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The Eleven Greatest College Linebackers, 1958-2008 11) D. D. Lewis: Mississippi State 1965-'67, Member of College Football Hall of Fame 10) Randy Gradishar: Ohio State 1971-'73, Member of College ...

College Football: The 11 Best Linebackers of the Past 50 Years

by BabyTate (Senior Writer)

28

2,996 reads

Rankings/List

July 20, 2008


The Eleven Greatest College Linebackers, 1958-2008

11) D. D. Lewis: Mississippi State 1965-'67, Member of College Football Hall of Fame

10) Randy Gradishar: Ohio State 1971-'73, Member of College Football Hall of Fame

9) Mike Singletary: Baylor 1977-'80, Member of College Football Hall of Fame

8) Dennis Onkotz: Penn State 1967-'69, Member of College Football Hall of Fame

7) Wilber Marshall: Florida 1980-'83, Member of College Football Hall of Fame

6) George Webster: Mich. State 1964-'66, Member of College Football Hall of Fame

5) Jack Ham: Penn State 1968-'70, Member of College Football Hall of Fame

4) Lawrence Taylor: UNC 1977-'80, ACC MVP in 1980

3) Leroy Jordan: Alabama 1960-'62, Member of College Football Hall of Fame

2) Dick Butkus: Illinois, 1962-'64, Member of College Football Hall Of Fame

1) Tommy Nobis: Texas, 1963-'65, Member of College Football Hall Of Fame

 

10 of the 11 are in the College Football Hall of Fame.  This is not a rating of who played well in pro leagues, who was drafted, or who had a toy or game named after them.  This is a college football player ranking of the best linebackers since 1958.

Honorable mention goes out to Willie Lanier, Jim Lynch, Brian Bosworth, Cornelius Bennett, Derrick Brooks, Derrick Thomas, Maxie Baughan, Ray Lewis, George Mira, Jr., Batman Richard Wood, Judge Jeff Davis, Killer Steve Kiner, Jeff Siemon, Rick Redmon, Tim Rossovich, Frank Emanuel, Jerry Robinson, and Chris Spielman.

Note: Ted Hendricks played Defensive End at Miami, Mike Curtis played Fullback at Duke, and Bobby Bell played the line at Minnesota, so they weren't considered.

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28 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. BabyTate 11 months ago

    The margin between #11 and #7 is paper-thin. The margin between #6 and #1 is razor-thin. These are top, top, top of the world players. All of them legendary, people have argued for over 40 years as to whether Nobis, Jordan, or Butkus is the greatest of alltime much less the past 50 years. Jack Ham is so good that I've heard some folks say he's literally the greatest player at any position to ever play. George Webster completely re-invented the position of outside linebacker, even at East Lansing where Duffy used him in a hybrid set. Taylor, Marshall, and Singletary would make every tackle if they could rwach the person. Woody Hayes said Gradishar was the best defensive player he ever coached. When D.D. Lewis was playing in Starkville, Bear Bryant called him the best linebacker in the country. This is coming from a man who said of his QB at Kentucky, "George Blanda is a pretty good player" and then Blanda went on to play in the pros for 26 years from 1949 to 1975! Bryant did not lavish praise lightly. And Dennis Onkotz, pound for pound the best defensive player I've ever seen, the man who basically invented the Joe Paterno era when he stopped QB Jim Donnan of undefeated #3 NC State on 4th and inches and gave Paterno his biggest win to date in November of 1967, and removed the spectre of the great Rip Engle lurking over his shoulder.

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  2. Nick A 11 months ago

    So in all the years of college football, the eleven best linebackers played only from 1960-1983, with numbers 1,2,3,5,6,8,11 playing in the 60s? Hmmmmmmmmmm. Definitely all great backers, but maybe a little generational bias here.

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      No, they are the Hall of Famers. Linebackers were superior in the past defenses. They were required to do more regarding adjustments and even influencing substitution of players. Many players went both ways. There are really only a handful of linebackers of the past 20 years that have the responsibilities of those 40 years plus ago. This is not to rate athletic speed, weight-lifting, or test scores. This is a reflection of a position, Linebacker, that was in it's heyday after World War II until the legalization of offensive holding in the 1970s.

      These linebackers, except for Taylor, are all in the College Football Hall Of Fame. They earned it. Perhaps in 50 years the Hall will have some of the more recent linebackers and you can review them on an equal setting.

      It is obvious to me reading in this web site that there is an attitude that anything that happened before you were alive did not matter. This is a pop culture attitude you must guard against. Knowledge and reading will protect you from inexperienced bias. I myself never saw many of the greatest baseball players, Cobb, Wagner, Ruth, Dean but I read extensively as a youngster and gathered my information to form my own opinion. I would encourage you to do the same. There's a whole big world of information out there, and almost all of it happened prior to 15 years ago.

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  3. Scott McDaniel 11 months ago

    Jonathan Vilma, Miami Hurricanes, Dat Nguyen, Texas A&M, Derrick Johnson, University of Texas, Lavar Arrington, Penn State, the list could go on.....What is your reason for selecting so many players from the 60's and 70's other than that the fact that they have been inducted into the CFHOF?

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      What reason would I put someone who is not in the Hall of Fame in front of someone who is? I've seen the linebackers you list. The 11 Linebackers I chose are all superior to the ones you listed. Come back in several decades and we'll review the careers of those people and we'll see if they stood the test of time like the 11 I chose.

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    • Nick A 11 months ago

      Why do we have to come back in several decades to review these careers? You said that it was not based on who played well in the Pros or where they were drafted. So why can't we just look at their college careers. How about some numbers in college (tackles, etc) to back up yours stuff? I'd look, but I'm not getting my work published on this site.

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  4. Timothy Croley 11 months ago

    Great list. You should check out my article All-Time College Football Team: Linebacker, if you haven't already.

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      Let me first of all correct an omission here. To begin my article I meant to give credit to you for putting the idea in my head. I spend some free time each day reviewing the past articles of selected writers I find interesting and deep, and you are one of them. I found an older piece you did concerning this and it made me think of expanding your article. So, let me give you great credit for the idea and I hope I did not step on your toes by expanding the review base.

      Thank you very much Timothy, I enjoy reading your outstanding work.

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    • Timothy Croley 11 months ago

      I appreciate all the compliments. You are as free as anyone to write what you wish, so I don't feel like you are stepping on my toes by any means. I also enjoy reading your work and look forward to your college football articles this fall.

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    • Thomas Brown 11 months ago

      Baby, I thought you said it was solely based on their college careers, so who cares if we come back a couple decades later.

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  5. H S Fry 11 months ago

    Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds should be on the list.

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  6. BabyTate 11 months ago

    Hacksaw and Youngblood were both awesome. In strictly "Volunteer" terms, I have to go with Steve Killer Kiner as the big boss man of Tenn college linebackers and Frank Emanuel as a close #2. Both were listed among my honorable mention.

    You know, Reynolds sawed his car in half after Archie Manning wore his undefeated Volunteers out 38-0 in '69. Wonder if he had won that game if he would have ever had another nickname?

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  7. Thomas Brown 11 months ago

    LT should be higher, i've never seen anything like him, a lb as the mvp of a conference?

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      He's pretty good, #4 in the past 50 years, but can't move him higher than 4 as those top three are better than him. I thought enough of him to put him in the 11 even though he's not in the College Football Hall Of Fame and is the only one of my 11 not in the Hall Of Fame. He gets the slightest edge over Jack Ham so he's closer to 5 than 3. There have been other linebackers who were MVP in the ACC like the Judge Jeff Davis of Clemson.
      I'm glad he's keeping his life and health in order the past few years. He was sure enough a mess in the late 90s. I saw a picture of him the other day playing golf, he's put on the pounds since he was playing.

      Thanks for the comment.

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  8. Thomas Brown 11 months ago

    you wonder why hes not in the hall of fame? nothing to do with his play on the field...

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  9. Daniel Brommer 11 months ago

    Not a single linebacker from the 90's in there, that's a little wierd. It takes them like twenty years to put players into the college hall of fame. I guess i'm a little more new school than you are, but i think your being a little bias with this man, no disrespect or anything. i'm sure linebackers were asked to do a lot more back in the day, but the defense itself has evolved more than ever so each position is asked to much more now. you make it sound like the linebacker was the only position on defense that had responsibility. and besides all of that, your crazy for not having butkus as number one. absolutely crazy.

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  10. Daniel Brommer 11 months ago

    Brian Bosworth ( Oklahoma), Larry Station ( Iowa), Chris Spielman ( Ohio State), Derrick Thomas ( Alabama), Marvin Jones ( Florida State), Trev Albert ( Nebraska), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) Those are some great college linebackers.

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      I agree. If you'll note the honorable mention part of the 11 man team we have listed Bosworth, Thomas, and Spielman.

      While Jones and Albert were fine college players, the data did not reveal them to be in the Top 30 of the past 50 years. Fitzgerald was an outstanding player who ranks higher than Jones and Albert but not above Spielman, Thomas, and Bosworth.

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  11. Jerry Noonan 11 months ago

    Lynch
    Crable
    Golic

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      Excellent names. Excellent input. Please note that Jim Lynch is not just honorable mention on my list but the comparative data has him ranked #13 of the past 50 years. And, Lynch played when Linebackers were linebackers and the vast majority of the list comes from Lynch's era.

      Naturally, Golic is one of the best linebackers as well. You could make a case for 6 men from South Bend in the past 50 years for this list.

      Notre Dame would be well represented on any list at any position in any period of time anyone wishes to use. Wake up the echoes!

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  12. Tom DeMatteo 11 months ago

    Brian Bosworth has to be on any list of greatest college linebackers. The fact that he isn't on this list makes the list invalid.

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      Bosworth was a great linebacker in college, that's why I have him in honorable mention on the list. He is not, and was not, as outstanding as the 11 men listed. He actually came out #14 in the ranking data created for the position.

      If you'll take a moment to review the list you'll notice Boswoth ranks higer than any linebacker in the past 25 years. That should give you some comfort, knowing that he is #1 in the past quarter century.

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  13. Adam Brumback 11 months ago

    The way you keep responding to everyone's comments is ridiculous. Their views, just like yours, are strictly opinion. You make it sound like your arbitrary list is actual fact. “Linebackers were superior in the past defenses”. So and so “was not as outstanding as the 11 men listed”. This list is simply you’re opinion, which is fine, but so is anyone else’s opinion that LaVar Arrington, AJ Hawk, or dozen of others from the past twenty years, are some of the 11 best linebackers of all-time. And the rebuttal that “they aren’t in the Hall” is absurd…of course Brooks, Lewis, Hawk, etc, aren’t in the Hall…they're still active NFL players, so they don’t meet the criteria. In twenty years when they are elected, that isn’t going to enhance what they accomplished on the field during their college career. You are certainly entitled to make your list as you see fit and honestly, I actually agree with most of your selections, however just because someone disagrees, doesn’t make them wrong and you right.

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      Adam, thank you for your opinion. I base this register upon fact and data prepared from years of information gathering.

      Now, here is what I want you to do. Go write a made up list of young so called linebackers that you wish to have and publish it. We look forward to reviewing such an article.

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  14. 12 11 months ago

    Great list, and the honorable mention list is also loaded!

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    • BabyTate 11 months ago

      Thank you 12. It does me good to read at least one intelligent review of real linebackers like LeRoy Jordan instead of some kid's idea of a big safety or small lineman running in for a sack.

      I hope that we will receive further information from you as an Alabama fan. We are at present receiving a mountain of articles concerning Georgia. While I realize the Bulldogs have much to be happy about, we would like to hear from other schools as well. Presently I reviewed 7 articles today that stated Georgia is #1, Sou Cal is #1 and even Ohio State is #1 with very little else to the argument other than they are the best because the writer said so. These can lead to arguments. We need good reporting, and good reporting about a variety of schools. Look forward to seeing your work.

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  15. 12 11 months ago

    Thanks BabyTate. Hopefully I can come up with something worthwhile to contribute. I appreciate your encouragement.

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