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07-10-2006, 10:22 AM
July 10, 2006
Fans Face Tough calls In Greatest player Finals
by: Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Football Staff Writer
Johnny Rodgers eluded the questions nearly as well as he avoided defenders.
Who's the best Nebraska football player of all time?
Rodgers will let the voters decide.
"I wouldn't know," the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner told Rivals.com. "It's not for me to say."
The battle between Rodgers and former star quarterback Tommie Frazier marks only one of the many intriguing matchups in the final round of voting to determine the greatest football player ever at each of the BCS conference schools.
Rodgers' explosiveness as a runner, receiver and punt returner helped Nebraska win 31 consecutive games and capture two national titles during his career. Frazier overcame blood clots to direct the Cornhuskers to back-to-back national titles in 1994 and 1995.
Choosing between them is almost as tough for Husker fans as selecting a favorite son.
Fans of other schools face equally difficult decisions.
Tony Dorsett or Dan Marino? Vince Young or Earl Campbell? Red Grange or Dick Butkus? Billy Sims or Lee Roy Selmon?
They're the kind of debates that can last all day without anyone reaching a consensus opinion. No wonder the players themselves want no part of the process.
South Carolina's George Rogers wouldn't mind if Sterling Sharpe came out on top in the final.
"I don't care who wins," said 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, who is squaring off with star receiver Sterling Sharpe in the final round of South Carolina's ballot. "It's a team thing for me. I don't want to be called the best player. I want to be called a team player. That's how I look at it. I'm sure Sterling feels the same way."
The guys on the ballots might not want to comment, but at least one other former player knew which way he'd vote regarding his alma mater.
Mark May played alongside Marino on the great Pittsburgh teams of the early 1980s, but the former All-America offensive lineman still believes 1976 Heisman Trophy winner Dorsett is the greatest Panther of them all.
Dorsett led the Panthers to the 1976 national title and held the NCAA career rushing record for 22 years. May was being recruited when Pitt sent him a 1976 highlight video that showed Dorsett making some of his greatest runs as Frank Sinatra's "My Way" played in the background.
"Nothing will top that," May said. "I've been to three Super Bowls, and nothing will top that moment for me. Being a young man just 16 years old, it just made an impact on me.''
As interesting as some of these championship matchups look, it's tough to imagine any of them matching the razor-thin margins of two of last week's semifinal pairings.
Former Oregon State running back Ken Simonton received only six more votes (out of 1,416 cast) than Mike Hass, who won the 2005 Biletnikoff Award that goes to the nation's top college receiver.
Kansas State's semifinal was even closer.
Former quarterback and 1998 Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Bishop edged ex-running back Darren Sproles by just three votes out of 4,300 cast.
"I knew this one would be close, but nobody can predict it being that close," said Tim Fitzgerald, the publisher of GoPowercat.com. "There actually was controversy on picking our top four. Some thought (former quarterback) Lynn Dickey should have been on the list instead of Michael Bishop. This proves that the general populace believes Michael Bishop is a very gifted player, to beat out Darren Sproles."
Five Surprises
1. Ole Miss: Deuce McAllister over Eli Manning:
There will be no father-son showdown to determine Mississippi's greatest player ever. In perhaps the most stunning result of all the semifinals, McAllister earned nearly 70 percent of the votes against the current New York Giants quarterback. McAllister now faces Eli's dad, Archie Manning, in the final round.
2. Oregon: Dan Fouts over Joey Harrington:
Success in the NFL apparently means quite a bit to our voters. Fouts threw more interceptions than touchdowns and barely completed half his passes at Oregon, but the Pro Football Hall of Famer still received 63 percent of the votes against the 2001 All-America quarterback.
3. West Virginia: Darryl Talley over Amos Zereoue:
The voting in this contest traditionally has rewarded more recent players and guys at the more glamorous positions, but this was an exception to the rule. Talley, a linebacker from 1979-82, received 56 percent of the vote to beat Zereoue, a running back from 1995-98.
4. Texas: Earl Campbell over Ricky Williams:
Campbell's win wasn't a surprise, but the margin of victory was downright shocking. Campbell earned nearly 70 percent of the votes in this battle of the Longhorn running backs.
5. North Carolina State: Roman Gabriel over Ted Brown:
Brown's status as the leading career rusher in Atlantic Coast Conference history couldn't help him garner more than 40.5 percent of the votes against the former Wolfpack quarterback.
Five Landslides
1. Illinois: Dick Butkus over Jim Grabowski:
Butkus rolled to a semifinal victory with 96.4 percent of the 1,865 votes cast. After two one-sided semifinals, the Illinois championship round between Butkus and Red Grange could prove to be the closest in the nation.
2. Virginia Tech: Bruce Smith over Cornell Brown:
Virginia Tech fans had no trouble deciding Smith was the best defensive end in Hokie history, as they handed the former Buffalo Bills star 94.7 percent of their votes. They may have a tougher time this week deciding between Smith and Michael Vick.
3. Michigan State: Bubba Smith over Don Coleman:
Butkus' partner in those old beer commercials had nearly as easy a time of it in his semifinal. Smith received 91.8 percent of the votes to roll into a championship confrontation with former teammate George Webster.
4. Northwestern: Otto Graham over Ron Burton:
The first Northwestern semifinal between Pat Fitzgerald and Darnell Autry was one of the tightest in the country. This one wasn't nearly as close, as Graham picked up 88.2 percent of the votes.
5. Southern California: Ronnie Lott over Ron Yary:
It's going to be tough for any offensive lineman from the 1960s to have enough name recognition to win this contest, particularly when he's going up against arguably the greatest safety in the history of the game. Lott received 86.5 percent of the votes and will face O.J. Simpson in the championship round.
Five Close Calls
1. Kansas State: Michael Bishop over Darren Sproles:
Mathematically, it can't get much closer than this. Bishop won by a three-vote margin out of 4,300 cast.
2. Oregon State: Ken Simonton over Mike Hass:
Hass caught just about everything thrown to him last year, but he couldn't quite catch up to the greatest running back in Beaver history. Simonton eked out a six-vote victory out of 1,416 votes cast.
3. Georgia Tech: Billy Lothridge over Randy Rhino:
The former quarterback received 51.4 percent of the votes and will face Joe Hamilton in a showdown of Heisman Trophy runners-up.
4. LSU: Josh Reed over Bert Jones:
Reed also earned 51.4 percent of the votes and will face Billy Cannon to determine the greatest Tiger ever.
5. Penn State: LaVar Arrington over John Cappelletti:
The former All-America linebacker received 52.1 percent of the votes to edge the 1973 Heisman Trophy winner. Arrington next faces former running back Curt Warner.
Five to Watch This Week
1. Illinois: Red Grange vs. Dick Butkus:
The Illini might not have the Big Ten's greatest football history, but you'll have a tough time finding a final-round matchup better than this one.
2. Pittsburgh: Tony Dorsett vs. Dan Marino:
Two of the greatest offensive players of their generation face off.
3. Texas: Vince Young vs. Earl Campbell:
These two were almost impossible to bring down during their college careers. Which one will be the last Longhorn standing?
4. Oklahoma: Billy Sims vs. Lee Roy Selmon:
Calling Sims Oklahoma's greatest offensive player was relatively easy. Rating Selmon as the Sooners' top defensive player was a no-brainer. Choosing between the two is much, much tougher.
5. Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald vs. Otto Graham:
Do Wildcats fans choose the best-known player to come from their program, or do they instead side with their new coach?
Click here for the complete results from the second round of semifinals:
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1144&CID=559770
Fans Face Tough calls In Greatest player Finals
by: Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Football Staff Writer
Johnny Rodgers eluded the questions nearly as well as he avoided defenders.
Who's the best Nebraska football player of all time?
Rodgers will let the voters decide.
"I wouldn't know," the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner told Rivals.com. "It's not for me to say."
The battle between Rodgers and former star quarterback Tommie Frazier marks only one of the many intriguing matchups in the final round of voting to determine the greatest football player ever at each of the BCS conference schools.
Rodgers' explosiveness as a runner, receiver and punt returner helped Nebraska win 31 consecutive games and capture two national titles during his career. Frazier overcame blood clots to direct the Cornhuskers to back-to-back national titles in 1994 and 1995.
Choosing between them is almost as tough for Husker fans as selecting a favorite son.
Fans of other schools face equally difficult decisions.
Tony Dorsett or Dan Marino? Vince Young or Earl Campbell? Red Grange or Dick Butkus? Billy Sims or Lee Roy Selmon?
They're the kind of debates that can last all day without anyone reaching a consensus opinion. No wonder the players themselves want no part of the process.
South Carolina's George Rogers wouldn't mind if Sterling Sharpe came out on top in the final.
"I don't care who wins," said 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, who is squaring off with star receiver Sterling Sharpe in the final round of South Carolina's ballot. "It's a team thing for me. I don't want to be called the best player. I want to be called a team player. That's how I look at it. I'm sure Sterling feels the same way."
The guys on the ballots might not want to comment, but at least one other former player knew which way he'd vote regarding his alma mater.
Mark May played alongside Marino on the great Pittsburgh teams of the early 1980s, but the former All-America offensive lineman still believes 1976 Heisman Trophy winner Dorsett is the greatest Panther of them all.
Dorsett led the Panthers to the 1976 national title and held the NCAA career rushing record for 22 years. May was being recruited when Pitt sent him a 1976 highlight video that showed Dorsett making some of his greatest runs as Frank Sinatra's "My Way" played in the background.
"Nothing will top that," May said. "I've been to three Super Bowls, and nothing will top that moment for me. Being a young man just 16 years old, it just made an impact on me.''
As interesting as some of these championship matchups look, it's tough to imagine any of them matching the razor-thin margins of two of last week's semifinal pairings.
Former Oregon State running back Ken Simonton received only six more votes (out of 1,416 cast) than Mike Hass, who won the 2005 Biletnikoff Award that goes to the nation's top college receiver.
Kansas State's semifinal was even closer.
Former quarterback and 1998 Heisman Trophy runner-up Michael Bishop edged ex-running back Darren Sproles by just three votes out of 4,300 cast.
"I knew this one would be close, but nobody can predict it being that close," said Tim Fitzgerald, the publisher of GoPowercat.com. "There actually was controversy on picking our top four. Some thought (former quarterback) Lynn Dickey should have been on the list instead of Michael Bishop. This proves that the general populace believes Michael Bishop is a very gifted player, to beat out Darren Sproles."
Five Surprises
1. Ole Miss: Deuce McAllister over Eli Manning:
There will be no father-son showdown to determine Mississippi's greatest player ever. In perhaps the most stunning result of all the semifinals, McAllister earned nearly 70 percent of the votes against the current New York Giants quarterback. McAllister now faces Eli's dad, Archie Manning, in the final round.
2. Oregon: Dan Fouts over Joey Harrington:
Success in the NFL apparently means quite a bit to our voters. Fouts threw more interceptions than touchdowns and barely completed half his passes at Oregon, but the Pro Football Hall of Famer still received 63 percent of the votes against the 2001 All-America quarterback.
3. West Virginia: Darryl Talley over Amos Zereoue:
The voting in this contest traditionally has rewarded more recent players and guys at the more glamorous positions, but this was an exception to the rule. Talley, a linebacker from 1979-82, received 56 percent of the vote to beat Zereoue, a running back from 1995-98.
4. Texas: Earl Campbell over Ricky Williams:
Campbell's win wasn't a surprise, but the margin of victory was downright shocking. Campbell earned nearly 70 percent of the votes in this battle of the Longhorn running backs.
5. North Carolina State: Roman Gabriel over Ted Brown:
Brown's status as the leading career rusher in Atlantic Coast Conference history couldn't help him garner more than 40.5 percent of the votes against the former Wolfpack quarterback.
Five Landslides
1. Illinois: Dick Butkus over Jim Grabowski:
Butkus rolled to a semifinal victory with 96.4 percent of the 1,865 votes cast. After two one-sided semifinals, the Illinois championship round between Butkus and Red Grange could prove to be the closest in the nation.
2. Virginia Tech: Bruce Smith over Cornell Brown:
Virginia Tech fans had no trouble deciding Smith was the best defensive end in Hokie history, as they handed the former Buffalo Bills star 94.7 percent of their votes. They may have a tougher time this week deciding between Smith and Michael Vick.
3. Michigan State: Bubba Smith over Don Coleman:
Butkus' partner in those old beer commercials had nearly as easy a time of it in his semifinal. Smith received 91.8 percent of the votes to roll into a championship confrontation with former teammate George Webster.
4. Northwestern: Otto Graham over Ron Burton:
The first Northwestern semifinal between Pat Fitzgerald and Darnell Autry was one of the tightest in the country. This one wasn't nearly as close, as Graham picked up 88.2 percent of the votes.
5. Southern California: Ronnie Lott over Ron Yary:
It's going to be tough for any offensive lineman from the 1960s to have enough name recognition to win this contest, particularly when he's going up against arguably the greatest safety in the history of the game. Lott received 86.5 percent of the votes and will face O.J. Simpson in the championship round.
Five Close Calls
1. Kansas State: Michael Bishop over Darren Sproles:
Mathematically, it can't get much closer than this. Bishop won by a three-vote margin out of 4,300 cast.
2. Oregon State: Ken Simonton over Mike Hass:
Hass caught just about everything thrown to him last year, but he couldn't quite catch up to the greatest running back in Beaver history. Simonton eked out a six-vote victory out of 1,416 votes cast.
3. Georgia Tech: Billy Lothridge over Randy Rhino:
The former quarterback received 51.4 percent of the votes and will face Joe Hamilton in a showdown of Heisman Trophy runners-up.
4. LSU: Josh Reed over Bert Jones:
Reed also earned 51.4 percent of the votes and will face Billy Cannon to determine the greatest Tiger ever.
5. Penn State: LaVar Arrington over John Cappelletti:
The former All-America linebacker received 52.1 percent of the votes to edge the 1973 Heisman Trophy winner. Arrington next faces former running back Curt Warner.
Five to Watch This Week
1. Illinois: Red Grange vs. Dick Butkus:
The Illini might not have the Big Ten's greatest football history, but you'll have a tough time finding a final-round matchup better than this one.
2. Pittsburgh: Tony Dorsett vs. Dan Marino:
Two of the greatest offensive players of their generation face off.
3. Texas: Vince Young vs. Earl Campbell:
These two were almost impossible to bring down during their college careers. Which one will be the last Longhorn standing?
4. Oklahoma: Billy Sims vs. Lee Roy Selmon:
Calling Sims Oklahoma's greatest offensive player was relatively easy. Rating Selmon as the Sooners' top defensive player was a no-brainer. Choosing between the two is much, much tougher.
5. Northwestern: Pat Fitzgerald vs. Otto Graham:
Do Wildcats fans choose the best-known player to come from their program, or do they instead side with their new coach?
Click here for the complete results from the second round of semifinals:
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1144&CID=559770