RGIII and the Best Nicknames in College Football Lore

Nicknames live forever, and RGIII will go down as one of the better college nicknames in history.

Three syllables that roll off the tongue bring some sort of awesomeness to the table that makes the legend of Robert Griffin III that much sweeter.

Not only is it more convenient for lazy sports writers like myself, but it adds a larger-than-life feel to a character that has lovable qualities such as wearing superhero socks.

That and the fact that this Heisman winner was cool, calm and clutch in the pocket makes RGIII stand out among the great nicknames in the history of the sport.

But where does he rank going against the best of the best?

15. Paul "The Golden Boy" Hornung

Paul Hornung was an outstanding all-around athlete which dubbed him "The Golden Boy."

It didn't take long for Notre Dame to realize they had a versatile player that was capable of playing just about any position on the field. Hornung played quarterback, halfback and placekicker for the Fighting Irish, and he had a pretty nice jumper too.

After Hornung spent college playing basketball and football and winning a Heisman, Hornung was the first overall pick in the 1957 draft and became an NFL Hall of Famer with the Green Bay Packers.

14. Steve "Air" McNair

Imagine Steve "Air" McNair playing at little Alcorn State against then-Division I-AA opponents.

It was exactly how you imagined. In McNair's senior season, he fell just short of gaining 6,000 yards passing and rushing and had a total of 53 touchdowns.

McNair was actually first nicknamed Steve "Air II" McNair, because of his brother Fred was nicknamed "Air" at Alcorn before him.

Word got out quickly about how McNair was posting Xbox numbers, or should I say Super Nintendo-like numbers, that Sports Illustrated featured him on its cover with a headline reading "Hand Him the Heisman."

Unfortunately for McNair, he didn't win the Heisman, but he did get his brother's nickname.

13. Earl "The Tyler Rose" Campbell

It might not be the flashiest nickname, but the fact that Earl Campbell represented his hometown of Tyler, Texas through his entire career is noble.

One of the greatest running backs to ever grace the field hails from a town that's known as the "Rose Capitol of America," and Campbell made that into one of the sweetest nicknames in college football history.

Oh, and Campbell's career at the University of Texas ended with a Heisman trophy.

12. RGIII

Not as high as you hoped?

Look, the persona of RGIII took on a life of its own with the humility shown by Griffin, the Superman socks and his undeniable quarterback play, but I'm afraid the nickname is somewhat bland and not creative enough to be a Top 10 greatest nickname.

And quite frankly there was one nickname this season that was better...

11. Pony Express

The most legendary backfield in the history of college football was nicknamed the "Pony Express."

Southern Methodist University's Craig James and Eric Dickerson formed a fierce duo that won SMU a lot of football games before getting hit with the death penalty in 1987.

All that aside, the Pony Express was a very witty gimmick/name.

10. Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds

The origin of Tennessee Volunteer Jack Reynolds' Hacksaw nickname is a bit odd.

After losing to Ole Miss 38-0 in 1969, Reynolds took out his frustrations on an abandoned 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air. Reynolds went through 13 chainsaws cutting the car to pieces and forming a trailer for his jeep.

After he told his teammates what he had done, the nickname stuck.

9. Darren "Run DMC" McFadden

This is one of the more clever nicknames in the sport.

In case you didn't know, Run DMC was a famous hip hop group, and you know how much the good people of Arkansas love their hip-hop.

Okay maybe not, but they came through in the clutch when they gave McFadden this play on letters.

8. Michael "The Burner" Turner

Michael "The Burner" Turner is so fun to say.

I've said it so many times that I simply can't mention Michael "The Burner" Turner without saying Michael "The Burner" Turner.

Michael "The Burner" Turner has made an impact with the Atlanta Falcons and is widely regarded as one of the best running backs in the league for his rare combination of speed and power.

7. Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu

The Honey Badger doesn't give a...

After a popular YouTube video sensation, Tyrann Mathieu was dubbed by LSU's fanbase as the "Honey Badger."  It was resisted at first, but Mathieu grew into the Honey Badger quite well.

The Honey Badger is fearless and takes what it wants, and if you've watched any college football in 2011, you'd see the similarities.

6. Jared Lorenzen- "Pillsbury Throwboy"

Jared Lorenzen has so many great nicknames.

My favorite is Pillsbury Throwboy for obvious reasons, but his other nicknames are just as fabulous. Let's see, the best of the best are Hefty Lefty, Battleship, Tubby Gunslinger, Butterball, Lord of the Ring-Dings and Round Mound of Touchdown.

He basically has as many nicknames as Apollo Creed from Rocky.

5. Gale "The Kansas Comet" Sayers

Quite possibly one of the most humble men to ever play sports had one of the best nicknames in college football lore.

Sayers nickname, "The Kansas Comet," referenced his home state and movement on the football field.

Sayers was known for being one of the hardest running backs to bring down in open space, which makes the Kansas Comet nickname that much cooler.

4. Red "The Galloping Ghost" Grange

How do you tackle what you can't see?

Better yet how do you tackle something that scares the life out of you? That was the way Red Grange played football.

"The Galloping Ghost" struck fear in his opponents and possessed enough speed to wiz right past potential tacklers.

3. Jack "The Throwin' Samoan" Thompson

"The Throwin' Samoan"  nickname was crafted by Spokesman Review Harry Missildine, and while Harry's last name might be a nightmare to spell, he came up with a larger-than-life nickname for Jack Thompson.

Thompson might not be the greatest quarterback to ever take the field, but he'll always be known as the quarterback with the best nickname in college football history, at least in my opinion.

2. Jevon "The Freak" Kearse

There might not have ever been a more fitting nickname than "The Freak" for Jevon Kearse.

Composed of speed and power, Kearse was an absolute nightmare for offensive linemen in the SEC to deal with.

Though he lacked size on the defensive line, it didn't matter because of Kearse's freakish athleticism.

1. Deion "Neon Deion" Saunders

Before he was "Prime Time," he was "Neon Deion."

Sanders is known for his versatility and his charisma, which suits the Neon Deion nickname very well. The nickname fitted the charismatic athlete because Sanders loved the spotlight, and he would light up a stadium with his electrifying returns.

While Prime Time is an unbelievably awesome nickname, Neon Deion is a classic.