The All-Time All-America team for college football's 150th anniversary

#77
#77
Other than Steve, who was doing that at the time? I honestly can't remember.

Not that many power 5 teams. Georgia was actually throwing a ton back then, and then of course you had schools like BYU and Houston. You also had random teams who would just mold their system to their star qb, which Tenn finally did his senior year and we threw a ton.

If you can believe it, Eric Zeir was throwing well over 400 times per season as an upperclassman and Peyton only did that once.
 
#79
#79
No one is questioning Peyton's overall greatness or greatness at the professional level in particular. The fact that he was drafted #1 overall is meaningless to this discussion.

It answers your question: what was outstanding about his college career.

It's not just one or two games or the SEC Championship.

It's the whole body of work and the upside potential.
 
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#80
#80
Let's remember, ESPN has never been kind to Tennessee.

If Manning gets the #1 spot (disregard Staubach, who's there only bc he played for a Service Academy), the evidence was overwhelmingly strong.
 
#84
#84
Any list without Randy Moss can't be trusted.

Edit: Oh I see now, 2nd team over Fitzgerald? Definitely can't be trusted
 
#86
#86
Doug Atkins was named the SEC Player of the Quarter Century (1950-1975) and he doesn't get a mention. Doug is one of the most feared players in college and NFL history. Should have been mentioned.

I'm from Atkins hometown....When Doug would come home to visit family he would come down to the local cafe every morning where several of us would meet at 7:30 and he'd sit with us and drink coffee and tell stories that I still laugh about. He put the fear in me justing sitting next to him drinking coffee. I kid you not...a coffee cup in his hand looked like a thimble and his biceps where so huge it was hard for him to get the cup to his mouth. A list like this without him on it is a fail IMO.
 
#87
#87
Lol, good one. Think of that all on your own?

And btw, I'm from TN lulz (I was just educated properly)
No it’s because I’m old enough to remember when Florida had has many fans as ole miss did. And because I’ve seen your posts before
 
#88
#88
Memphis is also a big deal to me. You think of all the QB's that would be in the argument in this discussion.

How do you have the supposed GOAT at QB on your squad, and your squad is loaded, and you are going to go lose to Memphis?

But, it's more than that. I really could not recall a Peyton performance where I sat back and thought "wow". And some of that is probably on the coaches. The whole "the only guy who could hold Michael Jordan under 20 points a game was Dean Smith" thing. Because everyone here would be lying if you would argue that Tennessee offenses of the 90's were the same as the Florida offenses at that time. What would Peyton have done playing for Spurrier? I don't know.
It was a fluke loss and that was on the coaches being conservative with their game plan and the refs gave Memphis a TD which shouldn’t have stood. It had little to do with Peyton

And you couldn’t recall because you’re a gator fan who was ignorant of actual UT games.

And again who cares about your opinion about Peyton and on a UT board no less?

Tebow was an ok system QB. There’s a reason he couldn’t play in the NFL
 
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#89
#89
Doug Atkins was named the SEC Player of the Quarter Century (1950-1975) and he doesn't get a mention. Doug is one of the most feared players in college and NFL history. Should have been mentioned.


You are absolutely correct. Fast-forward to the 4:34 mark of this video clip (). There are only about 4:00 of coverage pertaining to Doug but they are truly vintage stuff. Perhaps the most impressive of which are the following quotes:

Pierson: “One time I was at the [Pro Football] Hall of Fame, and I got to have lunch with a bunch of Hall of Famers. There were about eight guys at the table. They talked about one person for 45 minutes, Doug Atkins. It was amazing to me that the legends were talking about one particular legend. So he clearly was a legend among legends, which was fascinating to me.”

That qualifies as the ultimate compliment to the greatness of Doug Atkins.
 
#90
#90
I'm from Atkins hometown....When Doug would come home to visit family he would come down to the local cafe every morning where several of us would meet at 7:30 and he'd sit with us and drink coffee and tell stories that I still laugh about. He put the fear in me justing sitting next to him drinking coffee. I kid you not...a coffee cup in his hand looked like a thimble and his biceps where so huge it was hard for him to get the cup to his mouth. A list like this without him on it is a fail IMO.

Was Atkins from Millport, Al?
 
#92
#92
A few posters on here refer to "eras" from which different players come.
The one player even we hardly ever mention in the "best ever category" is the big bad Doug Atkins.... Place him in any era and he would be a dominant force. Finding film on him is tough until you get to his pro years, then you can see what he was on the field. DOMINANT!!!
 
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#93
#93
I don't know what you watched, but Peyton personally lost the 1996 Florida game all by himself giving his team absolutely no chance to win. Peyton threw 4 interceptions in the first half.

I'll give you 95. 1996, he was terrible. The yards he eventually piled up that day were meaningless and I'd bet he'd tell you the same thing.
One or two games a career does not make.
 
#94
#94
I'm from Atkins hometown....When Doug would come home to visit family he would come down to the local cafe every morning where several of us would meet at 7:30 and he'd sit with us and drink coffee and tell stories that I still laugh about. He put the fear in me justing sitting next to him drinking coffee. I kid you not...a coffee cup in his hand looked like a thimble and his biceps where so huge it was hard for him to get the cup to his mouth. A list like this without him on it is a fail IMO.

In his later years (late 70's early 80's) to see him in the lobby of the Hyatt before games, if you were standing on the next level steps over looking the crowd he would be easily spotted. Head and mostly shoulders above everyone else. As I said "BAD MAN".
 
#97
#97
First Team:
DE Reggie White, Tennessee (1980-83)
Sacks: 32 | Tackles: 293 | Fumble recoveries: 4
Before White became the "Minister of Defense" and retired as the NFL's all-time sack leader, he was the most menacing pass-rusher in Tennessee history. During White's senior season in 1983, he had 100 tackles, 72 unassisted, and set a UT single-season record with 15 sacks. He had a sack in every game but two and had four in a 45-6 victory over The Citadel, another school record. White was a consensus All-American and was named SEC Player of the Year. "There's never been a better one," former Volunteers coach Johnny Majors said. "He could turn a football game around like no one else."

Second Team:
QB Peyton Manning, Tennessee (1994-97)
Passing yards: 11,201 | Completion pct.: .625 | TDs: 89
The ABCs that endeared Manning to the nation through his 17 seasons in professional football first shone through his four seasons in Knoxville: his affability, his brain for football, and his commitment. He took college football seriously not for the millions it might (and did) afford him professionally, but because he loved it, loved the stories that dad Archie told him about playing at Ole Miss, and loved the stories he created at Tennessee. No, he didn't win a national championship and (because!) he didn't beat Florida. But Bear Bryant never beat Notre Dame, and his career turned out all right, too. Manning won the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Sullivan Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award during his senior season in 1997.

The All-Time All-America team for college football's 150th anniversary

Hard to argue with any of the selections. However I would divide college football into 2 eras, when guys went both ways and then after 64 when you had unlimited substitution and pick a team for both.
 
#98
#98
Was Atkins from Millport, Al?
He was from Humboldt Tn.

Also Jr. Reid who played for Majors is from Humboldt....Charles Rosenfelder.....Kacey Rodgers who until last year was the DC for the NY Jets and is now the Dline coach at Tampa Bay and was also the Dline coach for the Cowboys under Tuna and also Dline coach at Miami before getting the DC job for the Jets.....Also Toby Champion who was a OG at UT under Fulmer......Last but not least Murray Warmath who played at UT under Gen Neyland and won a national championship as the head coach at Minnesota in 1960. Several D1 talent came out of that little town of 9,000 over they years.
 
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#99
#99
In his later years (late 70's early 80's) to see him in the lobby of the Hyatt before games, if you were standing on the next level steps over looking the crowd he would be easily spotted. Head and mostly shoulders above everyone else. As I said "BAD MAN".
Rode the shuttle from the Hyatt to Neyland stadium with him several times during those years you mentioned.
 
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