SN 140: Sporting News College Football 1960s All-America team led by Roger Staubach, Dick Butkus and more
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SN 140: Sporting News College Football 1960s All-America team led by Roger Staubach, Dick Butkus and more originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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A Heisman Trophy winner from a Service Academy?
Welcome to the 1960s, when Roger Staubach led Navy to the Cotton Bowl before becoming a star for the Dallas Cowboys. There were other college football legends that emerged from a decade that saw 16 national championships awarded in 10 seasons – an era which included several split national championships.
Our first all-decade All-America selections from 1960-69 feature 12 players who went on to become Pro Football Hall of Fame members, including Staubach – one of three Heisman Trophy winners on the team. The defense features Dick Butkus and Bubba Smith – iconic presences in their era.
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SN 140 1960s All-America Team (1960-69)
Offense
QB: Roger Staubach, Navy
RB: O.J. Simpson, USC
RB: Ernie Davis, Syracuse
WR: Jack Snow, Notre Dame
WR: Howard Twilley, Tulsa
TE: Ted Kwalick, Penn State
T: Rony Yary, USC
G: Dick Arrington, Notre Dame
C: John Didion, Oregon State
G: Bob Brown, Nebraska
T: George Kunz, Notre Dame
AP: Mike Ditka, Pitt
K: Fred Cox, Pitt
Star power
Staubach – nicknamed "Captain America" – led Navy to a 9-1 record and won the Heisman Trophy in 1963. Simpson and Yary led USC to the 1967 national championship. Simpson earned Unanimous All-America honors in 1967 and 1968. Yary won the Outland Trophy in 1967. We slid Ditka into the athlete position knowing he played tight end and defensive line as a three-sport star for the Panthers.
Best position group
Running back. We left off Oklahoma's Steve Owens – who had back-to-back 1,500-yard seasons in 1968-69 – and Ohio State's Bob Ferguson – who scored 24 TDs from 1960-61. USC's Mike Garrett and Syracuse's Larry Csonka also were in the mix, but we stuck with Davis – nicknamed "The Express." He won a national championship with the Orange in 1959 and averaged 6.6 yards per carry in his three-year career. Ferguson and Owens were both named Sporting News Player of the Year.
Toughest debate
Jack Snow vs. Howard Twilley vs. Fred Biletnikoff. "The Year of the Receiver" was 1964. Snow had 60 catches for 1,114 yards and nine TDs as part of a national championship season for the Irish. Biletnikoff – the namesake for the award given to the nation's top receiver – had 57 catches for 988 yards and 11 TDs at Florida State that season. Our panel gave the slight edge to Snow, who joined Twilley – who had 95 catches for 1,178 yards and 13 TDs for Tulsa the same year.
Defense
DL: Bob Lilly, TCU
DL: Bubba Smith, Michigan State
DL: Alan Page, Notre Dame
DL: Ted Hendricks, Miami
LB: Lee Roy Jordan, Alabama
LB: Tommy Nobis, Texas
LB: Dick Butkus, Illinois
DB: Jerry Stovall, LSU
DB: Mel Renfro, Oregon
DB: George Webster, Michigan State
DB: Jake Scott, Georgia
P: Zenon Andrusyshyn, UCLA
Star power
Butkus and Jordan each finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. Jordan had a school-record 31 tackles in a 17-0 victory against No. 8 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1963. Butkus had 374 tackles at Illinois. Nobis won the Maxwell Award in 1965. That trio of linebackers is as good as any group from any era.
Best position group
Defensive line. Hendricks is the only two-time Unanimous All-American on our list, and he's joined by Smith and Page – who easily could have been Unanimous choices. Lilly rounded out that defensive front, which left out seven Outland Trophy winners, including Penn State's Mike Reid, Texas' Scott Appleton and Minnesota's Tom Brown. Minnesota's Bobby Bell and Utah State's Merlin Olsen – also members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – did not make the list even if they also were deserving.
Toughest debate
Jake Scott vs. Roger Wehrli vs. Jerry Stovall. We switched this one a couple times before reaching a final verdict in the secondary. Scott had 16 interceptions in two seasons with the Bulldogs. Wehrli had 10 interceptions and was a strong returner who also went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career. This, however, is a college list. We gave Scott the nod in the secondary. LSU's Jerry Stovall – who played halfback and finished second in the Heisman Trophy – made our secondary with seven interceptions at safety.
Fun fact
Butkus and Smith were regulars together in the famous Miller Lite commercial campaigns in the 1970s and early 1980s. Smith starred as Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" film series. Butkus appeared in football movies such as "The Longest Yard," "Necessary Roughness" and "Any Given Sunday."
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