Best CFB Players by Jersey Number

[TheStoicPaisano]

A little project done by Maisel and the boys at ESPN (I know, I know).
Any suggestions for #29? Pepe Pearson is the best Buckeye to wear it. #69?

1. Anthony Carter, WR, Michigan, 1979-82

Carter is the best of the four Michigan receivers to wear No. 1, which is to Wolverine wideouts what No. 44 is to Syracuse running backs.Honorable mention: Michigan WRs Derrick Alexander, Braylon Edwards and David Terrell; Michigan State WR Charles Rogers; Illinois WR David Williams.

2. Deion Sanders, CB, Florida State, 1985-88

Put up this number in neon, and give it to Sanders instead of the 1997 Heisman winner, <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Michigan</st1></st1:state> defensive back/kick returner Charles Woodson. Nobody covered receivers like Deion.Honorable mention: Notre Dame QB Tom Clements; Ohio State CB Mike Doss; USC QB Morley Drury; Michigan DB Charles Woodson.

3. Joe Montana, QB, Notre Dame, 1975-78

He looked even skinnier with a single digit than he did wearing No. 16 with the 49ers. But <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Montana</st1></st1:state> is the narrow winner over a field full of top quarterbacks.Honorable mention: Florida State K Scott Bentley; Notre Dame QB Ralph Gugliemi; Clemson QB Homer Jordan; USC QB Carson Palmer.

4. Brett Favre, QB, Southern Miss, 1987-90

An even number but an odd one, too: not a lot of players have worn it. Favre put the Golden Eagles on the map with their 1990 upset of Alabama.Honorable mention: Washington State PK Jason Hanson; Michigan QB Jim Harbaugh; Miami QB Steve Walsh; California RB Russell White.

5. Reggie Bush, TB, USC, 2003-05

The best gamebreaker (and anklebreaker) of his generation, and maybe any generation, Bush electrified everyone who saw him play.Honorable mention: UCLA S Kenny Easley, UCLA; Notre Dame QB Paul Hornung; Miami TB Edgerrin James; Syracuse QB Donovan McNabb; TCU TB LaDainian Tomlinson.

6. BYU QBs Robbie Bosco, 1983-85 | Marc Wilson, 1977-79

Two in a series of outstanding Cougars passers. Bosco led BYU to its only national championship in 1984.Honorable mention: Alabama FB John Cain; who else but Washington QB Sonny Sixkiller?

7. Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida, 1993-96

The '96 Heisman winner was the best passer and leader of the Gators' Fun and Gun attack. No one was better at listening to what volatile coach Steve Spurrier said instead of how he said it.Honorable mention: Stanford QB John Elway; Notre Dame QB John Huarte; <st1:city w:st="on">Miami</st1:city> (<st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Ohio</st1></st1:state>) QB Ben Roethlisberger; Auburn QB Pat Sullivan; Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick.

8. Davey O'Brien, QB, TCU, 1935-38

He may have been only 5-foot-7, but O'Brien's ability to run, pass and elude tacklers kept the Horned Frogs among the nation's best, where his predecessor Sammy Baugh had taken them.Honorable mention: UCLA QB Troy Aikman (note: Aikman wore No. 18 in his brief career at Oklahoma in 1985); Fresno State QB David Carr.

9. Jim McMahon, QB, BYU, 1977-78, 1980-81

McMahon didn't win a national championship, like Bosco, or a Heisman, like Ty Detmer, but he was the best quarterback of the many that came through the LaVell Edwards Finishing School.Honorable mention: Purdue QB Mark Herrmann; Alcorn State QB Steve McNair; Florida State WR/KR Peter Warrick.

10. Vince Young, QB, Texas, 2003-05

He led the Longhorns to a national championship with the best single big-game performance by a quarterback since, oh, 1869? InVincible, indeed.Honorable mention: Yale QB Brian Dowling, the inspiration for Doonesbury's B.D.; <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Minnesota</st1> </st1:state>single-wing TB Paul Giel; Texas RB James Saxton.

11. Matt Leinart, QB, USC, 2002-05

Leinart began his Trojans career unheralded. He finished with one Heisman, two national championships and three outstanding seasons as a passer and leader of one the game's greatest offenses ever.Honorable mention: Oregon State QB Terry Baker; Miami QB Ken Dorsey; Centre QB Bo McMillin; California C Roy "<st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Wrong Way</st1:address></st1:street>" Riegels; Florida QB Steve Spurrier; Houston QB Andre Ware.

12. Roger Staubach, QB, Navy, 1962-64

He was The Dodger before he was a Cowboy. With Staubach under center, the Midshipmen came within a game of the 1963 national title. No service academy has come as close since.Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Alabama</st1></st1:state> QBs Joe Namath and Ken Stabler; Cal QB Joe Roth; USC TB Charles White; Grambling QB Doug Williams.

13. Frankie Albert, QB, Stanford, 1939-41

The leader of the Wow Boys, the lefty remained the gold standard for Stanford QBs until Jim Plunkett won the Heisman three decades later. Honorable mention: Pitt QB Dan Marino; Miami QB Gino Torretta; USC QB Cotton Warburton.

14. Don Hutson, E, Alabama, 1932-34

Hutson revolutionized the game with his ability to make big plays as a pass catcher. His ability overshadowed the other end on the '34 Crimson Tide Rose Bowl team: Paul Bryant.Honorable mention: BYU QB Ty Detmer; Yale B Clint Frank; Notre Dame HB John Lattner; Nebraska QB Jerry Tagge; Miami QB Vinny Testaverde.

15. Tommie Frazier, QB, Nebraska, 1992-95

After leading the Huskers to two national championships, Frazier should be on the short list of anyone's best quarterbacks. Nobody turned the corner on an option like he did.Honorable mention: Purdue QBs Drew Brees and Mike Phipps; Minnesota QB Sandy Stephens; Wisconsin QB Ron Vander Kelen.

16. Peyton Manning, QB, Tennessee, 1994-97

So he couldn't beat <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Florida</st1></st1:state><st1:state w:st="on"></st1:state>. Manning remains the pick here over a trio of Heisman winners, not to mention a slew of other great quarterbacks. Honorable mention: UCLA QB Gary Beban; Kentucky QB George Blanda; Toledo QB Chuck Ealey; Iowa QB Chuck Long; Stanford QB Jim Plunkett; Louisville QB Johnny Unitas; Florida State QB Chris Weinke.

17. Charlie Ward, QB, Florida State, 1989-93

Once Bobby Bowden cut him loose in a no-huddle, "fast break" offense, the 1993 Heisman winner won Bowden the national championship that had eluded him for so many years.Honorable mention: Tennessee QB Bobby Dodd; Tulsa QB Jerry Rhome; Army QB Arnold Tucker.

18. Archie Manning, QB, Ole Miss, 1968-70

They wrote songs about him, named babies after him and idolized him as a beacon in an otherwise dark time<st1:state w:st="on"><st1> in Mississippi</st1></st1:state>. The speed limit on the Ole Miss campus remains 18 mph to this day.Honorable mention: NC State QB Roman Gabriel.

19. Rashaan Salaam, TB, Colorado, 1993-94

Salaam won the 1994 Heisman with a running style that combined speed and power. SMU's Eric Dickerson might have won this number, but we couldn't afford what it cost to recruit him.Honorable mention: SMU TB Eric Dickerson.

20. Earl Campbell, RB, Texas, 1974-77

The Tyler Rose is the best of five Heisman winners who wore this number. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Campbell</st1></st1:city> didn't take blows so much as he delivered them. He also rewrote the Longhorns record book.Honorable mention: LSU RB Billy Cannon; USC HB Mike Garrett; Miami QB Bernie Kosar; Nebraska WR/KR Johnny Rodgers; OU RB Billy Sims.

21. Barry Sanders, TB, Oklahoma State, 1986-88

Sanders didn't attract a lot of recruiting attention, and he had trouble dislodging Thurman Thomas from the Cowboys' lineup. Then he had the single best season any ball carrier has ever had.Honorable mention: Michigan WR/KR Desmond Howard; Georgia HB Frank Sinkwich

22. Doug Flutie, QB, Boston College,1981-84

Flutie not only won the 1984 Heisman but also saved the Eagles' program. The influx of ticket buyers he attracted provided the impetus for BC to get into the Big East, and the rest is history.Honorable mention: Ohio State HB Les Horvath; UNC HB Charlie Justice; Alabama TB Johnny Musso; Florida TB Emmitt Smith; USC WR Lynn Swann.

23. Jim Swink, RB, TCU, 1954-56

The best back the Horned Frogs produced before LaDainian Tomlinson finished fourth in the 2000 Heisman race, yet Swink is largely unknown outside of the state.Honorable mention: Purdue RB Leroy Keyes; Penn State RB Lydell Mitchell; SMU WR Jerry LeVias.

24. Nile Kinnick, RB, Iowa, 1937-39

The 1939 Heisman winner remains frozen in time as a football and statewide hero after his death in a training flight during World War II. His face is on the coin flipped before every Big Ten game.Honorable mention: Army HB Pete Dawkins; Colorado RB Byron "Whizzer" White.

25. Tommy McDonald, RB, Oklahoma, 1954-56

He should have won the 1956 Heisman that went to Paul Hornung. Instead, McDonald settled for the Maxwell Award. In his three varsity seasons, in which he averaged 6.8 yards per carry, OU never lost.Honorable mention: Florida State WR Fred Biletnikoff; Notre Dame WR/KR Raghib Ismail; Penn State RB Curt Warner.

26. Riley Smith, QB/FB, Alabama, 1933-35

Overshadowed by Don Hutson, Smith ran, passed and kicked his way to becoming a two-time All-American. He was the second player picked in the first NFL draft, in 1936.Honorable mention: Cal TE/KR Kevin Moen, who knocked over a Stanford trombone player to score the winning TD in the 1982 Big Game; Miami S Sean Taylor.

27. Eddie George, TB, Ohio State, 1992-95

The 1995 Heisman winner (1,927 yards, 24 touchdowns) combined size and speed to be one of the dominant rushers of the 1990s.Honorable mention: Navy HB Joe Bellino; Florida State CB Terrell Buckley; Nebraska WR Irving Fryar.

28. Warrick Dunn, TB, Florida State, 1993-96

As a quiet freshman in 1993, he teamed with Seminoles quarterback Charlie Ward to lead <st1><st1>Florida</st1><st1> State</st1></st1> to its first national championship. He went on to become the best rusher (3,959 yards) in school history.Honorable mention: Iowa State TB Troy Davis; San Diego State TB Marshall Faulk; UCLA HB Jackie Robinson.

29. THIS SPACE AVAILABLE

After a lot of exhaustive but obviously incomplete research, we found no one who has worn this number to meet our floating definition of greatest player to wear this number. If you know of someone, let us know.Honorable mention: None

30. Mike Rozier, RB, Nebraska, 1981-83

Rozier won the Heisman in 1983, when he rushed for 2,148 yards on only 275 carries (a 7.8-yard average). Rozier was the most dangerous weapon on the best offense of his generation.Honorable mention: Stanford WR James Lofton; Navy TB Napoleon McCallum; Oklahoma RB Greg Pruitt.

31. Vic Janowicz, HB, Ohio State, 1949-51

Janowicz won the Heisman in 1950 as a junior, when he accumulated 875 total yards and 16 touchdowns. He was equally effective as a punter and continues to be known as one of the most versatile Buckeyes ever.Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on">North Carolina</st1:state> CB Dre Bly; <st1><st1>Penn</st1> <st1>State</st1></st1> LBs Shane Conlan and Paul Posluszny.

32. John Lujack, QB, Notre Dame, 1943, 1946-47

This number may be more identified with O.J. Simpson, but Lujack was the biggest star on one of the greatest teams in the history of college football. He won the Heisman in 1947.Honorable mention: USC RB O.J. Simpson; Ohio State DB Jack Tatum; Indiana TB Anthony Thompson.

33. Tony Dorsett, RB, Pittsburgh, 1973-76

Touchdown Tony finished his career as the most prolific rusher in NCAA history (6,082 yards, a record since broken by, among others, <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Wisconsin</st1></st1:state>'s No. 33, Ron Dayne). Dorsett won the Heisman in 1976, the year he led Pitt to the national championship.Honorable mention: USC RB Marcus Allen; Wisconsin TB Ron Dayne.

34. Herschel Walker, TB, Georgia, 1980-82

We could stay up all night arguing whether the best 34 in history was Walker, Bo Jackson or Ricky Williams. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Walker</st1></st1:city> gets the jersey here because he won a Heisman and led the Dawgs to No. 1.Honorable mention: Nebraska LB Trev Alberts; Auburn RB Bo Jackson; Texas RB Ricky Williams.

35. Felix 'Doc' Blanchard , FB, Army, 1944-46

Mr. Inside started his career at <st1:state w:st="on">North Carolina</st1:state>; then he moved to <st1>West Point</st1> and became a national star. He won the 1945 Heisman, and the Black Knights never lost a game during his career.Honorable mention: Wisconsin FB Alan Ameche; Oklahoma HB Billy Vessels; Grambling RB Paul (Tank) Younger.

36. Bennie Blades, S, Miami, 1985-87

Blades was overshadowed during that Hurricane dynasty because his personality didn't loom as large as he did in the secondary. He is a member of the newest class of the College Football Hall of Fame.Honorable mention: Cal HB Jackie Jensen; Oklahoma FB Steve Owens; <st1><st1>Ohio </st1><st1>State</st1></st1> LB Chris Spielman.

37. Doak Walker, RB, SMU, 1945, 1947-49

There was only one Doaker, one of the biggest reasons that college football was second only to baseball in popularity after World War II. Forget his 1948 Heisman. He made the cover of "Life"!Honorable mention: LSU DB Tommy Casanova.

38. George Rogers, RB, South Carolina, 1977-80

He remains the only Gamecock to win the Heisman (1980). In fact, no other <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>South Carolina</st1></st1:state> player has come close. <st1:city w:st="on">Rogers</st1:city> rushed for 1,781 yards and 14 touchdowns that season.Honorable mention: <st1><st1>Florida</st1><st1> State</st1></st1> kicker Sebastian Janikowski; Ole Miss DB Chucky Mullins; Oklahoma S Roy Williams.

39. John Kimbrough, FB, Texas A&M, 1938-40

Jarrin' John was huge for his day at 6-2 and, depending upon whom you believe, 210 or 222 pounds. He led the Aggies to their only national title in 1939. Kimbrough rushed for 658 yards that season and also made six INTs.Honorable mention: USC FB Sam Cunningham; Minnesota TB Darrell Thompson.

40. Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, RB/DB Ohio State, 1952-55

The 1955 Heisman winner, two-way star and two-time All-American would have been a household name even if he hadn't borrowed his nickname from Hollywood star Hopalong Cassidy. Honorable mention: Wisconsin E/HB Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch; <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Illinois</st1></st1:state> LB Dana Howard.

41. Glenn Davis, HB, Army, 1943-46

Mr. Outside is still considered the greatest athlete ever to enroll at <st1>West Point</st1>. He won the 1946 Heisman with speed and elusiveness considered revolutionary in his time.Honorable mention: Ohio State RB Keith Byars; Michigan RB Rob Lytle.

42. Ronnie Lott, S, USC, 1977-80

He remains one of the smartest, fiercest defensive backs in the history of the Trojans.Honorable mention: Princeton TB Dick Kazmaier; Alabama FB Tommy Lewis, who came off the bench in the 1954 Cotton Bowl to tackle Rice's Dicky Maegle; Minnesota HB Bruce Smith.

43. Terry Kinard, DB, Clemson, 1978-82

A leader on the improbable 1981 national champions, Kinard combined the skills of a ballhawk with the smackpower of a linebacker. Honorable mention: Drake HB Johnny Bright; Oklahoma State TB Terry Miller; USC S Troy Polamalu.

44. Syracuse RBs: Jim Brown, 1959-61 | Floyd Little, 1964-66 | 1954-56, Ernie Davis

You could debate which number is most identified with one position at one school. This gets my vote. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Davis</st1></st1:city> won the 1961 Heisman; Brown nearly won it in '56, and Little stepped into their shoes nicely.Honorable mention: Oklahoma LB Brian Bosworth; Missouri QB Paul Christman; Texas A&M RB John David Crow; Cornell RB Ed Marinaro.

45. Sammy Baugh, QB, TCU, 1934-36

Why Baugh and not two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin? Not only was Baugh a great passer but he became the first great passing star the game ever had.Honorable mention: Clemson LB Jeff Davis; Ohio State TB Archie Griffin; Tennesse TB Johnny Majors.

46. Bob Ferguson, FB, Ohio State, 1959-61

The two-time All-American and three-time leading rusher for the Buckeyes finished as runner-up for the 1961 Heisman to Ernie Davis of Syracuse.Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on">Texas</st1:state> RB <st1>Roosevelt</st1> Leaks.

<!-- end intro description -->47. Michael Irvin, WR, Miami, 1985-87

A gamebreaker who left <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Miami</st1></st1:city> as the career leader in receptions (143) and yards (2,423). He remains the career leader in touchdown catches (26). In other words, he was money.Honorable mention: Iowa State LB Matt Blair; <st1><st1>Ohio</st1> <st1>State</st1></st1> RB Chic Harley and LB A.J. Hawk.

48. Angelo Bertelli, QB, Notre Dame, 1941-43

The 1943 Heisman winner threw 28 touchdown passes in his career. He also intercepted 12 passes and punted for a 35.8-yard average. He was a two-time All-American who did it all.Honorable mention: Tennessee HB Beattie Feathers; Michigan C Gerald Ford, our 38th president; Kansas RB Gale Sayers.

49. Bob Chappuis, HB, Michigan 1942, 1946-47

The All-American ran, passed, kicked and returned the Wolverines to a 10-0 record and a national championship in 1947, closing with a Rose Bowl record of 279 yards of total offense in a 49-0 defeat of USC. Honorable mention: Stanford FB Bob Mathias; North Carolina DE Julius Peppers.

50. Dick Butkus, LB/C, Illinois, 1962-64

On a number crowded with great players, Butkus, the man who defined the linebacker position in college and pro football, stands out. He finished third in the 1964 Heisman race. Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Nebraska</st1></st1:state> C Dave Rimington; Florida State NG Ron Simmons; Notre Dame DT Chris Zorich.

<!-- end intro description -->51. Ken Houston, LB, Prairie View A&M, 1964-66

<st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Houston</st1></st1:city> played defensive tackle in high school and safety as an NFL Hall of Famer. In the middle, he became a two-time All-American at linebacker for the Panthers. Honorable mention: Northwestern LB Pat Fitzgerald; North Carolina State OL Jim Ritcher.

52. Harry Gilmer, QB, Alabama, 1944-47

The last man to lead the Crimson Tide to the Rose Bowl also made the jump-pass famous. No one recommends it, but Gilmer completed more than 60 percent of his passes in two of his four seasons.Honorable mention: USC LB Jack <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Del Rio</st1></st1:city>; Miami LB Ray Lewis.

53. Randy Gradishar, LB, Ohio State, 1971-73

Gradishar not only became a two-time All-American for Woody Hayes but an Academic All-American as well. The college Hall of Fame selected him in 1998. Honorable mention: Auburn LB Ken Bernich; <st1>Florida</st1><st1> State</st1> C Clay Shiver; <st1><st1>Florida</st1> <st1>State</st1></st1> DL Corey Simon.

54. Lee Roy Jordan, LB, Alabama, 1960-62

Bear Bryant called Jordan the best linebacker he had ever coached. That's good enough for this list.Honorable mention: Syracuse DE Dwight Freeney; Alabama HB Dixie Howell; Minnesota HB Bruce Smith.

55. Jammal Brown, OT, Oklahoma 2001-04

Brown gave up only one sack in his career, give or take that final Orange Bowl disaster against USC. He began as a defensive lineman and brought that meanness across the line with him.Honorable mention: Texas Tech OL E.J. Holub; Florida State LB Marvin Jones; USC LB Junior Seau.

56. Micheal Barrow, LB, Miami, 1989-92

Along with Darrin Smith and Jessie Armstead, Barrow was a part of one of the best trio of linebackers in the history of the game. The 1992 All-American finished as a runner-up for the Butkus Award. Honorable mention: None.

57. Steve Kiner, LB, Tennessee, 1967-69

The College Football Hall of Famer started for three years and anchored the defense on a team that lost only three regular-season games and won two SEC championships.Honorable mention: Indiana E/FB Pete Pihos; Alabama C Dwight Stephenson.

<!-- end intro description -->58. Peter Boulware, DE, Florida State, 1994-96

The 1996 All-American had 34 sacks, including a school-record 19 in his final season, before leaving early for the NFL, where he made a seamless shift to linebacker.Honorable mention: Virginia Tech DE Cornell Brown; Navy T Bob Reifsnyder.

59. Joe DeLamielleure, OG, Michigan State, 1970-72

Not to make anyone feel old, but DeLamielleure started for three years and made All-Big Ten for two as a 242-pound guard. He went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career.Honorable mention: North Carolina E Andy Bershak; Kansas State LB Gary Spani.

60.Tommy Nobis, LB/G, <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Texas</st1>,</st1:state> 1963-65

The first two-time consensus All-American to wear burnt orange also is on the short list of the best linebackers ever to play the game. With Nobis, there were no yards after contact.Honorable mention: Penn C Chuck Bednarik; Northwestern HB Otto Graham.

61. Jim Lynch, LB, Notre Dame, 1964-66

The captain, leading tackler and All-American on the national champion Irish team of 1966 is also a College Football Hall of Famer. Honorable mention: <st1>Auburn</st1> G Zeke Smith; Tennessee C Willis Tucker, whose number was retired after he died in World War II.

62. Jim Parker, G, Ohio State, 1954-56

Parker dominated his side of the line in Woody Hayes' run-oriented offense and then became a Hall of Fame pass blocker in the NFL. He won the 1956 Outland Trophy. Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on">Iowa</st1:state> G Cal Jones;<st1:state w:st="on"><st1> Maryland</st1> </st1:state>QB Jack Scarbath; Georgia HB Charley Trippi.

63. Mike Singletary, LB, Baylor, 1977-80

The ballhawk with the laser stare led Baylor in tackles for three years. Baylor credits him with 662 tackles in his career. No wonder he was a two-time consensus All-American. Honorable mention: USC OT/OG Booker Brown.

64. Bob Brown, G, Nebraska, 1961-63

One of the building blocks on which coach Bob Devaney built a program, Brown became a consensus All-American in 1963. The College Football Hall of Fame elected him 30 years later. Honorable mention: Notre Dame G Nick Buoniconti; Ohio State OG Jim Lachey.

65. Joe Schmidt, LB/G, Pittsburgh, 1950-52

An All-American as a senior, Schmidt played as tough as his name sounded. He went on to a 13-year NFL career with <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Detroit</st1></st1:city>, where he also became the head coach. Honorable mention: None.

66. Clemson: Banks McFadden, HB, 1937-39 | William Perry, DT, 1981-84

McFadden put Clemson on the map by leading the Tigers to the 1940 Cotton Bowl. The Fridge played on their 1981 national championship team and became an All-American as a junior. Honorable mention: Navy OL Steve Eisenhauer; Washington G/LB Rick Redman.

67. Russell Maryland, DT, Miami, 1986-90

Barely recruited out of <st1><st1:city w:st="on">Chicago</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Maryland</st1:state></st1> slimmed down and became a dominating force. He was a member of two national champions and won the 1990 Outland Trophy. Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Colorado</st1> </st1:state>G Joe Romig; Notre Dame OT Aaron Taylor.

<!-- end intro description -->
68. Jim Stillwagon, NG, Ohio State, 1968-70

The 1970 Lombardi and Outland winner continues to be the gold standard for toughness and dominance at the line of scrimmage. <st1><st1>Ohio</st1> <st1>State</st1></st1> went 27-2 in his three seasons. Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on">Minnesota</st1:state> G Tom Brown; Duke G Mike McGee; <st1><st1>Penn</st1> <st1>State</st1></st1> DT Mike Reid.

69. THIS SPACE AVAILABLE

After a lot of exhaustive but obviously incomplete research, we found no one who has worn this number to meet our floating definition of greatest player to wear this number. If you know of someone, let us know. Honorable mention: None.

70. Bob Gain, OL, Kentucky, 1947-50

Bear Bryant always said he didn't handle Gain well. Bryant did better with the average player than the great one. Gain, the 1950 Outland Trophy winner and Hall of Famer, was a great one. Honorable mention: Penn State OT Dave Joyner.

71. Tony Boselli, OT, USC, 1991-94

Considered one of the best tackles the Trojans have ever produced, Boselli made All-Pac-10 three times, culminating into a consensus All-American in 1994. Honorable mention: USC OG Brad Budde; Nebraska OG Dean Steinkuhler.

72. Bronko Nagurski, FB/T, Minnesota, 1927-29

There aren't many players who changed the game. Nagurski, with his size (6-foot-2, 217 pounds) and athleticism, proved big men could handle the ball. He was a member of the inaugural Hall of Fame class. Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Tennessee</st1></st1:state> HB George "Bad News" Cafego; TCU T Bob Lilly; Nebraska OT Zach Wiegert.

73. John Hannah, G, Alabama, 1970-72

He became known as the best tackle in NFL history, but Hannah helped resuscitate Crimson Tide football via the Wishbone as an All-American guard. Honorable mention: Virginia OT Jim Dombrowski; Pittsburgh OT Mark May.

74. John Hicks, OT, Ohio State, 1970, 72-73

He won the Outland and the Lombardi as a senior and went on to a great NFL career, but he's just as proud that he never lost to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Michigan</st1></st1:state> (2-0-1). Honorable mention: <st1>Auburn</st1> DT Tracy Rocker; Ole Miss DT Ben Williams.

75. Orlando Pace, OT, Ohio State, 1994-96

Who was this manchild who stepped into the Buckeye lineup and dominated? The only two-time winner of the Lombardi Award, that's who. Honorable mention: <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Pittsburgh</st1></st1:city> OT Jimbo Covert; West Virginia G/T Sam Huff.

76. Warren Sapp, DT, Miami, 1992-94

So big, so quick, and that was just his mouth. Sapp entertained off the field as well as on, where he won the 1994 Outland Trophy and became a consensus All-American. Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Minnesota</st1></st1:state> T Carl Eller; USC OT Marvin Powell.

77. Red Grange, HB, Illinois, 1923-25

To this day, Grange had the greatest quarter ever had: four touchdowns (a 95-yard kickoff return and runs of 66, 55 and 40 yards) in the first quarter against <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Michigan</st1></st1:state> in 1924. Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Alabama</st1></st1:state> LB Barry Krauss; Texas DT Kenneth Sims; USC T Ron Yary.

<!-- end intro description -->
78. Bruce Smith, DT, Virginia Tech, 1981-84

The two-time All-American played as the definition of a dominant pass rusher: 46 sacks, 71 tackles for loss, and one Outland Trophy (1984). Honorable mention: <st1:state w:st="on"><st1>Minnesota</st1></st1:state> T Bobby Bell; Iowa OT Robert Gallery; Houston DT Wilson Whitley.

79. Rich Glover, MG, Nebraska, 1970-72

In today's game, Glover might be big enough to play linebacker. But he used his strength and quickness to win the 1972 Outland and Lombardi and finish third in the Heisman. Honorable mention: <st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Pittsburgh</st1></st1:city> OT Bill Fralic; UCLA OT Jonathan Ogden.

80. Rick Bryan, DT, Oklahoma, 1980-83

They might have been Barry Switzer's least successful teams, but don't blame Bryan. He made All-Big Eight as a sophomore, then became a two-time consensus All-American. Honorable mention: SMU E Lamar Hunt (rarely played but went on to own the Kansas City Chiefs).

81. Tim Brown, FL/KR, Notre Dame, 1984-87

It's hard to believe, but the former All-American really won the '87 Heisman in one quarter: two punt returns for touchdowns, four downs apart, against Michigan State.Honorable mention: Holy Cross/Notre Dame T George Connor; Tulsa WR Howard Twilley.

82. Leon Hart, E, Notre Dame, 1946-49

One of only two linemen ever to win the Heisman (1949), Hart had an equally amazing record with the Irish. In his four seasons, Notre Dame went 36-0-2.Honorable mention: Penn State TE Ted Kwalick; Alabama SE Ozzie Newsome.

83. Steve Largent, WR, Tulsa, 1973-75

Largent, better known for his Pro Football Hall of Fame career, led the nation in touchdown catches with 14 in each of his last two seasons.Honorable mention: Missouri TE Kellen Winslow; USC LB Richard Wood; Kansas DE John Zook.

84. Jerry Robinson, LB, UCLA, 1975-78

He came to UCLA as a wide receiver and left as a three-time All-American linebacker whose speed and ability to find the ball (468 tackles) made him invaluable.Honorable mention: Virginia Tech E Carroll Dale; Nebraska DE Tony Jeter.

85. Jim Seymour, E, Notre Dame, 1966-68

He made an instant impact on the 1966 national champs as a sophomore and led the Irish in catches in each of his three seasons. He still holds five Notre Dame receiving records.Honorable mention: Notre Dame E Jack Snow; Florida State DE Andre Wadsworth.

86. Jerome "Brud" <st1:city w:st="on">Holland</st1:city>, E, Cornell, 1936-38

<st1:city w:st="on"><st1>Holland</st1></st1:city> overcame prejudice against African-Americans and was voted an All-American in 1938. Southern papers listed his name but didn't print his photo.Honorable mention: Penn State DE Courtney Brown; USC E/FB Marlin McKeever.

87. Bill Carpenter, E, Army, 1958-59

The Lonely End, as Carpenter became known, might have been an ancestor of the spread offense. He helped lead Army to an 8-0-1 record in legend Red Blaik's last year as coach.Honorable mention: Air Force DT Chad Hennings; Purdue HB Cecil Isbell; Michigan E Ron Kramer.

88. Keith Jackson, TE, Oklahoma, 1984-87

The two-time All-American caught 62 passes in his career, but his presence in the wishbone forced defenses to account for him. What if the Sooners liked to pass?Honorable mention: Mississippi Valley State WR Jerry Rice; Wisconsin E Pat Richter.

89. Ross Browner, DE, Notre Dame, 1973, 1975-77

In his senior season, when the Irish won the national championship, the two-time consensus All-American made 104 tackles (an unusually high number for an end).Honorable mention: Pittsburgh TE Mike Ditka; Miami DE Ted Hendricks; Penn State E Dave Robinson.

90. George Webster, LB, Michigan State, 1964-66

Teammate Bubba Smith grabbed the headlines. Webster grabbed whoever had the ball. The Spartans have never been as dominant since his graduation 40 years ago.Honorable mention: Washington DT Steve Emtman; Nebraska DT John Dutton; South Carolina State S Donnie Shell.

91. Doug Atkins, T, Tennessee, 1950-52

Atkins is a member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. His biggest achievement as a Vol might be that 3-0 record against archrival Alabama.Honorable mention: Oklahoma DL Dewey Selmon.

92. Reggie White, DT, Tennessee, 1980-83

The late, great White burst forth as a senior, making himself into a consensus All-American as well as the SEC's Most Outstanding Lineman.Honorable mention: Oklahoma DL Tony Casillas; Stanford LB Jeff Siemon.

93. Lee Roy Selmon, DT, Oklahoma, 1972-75

The most decorated of the three brothers who starred for the Sooners, Selmon won the Outland and Lombardi as a senior and was a two-time All-American.Honorable mention: Auburn LB Aundray Bruce; Arizona State DE Jim Jeffcoat.

<!-- end intro description -->94. Randy White, DT, Maryland, 1972-74

The Manster won the Outland and Lombardi as a senior, when he was a consensus All-American on his way to becoming the second player picked in the 1975 NFL draft.Honorable mention: Texas A&M PK Tony Franklin; LSU DT Anthony "Booger" McFarland.

<!-- end intro description -->95. Bubba Smith, DL, Michigan State, 1964-66

The native Texan's stardom up north helped break the color line in the Southwest Conference. Smith became a two-time All-American for coach Duffy Daugherty.Honorable mention: Cal T Bob Reinhard.

96. Cortez Kennedy, DT, Miami, 1988-89

He and Russell Maryland plugged up the middle as it has never been plugged up for the Canes, who won the national championship in Kennedy's last season.Honorable mention: Nebraska DE George Andrews.

97. Cornelius Bennett, LB, Alabama, 1983-86

He won the Lombardi Award as a senior, when he became a unanimous All-American. In a rare tribute for a defender, Alabama named him the Player of the Decade in the 1980s.Honorable mention: Oklahoma DT Tommie Harris.

98. Tom Harmon, HB, Michigan, 1938-40

Harmon won the 1940 Heisman and nearly won it as a junior. He led the nation in scoring both seasons. Harmon passed, punted, returned kicks and, boy, did he run.Honorable mention: North Carolina LB Lawrence Taylor; Nebraska DE Grant Wistrom.

99. Hugh Green, DT, Pittsburgh, 1977-80

The three-time All-American nearly pulled off the impossible, finishing second in the 1980 Heisman race. He won the Lombardi, but teammate Mark May beat him for the Outland.Honorable mention: Chicago HB Jay Berwanger; Texas DL Tony Degrate; Iowa DL Andre Tippett.

100. Bill Bell, PK, Kansas, 1968-69

In honor of college football's centennial season, Bell wore three digits as a senior. He kicked well enough to make it to the NFL for three seasons. Honorable mention: None.

<!-- end intro description -->

 

[ScriptOhio]

Re: "7. Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida, 1993-96

The '96 Heisman winner was the best passer and leader of the Gators' Fun and Gun attack. No one was better at listening to what volatile coach Steve Spurrier said instead of how he said it.Honorable mention: Stanford QB John Elway; Notre Dame QB John Huarte; Miami (Ohio) QB Ben Roethlisberger; Auburn QB Pat Sullivan; Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick."

Nobody in their right mind would take Wuerffell over Elway.

 

[Dryden]

I saw this earlier. George (27), Janowicz (31), and Cassidy (40), all made the cut as the best for their respective jersey numbers. I think it's safe to say Archie will take 45 tomorrow.

I'm curious about the pick of Bennie Blades over Spielman though.

 

[Oneshot]

We have dibs on:

45 (archie)
47 (hawk)
75 (Pace)

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

We have dibs on:

45 (archie)
47 (hawk)
75 (Pace)

#62 Jim Parker
#68 Jim Stillwagon
#74 John Hicks

 

[tedginn05]

I think 41 would be Keith Byars.

I also always found it odd that Flutie wore 22.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I think 41 would be Keith Byars.

I would imagine they have someone else in mind. Most of the selections so far are Heisman winners or multi-time All-Americans. Although Byars was runner-up to Flutie for the 1984 Heisman (IIRC), I think he'll only be an honorable mention here.

 

[tedginn05]

I would imagine they have someone else in mind. Most of the selections so far are Heisman winners or multi-time All-Americans. Although Byars was runner-up to Flutie for the 1984 Heisman (IIRC), I think he'll only be an honorable mention here.

True, but name a Heisman winner that wore 41?

I can't think of any, but if there is, then give the nod to that guy. If there isn't, I think Keith should get the nod.

 

[ScriptOhio]

We have dibs on:

45 (archie)
47 (hawk)
75 (Pace)

As great as AJ Hawk was for the Buckeyes, he wasn't the best #47 at Ohio State. That honor goes to: Chic Harley. Even though he may have only have worn #47 in one game.

Chic Harley's No. 47 was retired at halftime of the Ohio State vs. Penn State game on Oct. 30, 2004.


Though his name has not been placed in Ohio Stadium until today, Chic Harley has always been watching over Ohio State football. That much is certain - for there would not be an Ohio Stadium without him.
While the five current names that hang there - Heisman Trophy winners Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Howard Cassady, Archie Griffin and Eddie George - have become household names to Buckeye fans young and old, when the name Harley goes up beside them, not everyone will be sure to whom it refers. That is the case, unfortunately, because Harley was a Buckeye when even older OSU fans were just a twinkle in their parents' eyes. Stories of Harley's accomplishments and what he did for Ohio State football and for the university should become more prevalent now as his No. 47 jersey is retired and finds its rightful place inside the stadium that was built because, at the time, there was no stadium in existence that could contain all the people who wanted to see the things he could do on the football field.
Accepting Harley's honors today are members of his family, including current Buckeye defensive back, No. 34 Rob Harley, who is Chic's great-great nephew.

Born Charles Wesley Harley in Chicago on Sept. 15, 1895, but known throughout his entire life as "Chic," Harley's credentials alone warrant a place up among OSU's Heisman Trophy winners that look down from above the north end zone of the historic Horseshoe. Had the Heisman Trophy existed when Harley played, he surely would have won the honor at least twice and perhaps three times. Harley was a consensus All-American all three years he played - 1916, 1917 and 1919. It would be 16 years after his last season that the Heisman Trophy was first awarded to the nation's outstanding college football player. In 1950, when the Associated Press selected its All-Star college football team of the first half of the 20th century, the well-known running back great Red Grange from Illinois was a second-team selection. The first-team running backs were Carlisle's Jim Thorpe and Ohio State's Chic Harley.

Bill Harley, 81, Chic's nephew who lives in Oakbrook, Ill., said he remembers hearing a reporter's explanation as to why he voted Chic above Grange.
"He was asked why," Bill Harley said, "and he said, 'Red Grange was a great runner, but that's all he was. Chic Harley was a great runner, a great passer, a great kicker and a great defensive back. That's why he's on my first-team.' But he played 85 years ago, so there aren't any alums out there any more who remember Uncle Chic."
Which is a shame, because with all due respect to the greatest athletes in Ohio State history, Harley should stand alone with that title. He is one of Ohio State's few four-sport lettermen. In addition to his football heroics, he was a two-year starter at guard on the basketball team and a three-year starter in the outfield for the baseball team - the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns later offered him contracts to play Major League Baseball. In the spring of his sophomore year, as a favor to Ohio State track coach Dr. Frank Castleman, he competed in a track meet for the Buckeyes and set a Big Ten record in the 50-yard dash that stood for years. The first time Harley's nephews took him golfing he shot an 82. The legendary pool player Willie Hoppe once lost to Harley in a game of billiards at the Clock Restaurant in downtown Columbus.
Bob Harley, Bill's son and father of current Buckeye Rob Harley, remembers when he and his twin brother, Bill, met Woody Hayes on campus in St. John Arena and introduced themselves to the OSU coaching legend.
"Coach Hayes recognized our name and sat down and told us stories about Chic," Bob Harley said. "He talked about what Chic meant to OSU. He said the program, fervor and passion for OSU football began with Chic."
The historical magnitude of what Harley meant to Ohio State was never lost on Hayes, who would routinely tell stories about Chic to his players.
"Everybody knew about Chic Harley and how great he was because Woody would tell stories about him," Archie Griffin said. "And for me, being from Columbus, I heard all the stories growing up, too. He really was the first player to attract people to Ohio Field."
Many say Chic Harley should have been the first player to have his jersey number retired, but the Harley family is just thankful Chic's day has finally arrived.
"We're just happy he's going to be honored and remembered," Bob Harley said. "We're just proud he'll be up in that ring of honor. I'm sure a lot of Buckeye fans aren't too aware of what all Chic meant. It's been 85 years."
Everything came natural to Chic Harley, but most of all, anything having to do with a football. Bob Hooey, longtime sports editor of the Ohio State Journal, once wrote a piece about Harley entitled, "The One and Only."
"If you never saw him run with a football, we can't describe it to you," Hooey wrote. "It wasn't like Thorpe or Grange or Harmon or anyone else. It was kind of a cross between music and cannon fire, and it brought your heart up under your ears. In the hardest-fought gridiron battles, Harley usually would get away and score the winning touchdown."
"I can't recall ever seeing him brought down by one man after he'd broken past the line of scrimmage," Lew Bryer, former sports editor of the Columbus Citizen once said. "That timing is rare talent. Coaches can't teach it. It seems to be instinctive."
Hooey, like all other football fans of Harley's day, and perhaps some around today, identified Harley as Ohio State's first great football player and the catalyst for the Buckeyes' Western Conference championships of 1916 and 1917.
"With his famous side-step, his reliable toe, his dashing runs and his cool judgment, Harley paved the way for Ohio State's first two Conference championships," Hooey said. "His fame grew so great and spread so far that people came to look upon him as a wizard."
Marv Homan, who served as Ohio State's sports information director from 1973-87, has said Harley is in a class by himself.
"He had all the tools," Homan said. "He was one of those very rare, gifted runners that was as fast as any sprinter, but very shifty and had unusual body balance. And not only did he do every thing in the game, he performed at a top-flight level."
It was just as true then, as it is now, that football is a team game. That said, however, Harley almost single-handedly brought Ohio State up from the reputation as a Midwest cow college to the forefront of national attention that having a big time college football program brings.
Having fielded its first football team in 1890 and then joining the Western Conference (which would later become the Big Ten) in 1913, Ohio State's football beginnings were modest at best. The Buckeyes rarely played Big Ten-caliber opponents before joining the conference, and after they had joined, did not have much success against them. That all changed, however, when Harley stepped onto the field in 1916.
Harley moved to Columbus in 1912 from Chicago with his parents and three brothers and three sisters. He attended East High School, where he developed a following of fans that outnumbered the few thousand people who showed up to watch Ohio State games at Ohio Field. The football field at East would later be renamed Harley Field.
Harley lost just one game his entire high school career, that coming in his final game to North High School. In 1915, he enrolled at Ohio State and played that fall with the freshman team, as freshmen were not permitted to play varsity.
Few could have predicted the immediate impact he would have for Ohio State. For starters, many thought he was too small to play collegiate football in the Western Conference with such powers as Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Chicago. By most accounts, Harley was 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, although some publications listed him up to 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. One thing was for sure, though - Harley could do it all.
He proved that in Ohio State's first conference game in his sophomore season of 1916. With 1:10 left to play in the rain at defending Western Conference champion Illinois, Harley dropped back to pass, scrambled, faked a throw and bolted into the end zone for a 13-yard scoring run through the sloppy field. He then called timeout, put on a clean shoe, and calmly kicked the game-winning extra point, handing Illinois a 7-6 defeat, its first loss at home in four years.
Wins like that would become commonplace for Harley and the Buckeyes during his three seasons, which were briefly interrupted in 1918 when he spent a year as a fighter pilot in World War I. In Harley's three seasons, Ohio State posted a 21-1-1 overall record and won every Western Conference game except one, which oddly enough, was Harley's last game as a Buckeye at home to the same Illinois squad, which he began his storied career against.
Between those two games, however, Harley turned in historic performances nearly every week. As a sophomore, Harley and the upstart Buckeyes knocked off unbeaten Wisconsin, 14-13 (Harley scored both touchdowns and kicked both extra points), and toppled undefeated Northwestern, 23-3, in the season finale for the conference championship in front of a then-record crowd of 15,000 fans at Ohio Field.
Following Harley's sophomore season, he was named to famed Walter Camp's All-American team. It was the first time Camp, who had been an All-American at Yale and later helped revolutionize the game, had ever bestowed such an honor on a sophomore.
"In that era, East Coast players, especially from the Ivy League, dominated the college football scene," Homan said. "So for Harley to win that honor, especially as a sophomore, was unheard of."
As a junior, Harley was even better, and so were the Buckeyes. They out-scored the opposition 292-6 and claimed their second consecutive undefeated season and Western Conference championship. When Harley returned in 1919, it set the stage for a win that would become the biggest victory in Ohio State history.
After a five-year hiatus, Michigan had rejoined the Western Conference for the 1919 season and was considered by many as the best team in the league. The Buckeyes, 3-0 and unscored upon, were set to travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct. 25 to meet the Wolverines, 2-0 and unscored upon, as well.
The night before the team left for Ann Arbor, an overflow pep rally worked itself into a frenzy as Harley led the Buckeyes, which had never defeated Michigan in 15 tries, into the Armory to address the throng of cheering students. The Columbus Dispatch recounted Harley's comments in its Saturday edition.
"Captain Chic Harley was then called on. Chic never was much on talking to a crowd or telling about what he is going to do. He said, 'I never realized what a Michigan game was before tonight. That is I never thought it more than a Wisconsin or an Illinois game. This crowd sure made the team feel like fighting harder than ever. That's all.'"
Ohio State knocked off Michigan that day 13-3. Harley's long touchdown run, from 35 yards to 50 yards depending on which account of the game you read, were the final points of the day, but his reported four interceptions were what really did in the Wolverines.
The 28,000 fans in attendance that day, the largest ever to see a game at Michigan's Ferry Field, saw Harley put on a display of running, passing and defending that impressed not only themselves, but legendary UM head coach Fielding H. Yost, who asked for, and was granted, a rare moment to address his opponent in their locker room after the game. The Columbus Dispatch recounted Yost's comments.
"After congratulating Dr. Wilce and Director of Athletics St. John, Yost said to the team: 'You deserve your victory; you fought brilliantly. You boys gave a grand exhibition of football strategy and while I am sorry, dreadfully sorry, that we lost, I want to congratulate you. And you, Mr. Harley, I believe, are one of the finest little machines I have ever seen.'"
Columbus native Hank Gowdy, a former major league baseball player and war hero who added commentary in the Dispatch for events such as this, knew he was seeing greatness when Harley touched the football.
"When George Foerster and the rest of us were in France we sometimes used to wonder if we'd ever again be situated so that we could see Chic Harley play football," Gowdy wrote in the Sunday Dispatch after the game. "But all the Columbus Chamber of Commerce crowd will be in early Sunday and then many of those who couldn't be in Ann Arbor will hear more about how we lucky ones felt when Harley let loose for that 35-yard run."
H.A. Miller, sports editor of the Columbus Dispatch, used the following lines to open his story of the game.
"Chic Harley, the premier football player certainly of the Western Conference, if not of the entire country, became a captain of achievement here today, rather than nominal leadership, when 25,000 football fans gathered from the plains and valleys of two states, watched this superman of the moleskin lead an attack with all the dash of an old-time cavalry chieftain that resulted in a 13 to 3 victory for the Scarlet and Gray."
Harley's last-second field goal in the brutal cold at Wisconsin Nov. 15, which he would later tell his nephew Bill was one of his proudest accomplishments, would be Harley's final win at Ohio State. The following week at home against Illinois, the Buckeyes fell, 9-7, to an Illini field goal with eight seconds left. An overflow crowd estimated to be 20,000 was on hand to witness the contest.
In his three seasons, Harley scored 23 touchdowns, made 35 PAT kicks and kicked eight field goals for a school record total of 198 points. That record would stand until Cassady amassed 222 points in four seasons, culminating with the Heisman Trophy in 1955.
By no coincidence, the Ohio State Board of Trustees met that day after the Illinois game and signed a resolution giving Athletics Director Lynn W. St. John the go-ahead to begin the process of building a new football stadium. St. John, who later said he could have sold 50,000 tickets for Harley's final game, immediately went to work revitalizing the stadium plan first set forth initially by Thomas E. French several years earlier and then drawn up by architect Howard Dwight Thomas.
"This school had never had a football player remotely close to Harley," Homan said. "And this school had never seen a team as good as Harley's teams of 1916, 1917 and 1919. Lynn St. John had the perfect catalyst for people to think big when it came to the new stadium, and there is no question Harley's tremendous popularity launched the fundraising campaign."
Because of Harley's exploits, interest in Ohio State football was at a never-before-seen high in Columbus, whose own son had put Buckeye football on the map. And perhaps only because it was by one of its own, the community was able to finance such an undertaking, for the board of trustees also signed a measure in their resolution that called for no university money to be used for the project.
If his playing feats were not enough, Harley's own words helped spark the campaign drive to raise the $1.3 million needed to build the great new stadium on the banks of the Olentangy River.
"Maybe it's unconsciously, but somehow we go in there playing harder to win the bigger the crowd that backs us," Harley wrote for the Ohio State University Monthly in February 1920. "There is inspiration, the finest kind, in the thousands and thousands of backers that a stadium like this one we're trying for gives room to seat."
While many at the time scoffed at the notion of a structure the size of what Ohio Stadium would become, folks like St. John, French, and Harley, for sure, knew the possibilities of what Ohio State football could become.
"It's pretty hard to say in words what college spirit is but the team on the field and the crowd in the bleachers know mighty well what it is when the cheers are cut loose," Harley wrote. "I want to be there when our team trots out for that first game in the stadium - as an alumnus then, of course. I want to hear those 50,000 rooters roar at the kickoff. We're heart and soul for this stadium, the fellows who know what it is to go in there and fight with all that's in us for Ohio State and her glory."

In the House that Harley Built, his words ring true. His final line is written above the doorway of the Buckeyes' locker room. Rob Harley and the Buckeyes slap the sign on their way to the field, where the legendary Chic never played, but has his footprints all over it. Today, Ohio Stadium has existed as perhaps the most recognized icon of the world-renowned institution for which it serves.
Following his playing days at Ohio Field, Harley stayed on at Ohio State and completed his eligibility in basketball and baseball and helped coach the football Buckeyes with head coach John Wilce. Then in 1921, Harley, his brother Bill, and fellow collegiate standout players George Halas and Ed "Dutch" Sternaman became equal partners in a professional football franchise, the Decatur (Ill.) Staleys. In the fledgling young National Football League, Harley's name made the team prosperous, but after one year Halas signed a deal with Wrigley Field in Chicago to move the team there and change the name to the Chicago Bears.
The Harley's were out of the deal. They sued Halas and as a settlement were granted two NFL franchises, but without enough investors to get the teams started, the Harley's were out of luck. It was about that same time Harley began to suffer from depression, most likely caused by a combination of war trauma, a football injury suffered with the Staleys and the realization his athletic career was over. Baseball offers from the St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox, as well as a standing offer from the University of Tennessee to be their head football coach, were wiped out.
Eventually, in 1938 he was admitted into the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Danville, Ill., where we would be a patient for the remainder of his life. That life, however, was far from over.
In the summer of 1948 as Harley neared his 54th birthday, a new doctor for Harley recommended he try "shock treatment" as a way of trying to return to a normal condition. The therapy did wonders for Harley and he began to show an interest in Ohio State that he had not shown in years. By coincidence, the Buckeyes were scheduled to play road games that fall at Indiana, Northwestern and Illinois, all of which were games within driving distance of Harley's location in Danville, Ill. He attended those games and enjoyed seeing Ohio State play so much that he wanted to see the Buckeyes play in Columbus against Michigan in the 1948 season finale.
When the announcement was made Harley would be attending the game, the city and campus community prepared as if royalty would be attending the game. He was greeted at Union Terminal by city and university officials, as well as former teammates and family. A crowd estimated at 75,000 people lined High Street downtown for a ticker tape parade as his open-top convertible made its way to the capital building with a complete police escort and more than 20 university floats.
"We have seen pictures of that parade in the University archives," Bob Harley said. "The expression on Chic's face seemed like he couldn't understand why they were doing this for him. He was just so humble and unassuming."
"He was such a laid back person," Bill Harley said. "As a young man, I remember looking at him and not believing someone could have done all that. He never talked about it unless you drew it out of him. During that parade, he was so taken that all the people remembered him that he cried."
Even the Ohio State marching band got into the act. On several occasions, including at halftime of the Michigan game that day with Harley was in attendance, the band would open up the right side of the O's in script Ohio to spell Chic.
Harley, though shy, spoke on several radio programs that weekend and did dozens of interviews to newspapers and other media. For the game he sat in Section 18-A, row 28, seat 30 but witnessed Michigan top Ohio State, 13-3. Harley had been the guest of honor at the Captain's Breakfast that morning, after which pulled Hooey aside and asked for a favor.
"Please thank everybody for the fine time I had here," Harley asked of Hooey. "I enjoyed meeting all the fellows. It was so nice to have that parade for me. I am not deserving of that."
In his column the next day, Hooey wrote, "Those words of Chic's - 'I am not deserving of that' - will never be forgotten. They were typical Chic Harley, the modest of the modest."
"He could do it all, but he was a very unselfish player," Bill Harley said. "I remember talking with some of the guys he played with, and they said he was just a nice, quiet man. He never talked about what he had done or accomplished."
At the age of 78, Harley died April 21, 1974 of bronchial pneumonia at Veteran's Administration Hospital in Danville, Ill., where he had been a patient since 1938. Years earlier, he had asked his family and teammates that he be buried in Columbus upon his death.
It was a warm, sunny day in the spring of 1974 when he was laid to rest in Union Cemetery, just a mile north of Ohio Stadium on Olentangy River Road. His funeral service would rival that of any head of state. Pallbearers were the 1974 Ohio State football captains, Archie Griffin, Pete Cusick, Neal Colzie and Steve Myers along with Kurt Schumacher.
"It was really an honor to be a pallbearer for the greatest player in Ohio State history," Griffin said, noting Chic's name still comes up from time to time on Griffin's trips as president of the OSU Alumni Association. "Chic put Ohio State football on the map."
Dozens of his former teammates were honorary pallbearers. Bill Daugherty, who penned "Across the Field," and who was a student manager on the 1916 team, Harley's sophomore year, was there. University officials included President Harold Enarson, Director of Athletics Ed Weaver and head football coach Woody Hayes. Also present were long-time trainer, Ernie Godfrey, Dick Larkins, Floyd Stahl and Ernie Leggett, Dispatch sports editor Paul Hornung, and long-time head of stadium ushers Howard Wentz. Thousands of people lined up along the street for the funeral procession.
Humble as he was, Harley could not stop the honors from coming in even after his playing days were long gone. Before his death, he became the first Ohio State player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. Other honors, official and unofficial, bear Harley's name. In 1977 he was in the inaugural class to be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. For the last 49 years the Touchdown Club of Columbus has presented the Chic Harley Award annually to college football's player of the year.
The words 'groundbreaking' and 'pioneering' barely do Harley justice, for there is only a slight chance Ohio State football would be what it is today without Harley's feats. Though the voices clamoring for Ohio Stadium to be renamed Chic Harley Field have subsided over the years, his legacy has not. Though he never played in Ohio Stadium, neither would Archie Griffin or Eddie George had it not been for what Harley brought about so many years ago.
Having played in the era long before modern video or photography, Harley's breath-taking touchdown runs were perhaps best described by the pen of James Thurber, an Ohio State student from 1914-17 who would later go on to become a well-known writer and artist and associate editor of The New Yorker. Inspired by Harley's feats, Thurber wrote "When Chic Harley Got Away." The following is the first stanza of that work.

"The years of football playing reach back a long, long way,
And the heroes are a hundred who have worn the red and gray;
You can name the brilliant players from the year the game began,
You can say that someone's plunging was the best you ever saw -
You can claim the boys now playing stage a game without a flaw -
But admit there was no splendor in all the bright array
Like the glory of the going when Chic Harley got away."
From the humble beginnings which Ohio State was born came Chic Harley, an even more humble young man that would change not only the football program, but the university, forever.
http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/122104aac.html

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone wearing 41 who was better than Byars. I'm also absolutely certain that Sandgk will agree with me.

 

[RugbyBuck]

Mo-esha Clarett should get the nod for #13.

 

[cincibuck]

3. Joe Montana, QB, Notre Dame, 1975-78

Boy, talk about Dome Power (Please keep this kind of crap in mind, those of you who root for ND when they play Michigan) Am I not right, the guy played very little at ND until his senior year? Seems like this award is based on his pro career rather than his college career.

4. Brett Favre, QB, Southern Miss, 1987-90

Ditto, pro, not college.

7. Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida, 1993-96

INSANE PICK over any of the following: Stanford QB John Elway; Notre Dame QB John Huarte; Miami (Ohio) QB Ben Roethlisberger; Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick.

22. Doug Flutie, QB, Boston College,1981-84

Oh, please. Is this a true discussion or a highlight film? Did the Pope do the pickin'? Reality insists upon going with Ohio State HB Les Horvath; Florida TB Emmitt Smith; or USC WR Lynn Swann.

32. John Lujack, QB, Notre Dame, 1943, 1946-47

Definitely the Pope. More proof of Dome Power stupidity. Murder aside, OJ was in a class of his own and Tatum was the only DB big enough, fast enough and mean enough to stop him.

 

[NFBuck]

I also always found it odd that Flutie wore 22.

Heath Shuler wore #21 at Tennessee as a QB.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

He's building up to a point here I just know it.

 

[NOTREDAMECHIEF]

Boy, talk about Dome Power (Please keep this kind of crap in mind, those of you who root for ND when they play Michigan) Am I not right, the guy played very little at ND until his senior year? Seems like this award is based on his pro career rather than his college career.


Ditto, pro, not college.

INSANE PICK over any of the following: Stanford QB John Elway; Notre Dame QB John Huarte; Miami (Ohio) QB Ben Roethlisberger; Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick.


Oh, please. Is this a true discussion or a highlight film? Did the Pope do the pickin'? Reality insists upon going with Ohio State HB Les Horvath; Florida TB Emmitt Smith; or USC WR Lynn Swann.


Definitely the Pope. More proof of Dome Power stupidity. Murder aside, OJ was in a class of his own and Tatum was the only DB big enough, fast enough and mean enough to stop him.

WRONG.... Montana played alot as a sophomore and won a NC as a junior.