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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 2571914, member: 289"] THE PLAYERS [B] Awards[/B]: Wisconsin’s Alan Ameche won the Heisman with 1,068 votes but Oklahoma’s center Kurt Burris was second with a very creditable 838, ahead of Ohio State’s Howard Cassidy with 810. Jack Ellena, UCLA’S tackle, was their highest vote getter at #7 (193). Cassidy would win the 1955 Heisman with a dominating 2,219 votes and also won the Heisman’s rival, the Maxwell Award. Oklahoma had Bo Bolinger, a guard at #9 with 148 points. In 1956 two Sooner sophomores from 1954, halfback Tommy McDonald and Jerry Tubbs, a center-linebacker and sometime fullback, were #3-#4 with 973 and 724 votes, (both ahead of #5 Jim Brown). Jim Parker, the big Buckeye tackle was #8 with 248 votes. Jim won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top lineman that year. McDonald won the Maxwell that year. [B]All-Americans[/B]: For Ohio State Cassidy was an AA in 1954-55 and Parker in 1956. For Oklahoma, Burris and end Max Boyston were AA in 1954, Bolinger in ’55 and McDonald and Tubbs in ’56. For UCLA, Ellena was a 1954 AA, as was his tackle mate, Hardeman Cureton in 1955. [B]Pros[/B]: [B]Ohio State: [/B] John Borton, QB, played for the 1957 Browns. Dick Brubaker, end, played for the 1955and 1957 Cardinals and the 1960 Bills. (3 seasons) Howard Cassidy played for the Detroit Lions 1956-61, the Browns and Eagles in 1962 and was back with the Lions in 1963 (8 seasons) Dave Leggett, QB, played for the 1955 Chicago Cardinals. There are references to his playing for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the CFL but the most I could find on that was that he had a try-out in 1957 and did not make the rosters. They are talking about Dave at the 24:10 mark of this NFL films video, even though that’s not his picture that they show: [MEDIA=youtube]FPkDnR-gpZg[/MEDIA] This is Dave: [URL]https://www.amazon.com/Leggett-Autographed-State-Buckeyes-Photograph/dp/B01LWZ3HBB[/URL] Raul “Bill” Michael, a guard, played for the 1957 Steelers Bob Myers, tackle, played for the 1955 Colts Jim Parker played for the Colts from 1957-67 (11 seasons) Bobby Watkins, halfback, played for the Bears from 1955-57 and the Cardinals in 1958. (4 seasons) Thurlow “Tad” Weed, kicker, played for the 1955 Steelers. That’s 8 players who played a total of 31 seasons, (3.9 seasons per player). Oklahoma: Max Boydston, end played for the Cardinals from 1955-58, the Hamilton Tiger Cats in 1959, the Dallas Texans, (now the Kansas City Chiefs) in 1960-61 and the Oakland Raiders in 1962. (8 seasons). Billy Pricer, fullback, played for the 1957-60 Colts (as Ameche’s back-up), and the 1961 Texans. (5 seasons) Jimmy Harris, who took over as starting QB midway through the 1954 season and went 25-0, played defensive back for the Eagles (1957), the Rams (1958), the Texans (1960) and the Cowboys (1961) (4 seasons) Jerry Tubbs was linebacker for the 1957-58 Cardinals, the 1958-59 49ers and the 1960-67 Cowboys. (11 seasons) Tommy McDonald because a wide receiver for the Eagles (1957-63), the Cowboys (1964), the Rams (1965-66), the Falcons (1967) and the Browns (1968). (12 seasons). That’s 5 players who played a total of 40 seasons, (8 seasons per player) UCLA: Jack Ellena played guard and tackle for the 1955-56 Rams (2 seasons) Jim Salisbury played guard for the 1955-56 Lions and the 1957-58 Packers. (4 seasons) Bob Long played linebacker for the 1955 Rams, the 55-59 Lions, the 60-61 Rams and the 1962 Cowboys. (8 seasons) Johnny Hermann was a running back, split end and defensive back for the 1956 Colts and Giants. Don Shinnick played linebacker for the Baltimore Colts from 1957-1969 (13 seasons) That’s 5 players who played a total of 28 season ( (5.6 seasons per player) So you’ve got Ohio State, champion of the most prestigious conference, (and with the most boisterous coach). Oklahoma, champion of the weakest conference, (but with the most gentlemanly coach), and UCLA with their best ever team, (and a coach who wasn’t inducted into the Hall of Fame until 38 years after he died because we has with a prostitute when it happened). The Buckeyes were #1 with the writers. The Bruins were #2 with them but only because of a bye week and they were #1 with the coaches. Oklahoma was #3 in both polls but would be #1 in both the next two years with largely the same team. Were they that much worse as sophomores than they were as juniors? The Buckeyes were the most popular choice of all the other selectors and had the best record against ranked teams and the lowest point differential ranking against their opponents, (low being good). They also had the most future pros. The Bruins have the edge in comparative scores and stats. The Sooners have the longest winning streak, (ever) and their players had the best performance in the awards and played the most years in the pros. You can only pick one team… Who is #1 for 1954? [/QUOTE]

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