1929 under the helm of coach G. Ott Romney, Romney and his successor Eddie Kimball ushered in a new era in Cougar football in which the team went 65–51–12 between 1928–1942. In 1932, the Cougars posted an 8–1 record and outscored their opponents 188–50, the university did not field a team from 1943–1945 due to World War II, and in 1949 suffered its only winless season, going 0–11. In 1961, Eldon The Phantom Fortie became the schools first All-American, in 1964, Cougar Stadium was built, which included a capacity of 30,000, and in 1965, head coach Tommy Hudspeth led the Cougars to their first conference championship with a record of 6–4. In 1972, assistant coach LaVell Edwards was promoted to head coach replacing Kopp, the following year the Cougars struggled to a 5–6 finish, but this would be Edwards only losing season during his run as BYU coach over the next three decades. In fact, the Cougars won the championship every year except one from 1974–1985. However, the Cougars lost their first four bowl games and their first post-season win came in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, which has become known as the Miracle Bowl since BYU was trailing SMU 45–25 with four minutes left in the game and then came back to win. During this period, Young finished second for the Heisman Trophy in 1983, in 1984, BYU reached the pinnacle of college football when it won the national championship. The undefeated Cougars opened the season with a 20–14 victory over Pitt, ranked No.3 in the nation at the time, coupled with the 11 consecutive wins to close out the 1983 season, BYU concluded the 1984 championship on a 24-game winning streak. Some college football pundits argued that BYU had not played a legitimate schedule, nonetheless, at the end of the season, BYU was crowned as national champion after being a near-unanimous number one in all four NCAA sanctioned polls AP, Coaches, NFF and FWAA. BYU finished ranked No.5 in both the Coaches and AP polls, and became the first team in NCAA history to win 14 games in a season. In 1999, BYU left the WAC along with seven teams to form the Mountain West Conference. Just prior to the 2000 season, Edwards announced that it would be his year as the programs head coach
26.
Penn State Nittany Lions football
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The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. The team is also #8 all-time in total-wins, one game behind Oklahoma and Alabama, the Nittany Lions play their home games at Beaver Stadium, located on-campus in University Park, Pennsylvania. With an official seating capacity of 106,572, Beaver Stadium is the second-largest stadium in the hemisphere, behind only Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The team is coached by James Franklin. The first recorded game occurred on November 12,1881, when Penn State traveled to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to play Bucknell, Penn State won 9–0, which was nine goals to none. At the time, this was really a game of American rugby, the father of American football, Walter Camp, did not develop the scrimmage, the first down and the gridiron until 1882. Although this game was reported in two State College newspapers and the Mirror, Bucknell denies that this ever happened. Penn State did not field teams from 1882 through 1886, Penn State played its first season in 1887, but had no head coach for their first five years, from 1887–1891. The teams played its games on the Old Main lawn on campus in State College. They compiled a 12–8–1 record in these seasons, playing as an independent from 1887–1890, in 1891, the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association was formed. It consisted of Bucknell, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Haverford, Penn State, lafayette and Lehigh were excluded because it was felt they would dominate the Association. Penn State won the championship with a 4–1–0 record, the Association was dissolved prior to the 1892 season. George W. Hoskins was the first head coach at Penn State. He posted a 17–4–4 record in his four seasons from 1892–1895 as head coach and his first team played its home game on the Old Main lawn on campus in State College, Pennsylvania, before the 500-seat Beaver Field opened in 1893. He was succeeded by Samuel B, newton, who posted a 12–14 record in three seasons, 1896–1898. Sam Boyle coached for one year in 1899 and compiled a 4–6–1 record. Pop Golden coached the Nittany Lions for three seasons from 1900–1902, tallying a record of 16–12–1, daniel A. Reed took over for the 1903 season and went 5–3. Tom Fennell coached the Nittany Lions for five seasons from 1904–1908, in 1907 the school adopted the Nittany Lion mascot, a mountain lion named after nearby Mount Nittany
27.
Michigan Wolverines football
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The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history, Michigan began competing in intercollegiate football in 1879. The Wolverines joined the Big Ten Conference at its inception in 1896, Michigan has won or shared 42 league titles, and, since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936, has finished in the top 10 a total of 37 times. The Wolverines claim 11 national championships, most recently that of the 1997 squad voted atop the final AP Poll. From 1900 to 1989, Michigan was led by a series of nine head coaches, Fielding H. Fritz Crisler brought his winged helmet from Princeton University in 1938 and led the 1947 Wolverines to a national title and Michigans second Rose Bowl win. Bo Schembechler coached the team for 21 seasons in which he won 13 Big Ten titles and 194 games, a program record. Following Schembechlers retirement, the program was coached by two of his assistants, Gary Moeller and then Lloyd Carr, who maintained the programs overall success over the next 18 years. However, the programs fortunes declined under the two coaches, Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, who were both fired after relatively short tenures. Following Hokes dismissal, Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh on December 30,2014, Harbaugh is a former quarterback of the team, having played for Michigan between 1982 and 1986 under Schembechler. The Michigan Wolverines have featured 78 players that have garnered consensus selection to the College Football All-America Team, Three Wolverines have won the Heisman Trophy, Tom Harmon in 1940, Desmond Howard in 1991, and Charles Woodson in 1997. Gerald Ford, who would become the 38th President of the United States. On May 30,1879, Michigan played its first intercollegiate game against Racine College at White Stocking Park in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune called it the first rugby-football game to be played west of the Alleghenies, midway through the first inning, Irving Kane Pond scored the first touchdown for Michigan. According to Will Perrys history of Michigan football, the crowd responded to Ponds plays with cheers of Pond Forever, in 1881, Michigan played against Harvard in Boston. The game that marked the birth of inter-sectional football, on their way to a game in Chicago in 1887, Michigan players stopped in South Bend, Indiana and introduced football to students at the University of Notre Dame. A November 23 contest marked the inception of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program, in 1894, Michigan defeated Cornell, which was the first time in collegiate football history that a western school defeated an established power from the east. By 1898 Amos Alonzo Stagg was fast at work at turning the University of Chicago football program into a powerhouse. Before the final game of the 1898 season, Chicago was 9–1–1 and Michigan was 9–0, Michigan won, 12–11, capturing the programs first conference championship in a game that inspired The Victors, which later became the schools fight song
28.
Cedric Benson
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Cedric Myron Benson is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Texas, and was recognized as a consensus All-American and he was drafted by the Chicago Bears of the National Football League fourth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, and also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. Benson began to emerge as a football stand-out in the eighth grade while attending Abell Junior High School in Midland, Benson attended Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas, and finished his career with 8,423 rushing yards. He led his team to three consecutive State Championships, and rushed for a total of 15 touchdowns in the three championship games, Cedric rushed for more than 1,900 yards in only 9 games. He was the first high school player to make the cover of Dave Campbells Texas Football annual magazine. Cedric was also a center fielder on the baseball team, as a senior, in District 4-5A games, he hit.361 with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs. Benson was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2001 MLB Draft, while Benson did not play in the major leagues, he spent his time with the Dodgers playing in their summer league at Vero Beach. He also played with the Gulf Coast League Dodgers, in 25 at-bats he had 5 hits,1 run,3 doubles,2 triples, and 2 RBIs. Benson attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a starter for the Texas Longhorns football team. As a senior in 2004, he received the Doak Walker Award as the top running back and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He finished his career with 5,540 rushing yards to rank sixth all time in NCAA Division I-A history. While attending the University of Texas, Benson majored in social work, during his latter years, he earned membership into the Texas Athletics Directors Academic Honor Roll, and the Big 12 Commissioners Honor Roll in fall of 2003. Also, while in college, Benson was arrested twice, once for possession of marijuana, the marijuana case was dropped after a friend came forward and claimed ownership. He received 8 days in jail for the trespass conviction although he spent no time in other than the day of arrest due to overcrowding in Travis County Jail. He was forced to serve a one game suspension against Baylor. Source, The Chicago Bears selected Benson as the fourth pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Bears’ organization and Benson could not come to terms on a contract, after a 36-day hold-out, Benson signed a five-year contract worth $35 million. The Bears wished to make Benson their feature running back, Benson claims that he received a cold reception upon his return because he claimed he would be starting by the third game despite holding out and not practicing
29.
Reggie Bush
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Reginald Alfred Bush Jr. is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He played college football at USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors twice and won a Heisman Trophy, Bush won Super Bowl XLIV with the Saints in 2010 over the Indianapolis Colts. He has also played for the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Bush also won the 2005 Doak Walker and Walter Camp awards. As a result, Bush voluntarily forfeited his Heisman Trophy, Bush was born in 1985 in Spring Valley in San Diego County, California, and named for his biological father, Reginald Alfred Bush, Sr. He was a back at Helix High School in La Mesa. While at Helix, he played with 2004 Heisman Trophy finalist Alex Smith, during his prep career with the Helix High School Scotties, he won the prestigious Silver Pigskin trophy awarded by KUSIs Prep Pigskin Report. Smith and Bush were later finalists for the 2004 Heisman, making it the first time a school had two finalists at the same ceremony. He played in the 2003 U. S. Army All-American Bowl, considered a five-star recruit by Rivals. com, Bush was listed as the No.1 running back in the nation in 2003. Bush is still 2nd all time on the 100m dash all-time list for San Diego and he placed second in the boys 50 meters, clocking at 5.85 at the 2003 Los Angeles Invitational Indoor Meet. Bush received a scholarship to attend the University of Southern California. When Carroll recruited Bush he envisioned using him as a five-way threat, the freshman quickly proved effective in carrying, catching, throwing, and returning the ball. Bush was a consensus first-team Freshman All-American selection in 2003, and his 1,331 all-purpose yards set a USC freshman record. The ESPN Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year also amassed 521 yards rushing that year, University of Utah quarterback Alex Smith and Bush were both finalists for the 2004 Heisman Trophy, making it the first time a high school had two finalists at the same ceremony. In 2004, Bush finished fifth in the Heisman voting and was named the teams MVP and he earned consensus All-American honors and was a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. He finished second on the team with 143 carries for 908 yards and six touchdowns, adding 509 yards, Bush returned 21 kickoffs for 537 yards and 24 punts for 376 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He became the first Trojan since Marcus Allen to lead the Pac-10 in all-purpose yardage and he also threw for one touchdown, tossing a 52-yard scoring strike. In 2005, Bush was a unanimous first-team All-American and winner of the Heisman Trophy and he was also named the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, the Pigskin Club of Washington, D. C. Offensive Player of the Year, and the Touchdown Club of Columbus Player of the Year, in addition to the Walter Camp Award, Bush also won the Doak Walker Award, which is given to the nations best running back
30.
USC Trojans football
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The USC Trojans football program, established in 1888, represents the University of Southern California in college football. USC is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I FBS, the Trojans throughout NCAA history have claimed 11 national championships. USC has the most Pro Football Hall of Famers, USC has the highest all-time post-season winning percentage of schools with 25 or more bowl appearances. The team is coached by Clay Helton, USC first fielded a football team in 1888. Playing its first game on November 14 of that year against the Alliance Athletic Club, USC faced its first collegiate opponent the following year in fall 1889, playing St. Vincents College to a 40–0 victory. In 1893, USC joined the Intercollegiate Football Association of Southern California, which was composed of USC, Occidental College, Throop Polytechnic Institute, Pomona College was invited to enter, but declined to do so. An invitation was extended to Los Angeles High School. Before they were named Trojans in 1912, USC athletic teams were called the Methodists, during the early years, limitations in travel and the scarcity of major football-playing colleges on the West Coast limited its rivalries to local Southern Californian colleges and universities. During this period USC played regular series against Occidental, Caltech, Whittier, Pomona, the first USC team to play outside of Southern California went to Stanford University on November 4,1905, where they were trampled 16–0 by the traditional West Coast powerhouse. While the teams would not meet again until 1918, this was also USCs first game against a future Pac-12 conference opponent, during this period USC also played its first games against other future Pac-12 rivals, including Oregon State, California, Oregon and Arizona. Between 1911–1913, USC followed the example of California and Stanford, the results were disastrous, as USC was soundly defeated by more experienced programs while the school itself experienced financial reverses, it was during this period that Owen R. After several decades of competition, USC first achieved prominence under head coach Gloomy Gus Henderson in the early 1920s. Another milestone came under Henderson in 1922, when USC joined the Pacific Coast Conference, success continued under coach Howard Jones from 1925 to 1940, when the Trojans were just one of a few nationally dominant teams. It was during this era that the achieved renown as the Thundering Herd. USC achieved intermittent success in the years following Jones tenure, jeff Cravath, who coached from 1942–1950, won the Rose Bowl in 1943 and 1945. Jess Hill, who coached from 1951 to 1956, won the Rose Bowl in 1953, from 1957 to 1959, the Trojans were coached by Don Clark. The Pacific Coast Conference dissolved in 1959, USC joined the conferences other three California schools and Washington to form a new conference, the Athletic Association of Western Universities, under a new charter. The program entered a new golden age upon the arrival of head coach John McKay, during this period the Trojans produced two Heisman Trophy winners and won four national championships
31.
Darren McFadden
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Darren McFadden is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Arkansas, and was picked fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2008 NFL Draft, McFadden was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on August 27,1987 to Gralon McFadden and Mini Muhammad. The tenth of twelve children, he encountered hardships in his life with some members of his family, including his mother. He played a variety of positions for his team, but was primarily used as a running back on offense. In track & field, he competed as a sprinter and was timed at 10.8 seconds in the 100-meter dash. During his senior season, McFadden was a Parade magazine high school All-American in 2004, following his senior year, he was awarded the prestigious Landers Award, given every year to the top player in the state of Arkansas. McFadden was ranked the number 23 player in the nation by Rivals. com, McFadden received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Arkansas, where he was a standout running back for coach Houston Nutts Arkansas Razorbacks football team from 2005 to 2007. In 2005, his freshman season, McFadden rushed for 1,113 yards and 11 touchdowns on 176 attempts. McFadden followed the Georgia game with a 187-yard effort against the South Carolina Gamecocks, McFadden also completed his first pass in a Razorback uniform in the game against LSU, when he completed a pass to Marcus Monk for thirteen yards on a critical fourth quarter drive. He was recognized at the end of the season as Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year honors by both the SEC Media as well as SEC coaches, McFadden also garnered Freshman All-American nods, and was named as Newcomer of the Year for the Southeastern Conference by ESPN. He continued through spring practice early the year as the number one running back on the Razorback depth chart. McFadden also attained a new high for yards in a single game in his 219-yard performance in a 26–20 win against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. On December 6,2006, McFadden was named one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy, along with Troy Smith of The Ohio State University, in the final 2006 Heisman vote, McFadden placed second with 1,662 points, behind Smith and ahead of Quinn. On December 7,2006, McFadden became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award and he was also the winner of Jim Brown Trophy in 2006. He was also a consensus All-America choice, making the vast majority of teams selected, McFadden surpassed Madre Hill as the record holder for most rushing yards in a season at the University of Arkansas in 2006. He was also the centerpiece of the Wildcat formation, an offensive formation wherein McFadden usually lined up at quarterback position. McFadden often played quarterback in school, and in the Wildcat formation, he was a threat to throw the ball, to run the ball. Before the 2007 season, McFadden was believed to be one of the top NFL draft picks after the 2007 season if he declared for the 2008 NFL Draft
32.
Arkansas Razorbacks football
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The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the program has 13 conference championships,45 All-Americans, and an all-time record of 700–475–40. The Razorbacks are the 23rd-most successful team in football history by number of wins. Home games are played at locations near the two largest campuses of the University of Arkansas System, Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, the Arkansas Razorbacks have 84 active NFL players currently in the 2015 NFL Season. The first University of Arkansas football team was formed in 1894 and coached by John Futrall and that team played three games, two against Fort Smith High School and one against Texas. Before the 1909 season, the teams was called the Arkansas Cardinals, the name and mascot changed following the 1909 season when the football team, coached by Hugo Bezdek, finished 7–0. Arkansas prevailed over powerhouses Oklahoma, LSU and Washington of St. Louis in 1909 and it was with the help of Steve Creekmore that this was accomplished. Creekmore became perhaps the first Razorback star, a quarterback from Van Buren who initially played only intramurals, Bezdek used Creekmore to install a very early edition of the hurry-up offense, as the team never huddled and chased the ball after every play. Creekmore was also known for fast and slippery running, blocking, there are differing stories about the origins of the Razorbacks mascot, however. The Texarkana Arkansas High School mascot and athletic emblem is the Razorback with red, the Razorback mascot was selected in 1910 to replace the Cardinal as the University of Arkansas mascot. In exchange for its use, the university provided used athletic gear to Texarkana Arkansas High, this practice is no longer used. With the new name and mascot, the Hogs defeated LSU 51–0 and gave Texas A&M their only loss in 1910, in 1913, Arkansas quarterback J. L. Carter and the Razorbacks lost to Ole Miss, and took a fateful train to Arkadelphia to play Ouachita Baptist. While Carter was eating, he was invited to a meeting of Ouachita boosters and he transferred and defeated Arkansas 15–9 in 1914. The Hogs would be contacted by L. Theo Bellmont in 1913 in his attempt to create a conference to regulate use of ringers. Hugo Bezdek, since replaced by E. T. Pickering, had recommended that the Hogs join a conference before he left to coach at Oregon, the Razorbacks joined the Southwest Conference as charter members in 1915. The conference also included teams from Texas and Oklahoma, southwestern would also join, but leave the following year. The 1916,1917, and 1919 teams were led at quarterback by Arkansas greatest athlete Gene Davidson, the Razorbacks didnt have a winning conference record until 1920, and didnt win the conference championship until 1936. Arkansas had the best record during the 1933 season, but had to forfeit the SWC Championship because Ulysses Heine Schleuter, Schleuter had told coach Fred Thomsen that he was eligible, but he was recognized by an SMU player during the game as a former Cornhusker
33.
Shonn Greene
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Shonn Greene is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Iowa, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American and he was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Greene also played for the Tennessee Titans, Greene was born in the Sicklerville section of Winslow Township, New Jersey. In his junior year, Greene rushed for 1,267 yards and 18 touchdowns in 221 attempts earning first team all-conference, all-South Jersey and he followed that with 1,378 yards and 16 touchdowns on 172 attempts as a senior earning first team all-conference and second team all-state. Greene also recorded 191 career tackles and one interception on defense, Greene attended the University of Iowa, where he played for coach Kirk Ferentzs Iowa Hawkeyes football team. He missed the entire 2007 season when he left the University due to academic deficiencies and he enrolled at Kirkwood Community College, improved his grades, and returned to the University in 2008. Greene had a season in 2008, winning the Doak Walker Award given to the nations outstanding collegiate running back. He finished the season with 1850 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns, after the Hawkeyes won the 2009 Outback Bowl on January 1,2009, Greene was the only player that year to rush for over 100 yards in every game. On October 23,2010, Greene was named captain for Iowas game against Wisconsin. 2008 unanimous first-team All-American by SI. com AFCA-Coaches, FWAA-Writers, Walter Camp, CBS Sports, on August 30 Greene made an appearance in the Jets preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. He rushed twice for six yards as well as catching an 85-yard pass before leaving due to a rib injury. Greene made his season debut after a season-ending injury of Leon Washington during week 7 against the Oakland Raiders. During the game against the Raiders, Greene ran for 144 yards, on December 27,2009, Greene carried the ball 16 times for 95 yards in a win against the Indianapolis Colts. On January 9,2010, Green ran for 135 yards and his best performance of the season came against the San Diego Chargers in the divisional round of the playoffs. Greene carried the ball 23 times and rushed for 128 yards and he scored a 53-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, as the Jets reached their first AFC Championship game since 1998. The Jets would play the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts, the Jets had the lead at halftime 17-13. In the beginning of the 3rd quarter Greene injured his ribs and he would finish the game with 41 rushing yards as the Jets would lose 30-17. Greene finished the 2009 season by playing in 14 games with 108 attempts for 540 yards and 2 touchdowns, in the 2010 offseason the Jets did not resign running back Thomas Jones and signed instead LaDainian Tomlinson to be their starter and Shonn Greene to be the back-up
34.
Iowa Hawkeyes football
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The Iowa Hawkeyes football team represents the University of Iowa in college football. The Hawkeyes compete in the West division of the Big Ten Conference and they have been a member of the Big Ten since 1899, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the NCAA. The Hawkeyes play their games in Iowa City, Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes are currently coached by Kirk Ferentz, who is in his 18th season as the coach and is also tied for the longest current tenured coach in NCAA Division I FBS. In 1899, Iowa completed its first undefeated season, which led to an invitation to join the Western Conference. In 1900, the Hawkeyes secured another undefeated season and won a share of the Western Conference title in their first year of league play, in 1907 Iowa helped form the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association. They participated in football in the new league for four seasons, Iowa tied with Nebraska in 1907 for the league championship in its first season of competition. They would leave the conference after the 1910 football season and return to the Big Ten, Iowa claimed consecutive Big Ten titles in 1921 and 1922. The Hawkeyes won 20 straight games in the early 1920s under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Howard Jones, Jones soon left Iowa and established a powerhouse at Southern California, and the Hawkeyes were abysmal for most of the 1930s. Iowa was expelled from the Big Ten on May 25,1929, the reasons were officially unstated and university president William Jessup professed not to know why the faculty committee voted to expel the university. Discussions of player compensation and Iowas inaction on alleged ethics violation appear to have been a main cause, following the 1929 season, the Big Ten faculty committee unanimously voted to reinstate Iowa to the conference on February 1,1930. On December 11,1929, Iowa had disqualified 27 players, presumably due to compensation issues, as a result, little was expected of Iowa’s 1939 team, led by new coach Eddie Anderson. Nicknamed the “Ironmen”, the 1939 Hawkeyes scored several upset victories, though Iowa fell a game short of the Big Ten title, team MVP Nile Kinnick won almost every major national award, including the 1939 Heisman Trophy. Forest Evashevski was hired as Iowa’s head coach in 1952 and he lured Calvin Jones to Iowa, where Jones became the first Hawkeye – and the first African-American – to win the Outland Trophy in 1955. From 1956 to 1960, Evashevski led Iowa to four finishes in the top five of the national rankings, after the 1960 season, Evashevski left coaching to become Iowa’s athletic director. The forgotten season In 1960 the Hawkeyes held on to the #1 ranking for much of the season, the Hawkeyes defeated #8 Ohio State, #15 Michigan State, and #10 Purdue. Iowa lost to rival #3 Minnesota, the game was the only loss of the year for the 1960 Hawkeyes and they shared the Big Ten title with Minnesota. However, at time, the Big Ten did not allow their teams to go to any bowl except for the Rose Bowl
35.
Toby Gerhart
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Toby Gerhart is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Stanford University, and was a unanimous All-American, in 2009 Gerhart won the Doak Walker Award and was the runner-up for the 2009 Heisman Trophy. He received 1,276 points in the Heisman voting, coming in second to Mark Ingram, Jr. who received 1,304 points, the 28-point margin was the closest vote in Heisman history. Gerhart had a senior season in 2009, leading all running backs in the nation in rushing yards, touchdowns, and points scored. Gerhart was born in Norco, California and he had a record-breaking career at running back for Norco High School. He set a California state record for rushing yards with 9,662 yards in his career, as of December 2009, Gerhart holds the third highest career total of running yards in national high school football history. He led Norco High School to the CIF Division 5 Southern Section football championship on December 9,2005, Gerhart was named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year for the state of California and was named Californias Mr. Football by Cal-Hi Sports. Gerhart also played baseball and graduated as a valedictorian of his school class. Gerharts high school statistics garnered him interest from top college football programs. He ultimately committed to Stanford University, where he played for the Stanford Cardinal football team from 2006 to 2009, in his freshman year, Gerhart backed up Anthony Kimble at the halfback position, starting one game. He rushed for 375 yards for the season, as Stanford struggled to a 1-11 record, in 2007, Gerhart played in only one game, against San Jose State, in which he rushed for 140 yards and one touchdown before suffering a season-ending knee injury. In 2008, Gerhart had a season under the direction of then-running backs coach Willie Taggart. He set the Stanford single-season rushing record with 1,136 yards, Gerhart was the fifth player in Stanford history to run for 1,000 yards or more in a season, after Darrin Nelson, Brad Muster, Jon Volpe, and Vardell. He scored 15 rushing touchdowns, then the second highest single season total in Stanford history and his 8 games with 100 or more rushing yards were a Stanford record. He tied a Stanford record with four rushing touchdowns against Washington State, Gerhart averaged 5.4 yards per carry and finished third in the Pac-10 in rushing. In 2009, Gerhart had 1,871 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns, Gerhart led the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and points scored. His 3,522 career rushing yards are the third most in Stanford history, behind Darrin Nelsons 4,033 yards, Gerhart rushed for over 100 yards in 11 of his 13 games in 2009
36.
LaMichael James
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LaMichael Keondrae LaMike James is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. James played college football for the University of Oregon, the 2010 season was a breakout one for James, as he rushed for 1,731 yards, the highest in the nation. He finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy that year, in 2011, he became Oregons career rushing leader and rushed for a school-record 1,805 yards. He was considered to be one of the top running backs throughout his career, with his 5,082 total rushing yards placing him 2nd in Pac-12 Conference history. James was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He attended Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas, where he played for the Liberty-Eylau Leopards high school football team, as a sophomore, he rushed for 643 yards and 10 touchdowns on 76 carries. In his junior season, he totaled 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns on 229 carries while adding 500 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 33 receptions. James continued his dominance during his campaign to the tune of 2,043 yards and 24 touchdowns on 230 touches. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals. com, James was listed as the No.12 all-purpose back in the nation in 2008, James attended the University of Oregon, where he played for coach Chip Kellys Oregon Ducks football team from 2009 to 2011. After the suspension of LeGarrette Blount, James became the running back for the Ducks in 2009. He helped the Ducks to upset victories over Utah and California with 152 and 118 rushing yards and he again rushed for over 100 yards on October 10 against UCLA with 152 yards on 20 carries. Once again, James eclipsed the 100 yard mark with 154 yards rushing on 15 carries against Washington on October 24 and he led all BCS-conference running backs with 6.9 yards per carry. On December 7,2009, James was named Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year, against Portland State, James rushed for 227 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns in a 69-0 shutout win, the Ducks second shutout on the year. The next week against Arizona State James was held to only 94 rushing yards, against Arizona Wildcats James rushed for 126 yards,2 touchdowns and surpassed LeGarrette Blounts single season scoring record. James had a season high against the Stanford Cardinal by garnering 3 touchdowns, over the course of the season, James had eclipsed the century mark 9 times, only failing to reach 100 yards twice. All in all James has had 18 100+ rushing yard games in his career, following James 2010 season, he received the Doak Walker award, given to best running back in the country, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. He was also a Pac-12 All-Academic selection, the Ducks finished regular season play undefeated and ranked No.2 in both the BCS and the AP poll. They played the top-ranked Auburn Tigers in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, in that game, James had two touchdown receptions, including one that set up the game-tying two-point conversion
37.
Oregon Ducks football
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The Oregon Ducks football program is a college football team for the University of Oregon, located in the U. S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the FBS and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, known as the Ducks, the team was commonly called the Webfoots until the mid-1960s. The first football team was fielded in 1894, Oregon plays its home games at the 54,000 seat Autzen Stadium in Eugene, its main rivals are the Oregon State Beavers and the Washington Huskies. The Ducks and Beavers historically end each regular season with the Civil War rivalry game in late November, the football program began in 1894 and played its first game on March 24,1894, defeating Albany College 44–3 under head coach Cal Young. Cal Young left after that first game and J. A, church took over the coaching position in the fall for the rest of the season. Oregon finished the season with two losses and a tie, but went undefeated the following season, winning all four of its games under head coach Percy Benson. In 1899, the team left the state for the first time, playing the California Golden Bears in Berkeley. Oregons largest margin of victory came in 1910 when they defeated the University of Puget Sound 115–0, Bezdek, Oregons first truly professional coach, led the team from 1913 through 1917. A versatile motivator of athletes, during his tenure Bezdek was also the West Coast scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the 1916 season, Oregon went undefeated with seven wins and one tie under Bezdek, shutting out all their opponents except California. They opened the season against Willamette University, defeating them 97–0, the game against Washington ended in a 0–0 tie. The Oregon football team defeated the heavily favored University of Pennsylvania Quakers 14–0, in 1918 Bezdek quit Oregon to become general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was succeeded by Shy Huntington, one of the heroes of the 1917 Rose Bowl, Oregon lost the 1920 Rose Bowl to Harvard University, 7–6. This would be the teams last bowl appearance until the 1948 Cotton Bowl, prince G. Prink Callison, Oregon native, alumnus, former player and coach of the freshman team, took over from Spears in 1932. Behind standout back Mike Mikulak and a defense, Callison led the 1933 Webfoots to a 9–1 mark and Pacific Coast Conference co-championship. This record would stand as the best in history until 2001. After the homegrown Callison retired in 1937, Oregon again hired a head coach. Oliver returned as coach after the war, eventually posting a mediocre 23–28–3 cumulative record. His 71–7 loss at Texas in 1941 on the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor stands as the most points allowed by any Oregon team, Oliver, in 1945, is the only coach to see his team lose twice to Oregon State in the same season
38.
Trent Richardson
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Trenton Jamond Richardson is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, Richardson was born in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Escambia High School in Pensacola, the high school as NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. As a junior, Richardson also reached the 400-yard plateau, as he ran for 407 yards in his game against Tate High School. He finished his season with 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns. He sat out his second year due to an injury and he made the FSWA 5A All-State First Team as a senior, and was named 5A Florida Player of the Year and a finalist for the 2008 Mr. Football. Richardson also received consensus All-American honors and was named to the Orlando Sentinels All Southern Team, Richardson also lettered in track & field at Escambia. In 2008, he captured a title in the 100-meter dash. He owned a personal-best time of 10.5 seconds in the 100 meters, in addition, he also participated in the long jump event and had a best-mark of 6.55 meters. Richardson was frequently compared to Emmitt Smith, who starred at Escambia. Richardson also drew comparisons to Michael Turner and O. J, considered a five-star recruit by Rivals. com, Richardson was listed as the No.2 running back prospect in the nation. He chose Alabama over Florida, Florida State, and LSU, Richardson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Nick Sabans Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2009 to 2011. In his first year at Alabama, Richardson stepped in quickly for the departed Glen Coffee, when recruited, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban called Richardson, the real key to the class, and an outstanding player at a position that a young player can contribute next year. Richardson was named SEC Freshman of the Week for Week 2, Richardson was also named to the 2009 SEC All-Freshman team alongside Barrett Jones and Nico Johnson. He also contributed significantly in the 2010 BCS National Championship with 109 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, for the season, he had 145 carries for 751 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns. He also had 126 yards receiving on the season, Richardson started the first two games of the season with Mark Ingram sitting out due to an injury. In the season opener, he had 10 carries for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns and he also had 3 receptions for 46 yards. The following week against Penn State, he ran for a career-high 144 yards on 22 carries and he also had 4 catches for 46 yards
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Alabama Crimson Tide football
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The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama in the sport of American football. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the team is currently coached by Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide is among the most storied and decorated football programs in NCAA history, since beginning play in 1892, the program claims 16 national championships, including 11 wire-service national titles in the poll-era, and five other titles before the poll-era. From 1958 to 1982, the team was led by Hall of Fame coach Paul Bear Bryant, despite numerous national and conference championships, it was not until 2009 that an Alabama player received a Heisman Trophy, when running back Mark Ingram became the universitys first winner. In 2015, Derrick Henry became the universitys second Heisman winner, Alabama has 878 official victories in NCAA Division I, has won 30 conference championships and has made an NCAA-record 64 postseason bowl appearances. Other NCAA records include 23 winning streaks of 10 games or more and 19 seasons with a 10–0 start, the program has 34 seasons with 10 wins or more, and has 37 bowl victories, both NCAA records. Alabama has completed 10 undefeated seasons,9 of which were perfect seasons, the Crimson Tide leads the SEC West Division with 12 division titles and 11 appearances in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama holds a record against every current and former SEC school. The Associated Press ranks Alabama 4th in all-time final AP Poll appearances, Alabama plays its home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium, located on the campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. With a capacity of 101,821, Bryant-Denny is the 8th largest non-racing stadium in the world, Alabama has had 28 head coaches since organized football began in 1892. Adopting the nickname Crimson Tide after the 1907 season, the team has played more than 1,100 games in their 114 seasons, in that time,12 coaches have led the Crimson Tide in postseason bowl games, Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Harold D. Red Drew, Bear Bryant, Ray Perkins, Bill Curry, Gene Stallings, Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Shula, Joe Kines, and Nick Saban. Eight of those coaches also won championships, Wade, Thomas, Drew, Bryant, Curry, Stallings, DuBose. During their tenures, Wade, Thomas, Bryant, Stallings, of the 27 different head coaches who have led the Crimson Tide, Wade, Thomas, Bryant, and Stallings have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The current head coach is Nick Saban, who was hired in January 2007, National championships in NCAA FBS college football are debated as the NCAA does not officially award the championship. Despite not naming an official National Champion, the NCAA provides lists of championships awarded by organizations it recognizes, beginning in 1936, the Associated Press began the best-known and most widely circulated poll of sportswriters and broadcasters. Before 1936, national champions were determined by research and retroactive ratings. The criteria for being included in this historical list of poll selectors is that the poll be national in scope, either through distribution in newspaper, television, since World War II, Alabama only claims national championships awarded by the final AP Poll or the final Coaches Poll
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Montee Ball
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Montee Ball Jr. is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin, where he was recognized as the best running back in the Big Ten Conference. Until November 14,2015, Ball held the NCAA Division I-FBS record for most career rushing touchdowns with 77, Ball was born in McPherson, Kansas. His family later moved to Wentzville, Missouri, where Ball attended Timberland High School and he was ranked as the number 33 running back in the nation and fourth-best player in Missouri by Rivals. com. He was named first-team all-state, all-metro, all-district and all-conference as a senior, as a senior, Ball carried the ball 213 times for 2,187 yards and 41 touchdowns. As a sophomore, Ball was named first team all-district and all-conference after carrying the ball 297 times for 1,845 yards and 15 touchdowns, as a freshman, Ball had 1,113 yards on 127 carries with 19 touchdowns. Ball was a captain and team MVP as a sophomore. He holds the Wentzville school district rushing records with career totals of 995 carries,8,222 yards,107 touchdowns, Ball was also named to the all-academic list three times and was a two-time letterwinner in basketball. Ball enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, where he played for the Wisconsin Badgers football team from 2009 to 2012, as a freshman, Ball played in 9 of 13 games and finished second on the team in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and rushing attempts. Ball played in 12 games, including starts in the four games. He began the 2010 season as the running back to John Clay. Because Clay had offseason ankle surgery and later an MCL injury, Ball gained a prominent role in the Badgers offense, Ball led the team in rushing touchdowns, ranked second in rushing attempts and scoring, third in rushing yards and all purpose yards and fourth in total offense. His 18 rushing touchdowns tied for fourth-most in a season, his 6.11 yards per carry is sixth-best in one season at Wisconsin. At the end of the season, Ball was named honorable mention All-Big Ten. Ball played and started in all 14 games, on November 5,2011, Ball was named Big Ten Player of the Week after rushing for a career high 223 yards against the Purdue Boilermakers. During that game, Ball scored four touchdowns which gave him 146 total points scored on the season and this broke Brian Calhouns school record for total points in a single season of 144. On November 12,2011, Ball broke the single season Big Ten Conference record for touchdowns by rushing for two and receiving one against the Minnesota, Ball had 27 touchdowns at the end of that game
