top 25 football players of all time

Rushing yards: 6,279 | Rushing TDs: 72 | Yards per carry: 6.21 Steve Young (QB, BYU, 1981-83) For two seasons, Thomas played with Cornelius Bennett. Belichick was great in New England as well and was vital to Bradys growth, but all questions have been answered. Rushing yards: 6,082 | Yards per rush: 5.7 | Rushing TDs: 55 All season long, ESPN will celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football. Biletnikoff gave few signs early in his career that he would become one of the legendary wide receivers in the game. A 12-year NFL career as the hardest hitter in football is no joke, though, and he has accolades to back up that claim. He missed the remainder of the regular season; surely he would have made a difference in the 21-21 tie with Stanford that prevented USC from sharing No. 44 jersey. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1980); 1x Super Bowl Champion; 7x First-Team All-Pro; 2x Second-Team All-Pro; 11x Pro Bowl. Simpson (RB, USC, 1967-68) Tackles: 107 | Tackles for loss: 33 Teams: Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers. Keyes helped lead the Boilermakers to a share of the 1967 Big Ten title, which they have won exactly once in the 52 years since. Rushing yards: 3,221 | Touchdowns: 30 | Return yards: 1,198 86. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1972); 2x NFL Champion; 9x First-Team All-Pro; 1x Second-Team All-Pro; 11x Pro Bowl. So dont blame him for his lack of a championship resume. Franz Beckenbauer 10. Hes ridden both efficiency and talent to all-time statistical highs, and an MVP-level performance in 2020 and 2021 is nothing to sneeze at. When Blanchard was a sophomore, Army sealed a 23-7 victory against Navy with a nine-play, 52-yard touchdown drive. Teams: Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2011); 2x Super Bowl Champion; DPoY; 6x First-Team All-Pro; 8x Pro Bowl. By the time he was finished with the Boilermakers, he had established two NCAA, 13 Big Ten and 19 Purdue records. God also gave Little remarkable speed and athleticism. Completing the podium is Brazilian legend, Pele. John Lujack (QB, Notre Dame, 1943, 1946-47) Receiving yards: 404 | Touchdowns: 3 Late in the season, Howard punctuated a 93-yard punt return for a touchdown against Ohio State by striking the Heisman pose. That not only propelled USC past its archrival, it sent the Trojans to the 1967 national championship. He finished his Miami career with 327 tackles and an average of 109 per season. 87. Moss suffered two punishing blows early in his college career, and he not only stayed on his feet but also excelled, which surprises exactly no one who ever saw him play. At such a violent position, without todays modern medicine and health solutions, imagine playing for nearly two decades, and only missing two All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods for your entire career. Three-time All-Pro (1968, 1971, 1973). Passing yards: 7,905 | Touchdowns: 74 | Pass efficiency rating: 129.7 When Oklahoma adopted the Wishbone offense in 1970, Pruitt's first varsity season, it became readily apparent why. It might have more to do with how televising the sport came into its own in the 1960s and blossomed in the mid-1980s, after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the restrictions placed on television appearances by the NCAA. Teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2019); 6x First-Team All-Pro; 4x Second-Team All-Pro; 14x Pro Bowl. Played 207 games. 98. 3. Concrete Charlie, as he was named, is distinctive as the last and greatest of the NFLs 60-minute men. Early in his junior season, he ran for 269 yards against Arkansas State and 300 against San Jose State. In a league where everyone cheated, SMU flaunted its disregard for the NCAA manual. 41. Lionel Messi has been named the greatest footballer of all time following his World Cup win. Terrell Owens 18. Carter only got better, making All-American three times and winning the Big Ten Silver Football (MVP) as a senior. OSU was 27-2 and won at least a share of three straight Big Ten titles in Tatum's three seasons. He ran for 1,891 yards as a sophomore and 1,752 as a junior, when he won the 1982 Heisman Trophy. Approximately two-thirds of the 150 greatest players took the field from the 1960s through the 1990s. Rushing yards: 5,589 | Rushing TDs: 27 | Rushing yards per game: 121.5 The 208-pound Blanchard would become known as Mr. The 134 tackles he made as a sophomore in 1973 remain an Alabama single-season record, and 44 years later, he has slipped from first to only fourth in career tackles (315). Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (2014); 4-time First-team All-Pro (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007); 2-time Second-team All-Pro (2006, 2008); nine pro bowls. Achievements: Inducted into Pro Football HOF (2007); 3-time Super Bowl champ; First-team All-Pro (1991); Two-time Second-team All-pro (1992, 1993); five pro bowls. 79. Passing yards: 7,733 | Rushing yards: 1,084 | Total TDs: 74 (56 passing/18 rushing) Not Jerry. Eddie George (RB, Ohio State, 1992-95) 140. He was the commander of Vince Lombardis (yes, that Vince Lombardi) defense on the Green Bay Packers. It's not difficult to find Calvin Johnson's name in Georgia Tech's record book. There can't really be any arguments, can there? Marshall Faulk 20. No one in that offense caught many passes; Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer didn't much like to throw the ball. The two-time first-team All-American leads the Yellow Jackets in eight categories, including receiving yards (2,927), touchdown passes (28) and 100-yard receiving games (13). Rushing yards: 1,867 | Return yards: 965 | TDs: 24 | Interceptions by: 7 As he averaged more than 1,500 rushing yards in his three-year collegiate career, Faulk had to deal with doubts about the level of the Aztecs' competition. The following article will trigger you. The Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young, the Alabama quarterback, at No. He also threw for 561 and accounted for 17 touchdowns. 62. He made such a name for himself that by his senior season, his third consecutive as an All-American, Easley finished ninth in the Heisman voting, attracting five first-place votes. Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (2009); 1x Super Bowl Champion; 1x DPoY; 1x AFC PoY; 6x First-Team All-Pro; 2x Second-Team All-Pro; 11x Pro Bowl. Griffin changed his coach's mind, perhaps by rushing for a school-record 239 yards in the second game of the season. Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (2011); Super Bowl champion; 3-time First-team All-Pro (1999-2001); 3-time Second-team All-Pro (1994, 1995, 1998); NFL MVP (2000); 3-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1999-2001); NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1994); 7-time Pro Bowler; one of only 3 NFL players to amass at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards; only player to accumulate 12,000 rushing and 6,000 receiving yards; only NFL RB with 100+ rushing and 30+ receiving TDs; holds NFL career record for most games with a rushing and receiving TD (15). Thorpe did a lot on the field no one had ever seen before. In those heady days after World War II, when the nation wanted only to return to normalcy, college football heroes became larger than life. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1993 Class); 1x Super Bowl Champion; 1x MVP; 1x OPoY; 2x NFC OPoY; 1x MoY; 7x First-Team All-Pro; 1x Second-Team All-Pro; 9x Pro Bowl. Youll see the first great modern quarterback later on in this list, but Graham was the first great quarterback, period (think basketballs George Mikan, relevant since Graham played ball in the NBL himself). Regardless of the level, the diminutive Smith stood taller than most on the football field. Teams: San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Notable accolades: 1x Super Bowl Champion; 1x Super Bowl MVP; 2x OPoY; 1 First-Team All-Pro; 4x Second-Team All-Pro; 13x Pro Bowl; MoY; CPoY, Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1963); 3x NFL Champion; 2x MVP; 8x First-Team All-Pro; 4x NFL All-Star. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry over his Sooners career. Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden began to use him in a no-huddle shotgun set midway through Ward's junior season. He had 23 against USC in 1977. College football's top 11 players of all time (2:25) Roger Staubach, Herschel Walker and Jim Brown are among the greatest 11 players in college football history. Receiving yards: 742 | TD catches: 13 Griffin arrived in Woody Hayes' locker room shortly after the NCAA approved freshman eligibility. You dont get their iconic defense and reputation without the most dominant defensive lineman to ever play. In his only Iron Bowl, Newton led the Tigers from a 24-point deficit to win at Alabama, 28-27. Brees was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Ray Lewis is the second greatest linebacker of all time, and the greatest of this era. Reid is a member of both the College Football and the Country Music Halls of Fame. Passing yards: 4,848 | Passing TDs: 36 | Total offense: 5,290 yards Green was a three-time first-team All-American. As a highly recruited player from Brooklyn, New York, Luckman spurned about 40 programs to play at Columbia, which didn't offer athletic scholarships at the time. The thunder to Mean Joe Greenes other thunder, Jack Lambert made his reputation as the more mobile half of Pittsburghs iconic Steel Curtain defenses through the 1970s. He set 13 individual records while playing corner, returning kicks and taking reps at running back and wide receiver. He finished second to South Carolina's George Rogers in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior, the highest-ever finish by a full-time defensive player. Ozzie Newsome (WR, Alabama, 1974-77) He played full-time minutes on both offenseanddefense, and was the most-feared tackler of his era. He completed an unheard-of 57 percent of passes as a sophomore. The Worst of the Madden Curse. He set a school record by throwing 131 touchdown passes. 116. Simpson and No. Floyd Little (RB, Syracuse, 1964-66) "He could turn a football game around like no one else.". Receptions: 45 | Receiving yards: 730 | TDs: 7 Hall of Fame. As a junior in 1981, Marino completed 59% of his passes for 2,615 yards with a best-in-the-nation 34 touchdown passes. Taking into account competitions of all levels, 72 players have reached the milestone according to research by the RSSSF, an organisation described by German newspaper Der . We have all top 25 action listed below, including links to live scores and stats, plus how to watch every game. Derrick Thomas (LB, Alabama, 1985-88) That season, he had 84 tackles; led the Hurricanes in sacks (10.5), tackles for loss (9.0) and quarterback pressures (25); was a consensus All-American; and finished sixth in the Heisman voting. His career was shorter than one would like, but an MVP-caliber season where he led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns bumps him up several spots. Nevers ran for 114 yards on 34 carries in the Cardinal's 27-10 loss to Notre Dame, which was only 13 fewer yards than the combined total of the famed Four Horsemen. Tackles: 214 | Sacks: 24 | Interceptions: 4 Kinnick landed in the ocean rather than endanger the ship and died at age 24. Doak Walker (RB, SMU, 1945-49) He ranks 16th all-time for made 3-pointers in Division I men's college basketball and was the two-time Summit League Player of the Year. 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George recalls how his recruitment to Penn State turned into a disappointment when he was asked to play linebacker, instead of running back. Whats even crazier is that if not for a long tour of Vietnam after college, he might have had five more cracks at the NFL chip. Then there's the like's of the best soccer players in the world today, a few of whom also might have claim to the title, such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski, and Karim Benzema. The Trojans went 19-4-1, won back-to-back conference titles and played in two Rose Bowls in his two seasons. Passing yards: 14,607 | Passing TDs: 131 | Completions: 1,026 The late Walter Payton, rest his soul, has a legitimate argument to be placed multiple spots higher on this list. Page was 8 years old when the U.S. Supreme Court ended school segregation with its landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954. It was Clemson's first national title in 35 years. In his last two seasons, Ogden not only helped make a two-time 1,000-yard rusher out of Karim Abdul-Jabbar, he also allowed a total of only two sacks. Ronnie Lott (DB, USC, 1977-80) But give Switzer credit; he had a 6-foot-3, 248-pound player who had the speed, the moves and the hands to play tight end. Steve Spurrier (QB, Florida, 1964-66) Sacks: 19 | Tackles for loss: 39 The rebuilding of USC football in the early 1990s just might have begun with the signing of Boselli, who didn't sign with his home-state, national-champion Colorado Buffaloes in order to go to USC. His combination of size (6-1, 185), speed and power had never come along before, either. Zlatan Ibrahimovic Warner Bros./Newsmakers We often hear about unique athletes being billed as 'unicorns' for their ability to play the game at an extremely high level despite having an atypical appearance. As a senior, he made all-state. Passing yards: 3,940 | Touchdowns: 33 | Total offense: 5,197 yards Drew Brees (QB, Purdue, 1997-2000) His talent has scarce equal on this list, and as the second-greatest wide receiver in NFL history (youll meet number one a little later), he has the stats and records to make a case for its most talented. Rushing yards: 2,341 | Passing yards: 1,769 | Touchdowns: 21 Jake Rowe of 247 Sports recalls Tommie Frazier breaking several tackles on a play for Nebraska in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. In a controversial 13-12 loss to Texas in the Big 12 championship game, he recorded 4.5 sacks and 12 tackles, including seven for loss. Berwanger won the Heisman before it was the Heisman, taking the inaugural award in 1935. As a junior, when Oklahoma lost the Game of the Century to Nebraska, 35-31. He ran for 100 or more yards in 48 consecutive games, leading the Eagles to three national championship appearances, including back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000. Tommie Frazier (QB, Nebraska, 1992-95) Reed was named All-American in 2000 and 2001. For his career length alone, he holds the positional all-time record for career receiving yards (15,127) and receptions (1,325), trailing only two wideouts for the most receptions overall. Lee Roy Jordan (LB, Alabama, 1960-62) Kickoff returns. He finished second in 2003 Heisman Trophy voting, the highest finish for a receiver since Michigan's Desmond Howard won in 1991. We couldn't tackle him." He is the first quarterback to beat all 32 teams, and his three MVP years are the most times the award was consecutively received. His Super Bowl win wont be remembered outside of Green Bay, sandwiched as it was in the middle of the more famous Cowboys and Broncos dynasties, but Favres peak as the leagues resident gunslinger was as good as anyones. All that out of the way, here is. Uh, no. Horvath also starred as a safety on the other . Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (2019); 6-time First-team All-Pro (1999-2001, 2003, 2008, 2012); 4-time Second-team All-Pro (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007); 14-time Pro Bowler (tied for most all-time); holds the NFL record for total receiving yards by a TE (15,127); Leads the NFL in career receptions for TEs (1,325); Second in NFL history for receptions behind Jerry Rice; tied for most seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards by a TE (4). The next player on this list is more prototypical and more iconic/nostalgic in the sport of football, but Peyton, with his huge arm (and bigger forehead), is arguably the most talented quarterback, and player, in NFL history. Achievements: Inducted into the Pro Football HOF (1984); 3-time Super Bowl champ; 2-time First-team All-Pro (1971, 1973); AFL champion (1967); 3-time First-team All-AFL (1964, 1968, 1969); 4-time Pro Bowl selection; held the Super Bowl record for longest interception (75 yards) until James Harrison broke it. The two-time All-American could run and pass, kick and defend. He beat Herschel Walker for a Heisman. 129. Notable accolades: Hall of Fame (1998); 1x Super Bowl Champion; 2x DPoY; 8x First-Team All-Pro; 1x Second-Team All-Pro; 10x Pro Bowl; 3x NFC PoY; MoY. Many football fans already believed Messi was the GOAT before the tournament but after winning the biggest prize in football, that status has now been cemented. During White's senior season in 1983, he had 100 tackles, 72 unassisted, and set a UT single-season record with 15 sacks. In Ham's three seasons on the varsity squad, Penn State went 29-3. Reggie White (RIP, Minister of Defense) is the greatest edge rusher of all time. He ran for 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1972 and had 1,522 yards with 17 scores as a senior. Gonzalez also famous for his durability and glue-like hands: he only missed two games over his entire NFL career, and has only fumbled the ball twice in his career. He was an all-league quarterback and captain of the baseball team at the Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and was accepted to Yale and the U.S. Military Academy. In 1993, he was named USC's athletic director, a position he held until 2010. As a sophomore (1.004 yards), he broke the Pitt school rushing record. Chris Spielman (LB, Ohio State, 1984-87) Woody Hayes recruited Tatum to Ohio State as a running back, but moved him to defensive back -- at the behest of assistant coach Lou Holtz -- shortly after he arrived. Campbell got healthy, lost the 20 pounds, and -- under new head coach Fred Akers -- rushed for 1,744 yards, 6.5 yards at a time. Raiders. Walter Payton (RB, Jackson State, 1971-74) What No. 20. Zico 15. Rushing yards: 1,666 | Touchdowns: 38 | Interceptions by: 7 Get viral NFL graphics, memes, rumors and trending news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. He was the Chargers' team MVP in 1987. Newton started out at Florida, where a young quarterbacks coach named Dan Mullen lobbied head coach Urban Meyer to replace Tim Tebow with Newton. Billy Ray Smith Jr. made his own legacy at Arkansas, however, lettering four years at defensive end and serving as team captain in 1982. 125. Teams: Baltimore Colts, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, L.A. 43. Mike Singletary (LB, Baylor, 1977-80) Until his family moved to Omaha when he was 8 years old, Sayers lived in a small town named Speed, Kansas.

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