The game of college football has had some all-time greats throughout the years, and putting together a greatest list is not only a hard task, but a daunting one. But that didn’t deter Sports Illustrated, which recently published a list of the top 50 college football players of all-time.
There are some great names on there, including former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin, you know, the only player to have won the Heisman Trophy twice. That alone, you would think, would put him high atop any list of all-time players, especially when you note some of the superlatives. Griffin is the all-time OSU leader in rushing yards with 5.589 yards, and had an astounding 31-straight games with at least 100 rushing yards, a record that still stands today. Not only that, but Griffin played on Woody Hayes’ teams that relied heavily on the run. Defenses knew Griffin was getting the ball, and he still found a way to be extremely productive and explosive.
Yet, somehow, someway, Griffin was only ranked as the No. 21 best player of all-time. Not only did he not make the top ten, but he was curiously listed outside the top 20 of all-time. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, and that’s exactly what this is, but you’d be hard-pressed to find too many folks who know the history of college football who would rank Griffin that low.
The top 50 is a who’s who of college football history, and we’re not saying that the guys on the list don’t deserve to be on it, because they do, but rather than make more of a case for the Columbus area product to be higher, we’ll just drop the top 20 for you here.
1. Jim Brown (Syracuse RB/DB/K, 1954-56)
2. Herschel Walker (Georgia RB, 1980-82)
3. Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State RB, 1986-88)
4. Jim Thorpe (Carlisle RB/DB/K/P, 1907-08, 1911-12)
5. Cam Newton (Auburn QB, 2010; Florida QB, 2007-08)
6. Bo Jackson (Auburn RB, 1982-85)
7. Dick Butkus (Illinois LB/C, 1962-64)
8. Tim Tebow (Florida QB, 2006-09)
9. Red Grange (Illinois RB/DB, 1923-25)
10. Orlando Pace (Ohio State OT, 1994-96)
11. Earl Campbell (Texas RB, 1974-77)
12. Hugh Green (Pittsburgh DE, 1977-80)
13. Joe Burrow (LSU QB, 2018-19; Ohio State QB, 2015-17)
14. Deion Sanders (Florida State CB, 1985-88)
15. Reggie Bush (USC RB, 2003-05)
16. Roger Staubach (Navy QB, 1961-64)
17. Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh RB, 1973-76)
18. Charles Woodson (Michigan CB/WR, 1995-97)
19. Vince Young (Texas QB, 2002-05)
20. Ricky Williams (Texas RB, 1992-95)
We do spy a couple of other Ohio State players on there, which is great, but even then, any list of greatest OSU players would begin in earnest with Griffin. The list is a pretty good one, it’s just hard to fathom the only guy to win the bronze statue twice not appearing in the top 20.
To catch the rest of the all-time top 50 college football players of all time as determined by Sports Illustrated, feel free to head on over and check it out.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State great Archie Griffin snubbed in SI’s CFB top 50 All-time?
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
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By Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire | USA TODAY Network
