SN 140: Sporting News College Football 1980s All-America team led by led by Herschel Walker, Deion Sanders
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SN 140: Sporting News College Football 1980s All-America team led by led by Herschel Walker, Deion Sanders originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Why do we always set the clock to the 1980s?
College football was so much fun in that era. Herschel Walker emerged as a SEC legend at Georgia. Lou Holtz brought Notre Dame back to prominence in a decade where Miami won three national championships. BYU emerged as a high-powered offensive machine and won a surprise national title in 1984.
From "The Play" to "Hail Flutie," it was just a fun era where college football became more popular on television, especially after the legendary Fiesta Bowl between No. 1 Miami and No. 2 Penn State on Jan. 2, 1987.
Our first team All-America team from the decade features a ridiculous running back class. The 1980s team is flush with running back talent with Walker and Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders. We slotted Auburn's Bo Jackson as the third running back in the "athlete" position. Is anybody going to argue with that? Oklahoma's Brian Bosworth and Florida State's Deion Sanders are among the star players on the defense.
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SN 140 1980s All-America Team (1980-89)
Offense
QB: Doug Flutie, Boston College
RB: Herschel Walker, Georgia
RB: Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State
WR: Tim Brown, Notre Dame
WR: Anthony Carter, Michigan
TE: Keith Jackson, Oklahoma
T: Bill Fralic, Pitt
G: Dean Steinkuhler, Nebraska
C: Dave Rimington, Nebraska
G: Sean Farrell, Penn State
T: Tony Mandarich, Michigan State
AP: Bo Jackson, Auburn
K: Kevin Butler, Georgia
Star power
Walker was selected as the No. 1 player of all time on our CFB 150 list in 2019. Sanders was No. 3 and Jackson was No. 4. It's tough to find a better running back trio. Rimington was a two-time Unanimous All-American, and the Rimington Trophy is now given to the nation's best center every year. Fralic was a two-time Unanimous All-America selection at Pitt. Brown won the Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame in 1987 – the school's last winner of the award. He ranks seventh all time in the NFL with 14,934 receiving yards. Carter and Jackson also were two-time Unanimous All-Americans.
Best position group
Running back. For the third straight decade, this is the position. Walker, Sanders and Jackson were among the six Heisman Trophy-winning running backs in the decade along with South Carolina's George Rogers (1980), USC's Marcus Allen (1981) and Nebraska's Mike Rozier (1983). Florida's Emmitt Smith and SMU's Eric Dickerson also were standout running backs during the decade.
Toughest debate
Doug Flutie vs. Jim McMahon. Our panel waffled on this decision after eliminating Stanford's John Elway, Pitt's Dan Marino and Miami's Vinny Testaverde. Flutie and McMahon had similar credentials – and each quarterback had a magic moment whether it was the "Hail Flutie" or the "Miracle Bowl." It was a back-and-forth debate, but ultimately Flutie finished with 10,579 passing yards and had the 1984 Heisman Trophy in hand.
Defense
DL: Hugh Green, Pitt
DL: Reggie White, Tennessee
DL: Tony Casillas, Oklahoma
DL: Tracy Rocker, Auburn
LB: Derrick Thomas, Alabama
LB: Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma
LB: Shane Conlan, Penn State
CB: Deion Sanders, Florida State
CB: Todd Lyght, Notre Dame
S: Ronnie Lott, USC
S: Bennie Blades, Miami
P: Tom Tupa, Ohio State
Star power
Green finished second in the Heisman Trophy in 1980 and could have made our 1970s team given his dominance in that decade. He had 17 sacks as a senior in 1980. Bosworth finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 1986 and was a two-time Butkus Award winner. Lott and Blades might be the hardest-hitting safety combo of all time.
Best position group
Linebacker. Bosworth and Thomas – who had 27 sacks in 1988 at Alabama – were the locks in our debate. It became a tougher decision among three linebackers. Conlan was a Unanimous All-American and two-time national champion at Penn State. Ohio State's Chris Spielman won the Lombardi Award in 1987, and North Carolina's Lawrence Taylor had 16 sacks in 1980 before going on to be arguably the best defensive player of all time in NFL history. This is a college team – and we stuck with Conlan – who best represents "Linebacker U."
Toughest debate
Defensive line. The linebacker debate was tough, but there were a couple debates on the defensive line. If you stick with two defensive ends and two defensive tackles, then that leaves Virginia Tech's Bruce Smith and Miami's Jerome Brown off the team. We kept Casillas and Rocker – who swept the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy in 1988 – on the first team. Leaving Smith, Brown and Arkansas' Billy Ray Smith – a two-time Unanimous All-America selection – was not easy.
Fun fact
Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards in 1988 – which still stands as the FBS single-season rushing record. Boise State's Ashton Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards in 2024.
Sanders is one of two players to have a 2,000-yard season in college and the NFL. He rushed for 2,053 with the Detroit Lions in 1997. Who is the other player? Alabama's Derrick Henry rushed for 2,219 yards with the Crimson Tide in 2015 and had 2,027 rushing yards with the Tennessee Titans in 2020.
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