Four Texas legends have been named to the Football Writers Association of America’s 75th anniversary All-America Team.
“This was one of the most fun, yet most hard exercises I’ve had in life - next to parallel parking, that is”, said Kirk Bohls, the chairman of the FWAA 75th All-America Committee, in a press release.
The FWAA, founded in 1941, began naming All-America teams in 1944.
Nominations for the 75-member team from were accepted from all FWAA members earlier this year and a Blue Ribbon panle of past FWAA presidents, current board members and officers selected the team this summer. That committee put the finishing touches on selecting the 75-man team. He became the only player to win the Heisman after playing significant minutes on both sides the early 1960s. Neither did quarterback Vince Young, who in 2005 led UT to its first national championship in more than three decades. Michigan State held three of its 1965 opponents to negative rushing yards: Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame. The All-American running backs are the first-team duo of Archie Griffin of Ohio State and Herschel Walker of Georgia, the second-team duo of Tony Dorsett of Pittsburgh and Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State, and the third-team duo of Jackson and Doak Walker of SMU. In addition, he was selected UPI Lineman of the Year in 1966. He was a rookie on the Rams’ Super Bowl winning team in 1999. On the three 25-man teams, the Cornhuskers led all schools with six selections - including four on the first team - and four of their overall honorees are Outland Trophy winners. In 2006, he was rated among the Top 10 Greatest Defensive Players of All-Time, according to lists compiled by CollegeFootballNews.com’s Pete Fiutak (No. 6) and Richard Cirminiello (No. 8). His No. 62 is one of two retired numbers at Iowa (No. 24, Nile Kinnick).
When Bly repeated consensus honors in 1997, he became the first two-time consensus All-America in UNC football history.
Born February 28, 1945, in Orange, Texas, Smith died August. 3, 2011, at his home in Los Angeles, Calif. He was 66.
The Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
