Longmont Represent!
I should have put Biekert in my honorable mention list. Great player.
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Who are your top 3 CU football players and why?
- Thread starter liverflukes
- Start date
Longmont Represent!
I should have put Biekert in my honorable mention list. Great player.
I'd love to hear it if you don't mind sharing.
Unleash Hell
Well-Known Member
Just his talk of guns, kind of a coincidence about what happened later. Thats all the dude would talk about at the table.
Unleash Hell
Well-Known Member
Gary Howe was a great story. Kid had drug problems in high school and injury problems early in his CU career. He had a nice turnaround. Good pass rusher, hard to block he was so short.
it starts and ends with hagan, imho. after that, you can debate who fills in after him. undefeated as a starter in conference play. lead the team to a national championship.
other personal favorites include: justice white, cliff branch, chad brown, salaam, kanavis, biekert, ben kelly, deon figures, dizon, speedy, eb, brayton, joel steed, kordell, biekert, crosby, ryan walters, chris brown, and probably 3 dozen more...
other personal favorites include: justice white, cliff branch, chad brown, salaam, kanavis, biekert, ben kelly, deon figures, dizon, speedy, eb, brayton, joel steed, kordell, biekert, crosby, ryan walters, chris brown, and probably 3 dozen more...
Another definite honorable mention Ed Reinhardt.
Young man suffered a severe head injury in a game against UW. For a number of weeks there was doubt that he would even survive. Despite serious disabilities he has survived, not only survived but lived a life that should be an example of positive attitude and effort in the face of tremendous challenges. He smiled through the pain, he struggled through the obstacles, and he has been a Buff all along. You also have be amazed at the strength and resilience of his family who took this task on and made it their lifes work.
I will also never forget how the University of Washington community responded to this event. It is one thing to have class and another to respond with an outpouring of real emotion and support. They responded with the second and no matter how heated we get in competition with them I will never forget this from them.
Looking at how UW handled this versus how our former opponents to the northeast responded to the loss of Sal, I know that we are in the right conference now.
Young man suffered a severe head injury in a game against UW. For a number of weeks there was doubt that he would even survive. Despite serious disabilities he has survived, not only survived but lived a life that should be an example of positive attitude and effort in the face of tremendous challenges. He smiled through the pain, he struggled through the obstacles, and he has been a Buff all along. You also have be amazed at the strength and resilience of his family who took this task on and made it their lifes work.
I will also never forget how the University of Washington community responded to this event. It is one thing to have class and another to respond with an outpouring of real emotion and support. They responded with the second and no matter how heated we get in competition with them I will never forget this from them.
Looking at how UW handled this versus how our former opponents to the northeast responded to the loss of Sal, I know that we are in the right conference now.
Everyone since White has just been trying to measure up. Here's his bio from the CU record book:
Equally as known by his nickname (“Whizzer”) and more so as Justice White. Colorado’s first All-American in football; he was a consensus selection in 1937, including from Associated Press, UPI, International News Service, NEA, LIB, Colliers Magazine (Grantland Rice) and The Sporting News.
Led the nation in several categories in 1937: rushing (1,121 yards), total offense (1,596), all-purpose yards (1,970) and scoring (122 points). Finished second in the 1937 Heisman Trophy voting. The 1,121 rushing yards and 122 points were also NCAA records, and were not broken until colleges went to a 10-game schedule in 1949. Rushed for over 100 yards seven times in that ’37 season, almost unheard of in those days.
As the record book evolved through the years, it is estimated that at one time, he held as many as 50 individual school marks; in fact, at the time of his death in 2002, he still held 15 records some 65 years after his graduation. One that has stood the test of time is the longest punt in Buff annals, as his 83-yard kick against Missouri on Oct. 2, 1937, often carried the footnote, “without roll.” He participated in six plays of 75 yards or longer (nine 63-plus) in his CU career (runs, returns and the mammoth punt). The first and one of three Buffs to have his jersey number retired (#24).
He was also a .400 hitter on the baseball team, and a standout on CU’s basketball squad that made the N.I.T. in 1938. The fourth overall pick in the first round by Pittsburgh in the 1938 NFL Draft, he was a two-time all-pro halfback with both the Steelers (1939) and Detroit (1940-41); in-between, he studied at Oxford. He led the NFL in rushing twice (567 yards in 1938, 514 in 1940), the first player ever to lead the NFL in rushing his first two seasons. The only player in NFL history to lead the league in rushing as a rookie (1938) for a last place team (Pittsburgh was 2-9).
Awarded the prestigious Rhodes scholarship (in 1938) after an academic career at CU where he had 180 hours of A and 6 hours of B. Hall of Fame Gold Medal Award winner in 1962. One of three inaugural members of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (1965 induction). Presented the Theodore Roosevelt Award at the 1969 NCAA Honors luncheon. Named to CU’s All-Century Team in 1989; he received more votes than anyone else. GTE Academic All-America Hall of Fame (inducted 1996). The first inductee into the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
Awarded the Bronze Star for service in Europe during WWII. Named deputy U.S. Attorney General by President John Kennedy in 1960. Named to U.S Supreme Court by Kennedy in 1962 and served 31 years, stepping down in 1993. Died at the age of 84 on April 15, 2002.
-Yeah, there's a reason why he has a statue at Folsom...
RUSHING
PASSING
PUNT RETURNS
KICKOFF RETURNS
PUNTING
INTERCEPTIONS
Equally as known by his nickname (“Whizzer”) and more so as Justice White. Colorado’s first All-American in football; he was a consensus selection in 1937, including from Associated Press, UPI, International News Service, NEA, LIB, Colliers Magazine (Grantland Rice) and The Sporting News.
Led the nation in several categories in 1937: rushing (1,121 yards), total offense (1,596), all-purpose yards (1,970) and scoring (122 points). Finished second in the 1937 Heisman Trophy voting. The 1,121 rushing yards and 122 points were also NCAA records, and were not broken until colleges went to a 10-game schedule in 1949. Rushed for over 100 yards seven times in that ’37 season, almost unheard of in those days.
As the record book evolved through the years, it is estimated that at one time, he held as many as 50 individual school marks; in fact, at the time of his death in 2002, he still held 15 records some 65 years after his graduation. One that has stood the test of time is the longest punt in Buff annals, as his 83-yard kick against Missouri on Oct. 2, 1937, often carried the footnote, “without roll.” He participated in six plays of 75 yards or longer (nine 63-plus) in his CU career (runs, returns and the mammoth punt). The first and one of three Buffs to have his jersey number retired (#24).
He was also a .400 hitter on the baseball team, and a standout on CU’s basketball squad that made the N.I.T. in 1938. The fourth overall pick in the first round by Pittsburgh in the 1938 NFL Draft, he was a two-time all-pro halfback with both the Steelers (1939) and Detroit (1940-41); in-between, he studied at Oxford. He led the NFL in rushing twice (567 yards in 1938, 514 in 1940), the first player ever to lead the NFL in rushing his first two seasons. The only player in NFL history to lead the league in rushing as a rookie (1938) for a last place team (Pittsburgh was 2-9).
Awarded the prestigious Rhodes scholarship (in 1938) after an academic career at CU where he had 180 hours of A and 6 hours of B. Hall of Fame Gold Medal Award winner in 1962. One of three inaugural members of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (1965 induction). Presented the Theodore Roosevelt Award at the 1969 NCAA Honors luncheon. Named to CU’s All-Century Team in 1989; he received more votes than anyone else. GTE Academic All-America Hall of Fame (inducted 1996). The first inductee into the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
Awarded the Bronze Star for service in Europe during WWII. Named deputy U.S. Attorney General by President John Kennedy in 1960. Named to U.S Supreme Court by Kennedy in 1962 and served 31 years, stepping down in 1993. Died at the age of 84 on April 15, 2002.
-Yeah, there's a reason why he has a statue at Folsom...
RUSHING
| Season | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
| 1935 | 34 | 100 | 2.9 | 0 | ... |
| 1936 | 127 | 643 | 5.1 | 8 | ... |
| 1937 | 181 | 1,121 | 6.2 | 13 | 78 |
| Totals | 342 | 1,864 | 5.5 | 21 | 78 |
PASSING
| Season | Att | Com | Int | Pct | Yds | TD |
| 1935 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 45.0 | 79 | 0 |
| 1936 | 33 | 9 | 5 | 27.3 | 120 | 1 |
| 1937 | 43 | 21 | 7 | 48.8 | 475 | 2 |
| Totals | 96 | 39 | 16 | 40.6 | 674 | 3 |
PUNT RETURNS
| Season | No | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
| 1935 | 6 | 67 | 11.2 | 0 | ... |
| 1936 | 29 | 319 | 11.0 | 0 | ... |
| 1937 | 47 | 587 | 12.5 | 3 | 86 |
| Total | 82 | 973 | 11.9 | 3 | 86 |
KICKOFF RETURNS
| Season | No | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
| 1935 | 1 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| 1936 | 7 | 327 | 46.7 | 2 | 100 |
| 1937 | 4 | 159 | 39.8 | 0 | ... |
| Totals | 12 | 506 | 42.2 | 2 | 100 |
PUNTING
| Season | No | Yds | Avg | Long |
| 1935 | 8 | 301 | 37.6 | ... |
| 1936 | 53 | 2,124 | 40.1 | ... |
| 1937 | 63 | 2,679 | 42.5 | 83 |
| Totals | 124 | 5,104 | 41.2 | 83 |
INTERCEPTIONS
| Season | No | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 1935 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 1936 | 4 | 50 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 1937 | 4 | 103 | 25.8 | 0 |
| Totals | 8 | 153 | 19.1 | 0 |
I really thought it was Oregon, not UW, and the fans were very, very supportive. My memory has UW as having the classiest response to Sal, but that could be wrong too...
No specific order:
Matt Russell- He used to get me into the Dal Ward after games when I was a kid.
Koy Detmer - He was always nice enough to take the time to talk with me whenever he saw me at practices. This kind of thing was huge for me when I was a kid. These guys were my heroes.
Rashaan Salaam - I remember getting him to sign his name 'Heismaan' Salaam for me after the ISU game. :lol:
Matt Russell- He used to get me into the Dal Ward after games when I was a kid.
Koy Detmer - He was always nice enough to take the time to talk with me whenever he saw me at practices. This kind of thing was huge for me when I was a kid. These guys were my heroes.
Rashaan Salaam - I remember getting him to sign his name 'Heismaan' Salaam for me after the ISU game. :lol:
BehindEnemyLines
beware the habu
We could make a whole new thread with the "oversight", or "oh, I forgot about him" team. Cases in point:
- Someone mentioned Herb Orvis. One of his d/line cohorts also had a great career at CU, and a pretty good one in the league, too. Guy named Brundage.
- When thinking about Cliff Branch, it's easy to overlook a r/b named Charlie Johnson. As the tailback in the option-oriented, run-first offense of coach Crowder, Johnson played a big role in upsets IN Columbus AND Baton Rouge. Played on a team that eventually ranked #3 in the nation (Big 8 was 1/2/3 that year).
- We love the TE tradition of excellence here at CU. Let's not overlook one of the first premier players at that position; J.V. Cain. Extremely gifted and athletic player.
- Another poster mentioned all American and eventual pro athlete (and super bowl ring winner) Dick Anderson. His brother, Bobby, was AA as well as a qb, and had a reasonable career as a FB in the NFL.
- I had thought about these players when I posted my 3. Alas, I'm as guilty as any ..... I overlooked one of my all-time favs with what might be the best nickname of all -- John "Bad Dude" Stearns. Altho an AA as a FB safety, Stearns went on to play pro baseball as a catcher for the Mets.
Just to mention a few ......
- Someone mentioned Herb Orvis. One of his d/line cohorts also had a great career at CU, and a pretty good one in the league, too. Guy named Brundage.
- When thinking about Cliff Branch, it's easy to overlook a r/b named Charlie Johnson. As the tailback in the option-oriented, run-first offense of coach Crowder, Johnson played a big role in upsets IN Columbus AND Baton Rouge. Played on a team that eventually ranked #3 in the nation (Big 8 was 1/2/3 that year).
- We love the TE tradition of excellence here at CU. Let's not overlook one of the first premier players at that position; J.V. Cain. Extremely gifted and athletic player.
- Another poster mentioned all American and eventual pro athlete (and super bowl ring winner) Dick Anderson. His brother, Bobby, was AA as well as a qb, and had a reasonable career as a FB in the NFL.
- I had thought about these players when I posted my 3. Alas, I'm as guilty as any ..... I overlooked one of my all-time favs with what might be the best nickname of all -- John "Bad Dude" Stearns. Altho an AA as a FB safety, Stearns went on to play pro baseball as a catcher for the Mets.
Just to mention a few ......
Unleash Hell
Well-Known Member
I played basketball with John's son Justin for several years
I'll dust off some lockers here
Barry Helton-Met him at the '86 Blue Bonnet Bowl,really nice guy,great punter.He was also the 3rd string QB,legend has it he hit the old scoreboard above that section that used to sit above the north endzone with a snowball from the 50 yard line (sounds like a crazy fish story,but for a punter he was a good athlete).
Leon "Baby Bull" White (AKA Van Vader)-Super nice guy,lived in Louisville forever.Signed the cast on my broken leg at a spring game in the mid-eighties when the alumni game was actually a football game,not flag football.Mom didn't allow me to keep the cast after it was cutoff though,it was pretty smelly by then.
Charles Johnson-Orange Bowl MVP
My honorable mention list would be too long in its entirety so some highlights
Ryan Walters-Guy left it all on the field
Charles E Johnson-Quietly solid reciever
Mike Pritchard-Lots of big catches
Christian Fauria-Solid TE
Steve Rosga-As Keith Jackson used to say "he'll lay a hat on ya"
Ryan Black-See Steve Rosga
Ronnie Bradford-Special Teams standout
John Hessler-It wasn't always pretty,but he found a way to win some games
Ben Kelly-Rescued us vs Wyoming in '97
O.C. Oliver-As a kid loved hearing the PA announcer after one of his carries. 8 yards on the carry for O......C......Oliver!
Better stop there or I'd be here all night.
Barry Helton-Met him at the '86 Blue Bonnet Bowl,really nice guy,great punter.He was also the 3rd string QB,legend has it he hit the old scoreboard above that section that used to sit above the north endzone with a snowball from the 50 yard line (sounds like a crazy fish story,but for a punter he was a good athlete).
Leon "Baby Bull" White (AKA Van Vader)-Super nice guy,lived in Louisville forever.Signed the cast on my broken leg at a spring game in the mid-eighties when the alumni game was actually a football game,not flag football.Mom didn't allow me to keep the cast after it was cutoff though,it was pretty smelly by then.
Charles Johnson-Orange Bowl MVP
My honorable mention list would be too long in its entirety so some highlights
Ryan Walters-Guy left it all on the field
Charles E Johnson-Quietly solid reciever
Mike Pritchard-Lots of big catches
Christian Fauria-Solid TE
Steve Rosga-As Keith Jackson used to say "he'll lay a hat on ya"
Ryan Black-See Steve Rosga
Ronnie Bradford-Special Teams standout
John Hessler-It wasn't always pretty,but he found a way to win some games
Ben Kelly-Rescued us vs Wyoming in '97
O.C. Oliver-As a kid loved hearing the PA announcer after one of his carries. 8 yards on the carry for O......C......Oliver!
Better stop there or I'd be here all night.
For some of the younger guys, you probably don't know O.C. Oliver and he's been brought up a few times. He's about as early as I remember with CU football.
When Embree talks about how he and the guys who came in with him believed in Coach Mac's vision and how huge it was to finally break the 18-year losing streak to Nebraska... remember the name O.C. Oliver and the play that put us on the path to everything that happened over the next 15 years.
[video=youtube;_1Nkfc85kYc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Nkfc85kYc[/video]
When Embree talks about how he and the guys who came in with him believed in Coach Mac's vision and how huge it was to finally break the 18-year losing streak to Nebraska... remember the name O.C. Oliver and the play that put us on the path to everything that happened over the next 15 years.
[video=youtube;_1Nkfc85kYc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Nkfc85kYc[/video]
I have that game on Dvd. Maybe I will give one away after I get these other games in the mail.
SteelCity Buff
Member
.....And the whole crowd would join in with the anouncer pronouncing the name. And on the next play you would do the same with J......J......Flanagan
rodrigo
Well-Known Member
It was Bienemy who supplanted Oliver. At the time I remember thinking how can Oliver not be playing before recognizing what that meant in terms of the status of CU football.
The announcer also tried the name thing with EB for a while... "E. B. Enemy." Never quite caught on for the obvious reason, but that was a pretty amazing stable of rbs that year.
Another guy who might deserve mention: Joe Romig. A CU lifer.
Then of course, Sackman, you must remember a guy named Dave Logan :smile:
Dave Logan was a great Buff. He played in the league for a long, long time.
NBDefektor
Well-Known Member
since it's the offseason and all, why not have someone take charge and make a march-madness style, 64-player tournament based off of the people listed here. Maybe the junta seed the players and then we create a thread where we vote on who "wins." You know, sort of like that hottie competition that goes on here. i think it'd be fun, and in the end, we'd have some clarity as to who is the all-time favorite buff, at least here on AB.
just throwing it out there...
just throwing it out there...
rodrigo
Well-Known Member
Also drafted in three sports - football, baseball and basketball.
BehindEnemyLines
beware the habu
I thot Dave Winfield was the only person drafted by the 3 pro leagues.