Bo Jackson, one of Auburn’s finest and the 1985 victor of the Heisman Trophy, was named one of the top 75 players in college football on the 75th Anniversary All-American teams by the Football Writers Association of America on Thursday.
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Because of this demarcation, the timeline starts at 1940 and as such Nile Kinnick is not part of the discussion. Reed (1997-2001) was a second-team safety. He is a member of the UM (1980), College Football (1987) and Pro Football (1990) Halls of Fame.
Charles “Bubba” Smith was undoubtedly one of the best players in the history of Michigan State football. And with all due respect to the likes of Tim Dwight, Chuck Long and Robert Gallery… we’d have to agree. In order for a player to be considered for the FWAA’s 75th team, he had to be on a previous FWAA All-America team. In his final two seasons, the 6-foot-7, 280-pound defensive end helped the Spartans to a combined record of 19-1-1, including back-to-back Big Ten and National Championships in 1965 and ’66.
Balloting for the teams began in the spring and involved participation from the entire FWAA membership. The popular vote was then taken into consideration by a Blue Ribbon Committee of FWAA past presidents, current board members and officers.
Hendricks, known as “The Mad Stork” for his 6-foot-7, 220-pound frame, was a two-time All-American and made more tackles (327) than any UM defensive lineman. He claimed the 1990 Walter Camp Player of the Year award after carrying the ball 67 times for 537 yards and three touchdowns, catching 32 passes for 699 yards with two TDs, returning 14 kickoffs for 336 yards and a TD while also returning 13 punts for 151 yards.
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Nebraska led all schools with six selections on the list. That committee put the finishing touches on selecting the 75-man team. He was also chosen to Iowa’s all time football team in 1989. The 5-10, 175-pound Abney played for the Wildcats from 2000-03 while earning first-team All-America honors as a junior and second-team All-America as a senior. He was elected to the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
