Greatest college football player born in each state
Many great college football players hail from Illinois as a whole, and Chicago in particular, but Dick Butkus is the greatest of them all. An argument could even be made for Butkus as the greatest football player of All-Time (he was ranked No. 10 all-time by NFL Network in 2010 and No. 19 among college football players by ESPN in 2007, after all).
A two-time All-American linebacker at the University of Illinois, Butkus also played center and fullback for the Fighting Illini. Butkus was named the Big Ten’s Most Valuable player and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1963, and also set a record with 23 tackles in a single game against Ohio State. The Illini also won the Big Ten that season and beat Washington 17-7 in the Rose Bowl, in which Butkus recorded an important interception.
As a senior, Butkus was recognized by the American Football Coaches Association as the national Player of the Year and he finished third in the Heisman race. Butkus was elected to the College football Hall of Fame in 1983, and since 1985 the best linebacker in college football has been awarded the Butkus Award.
Other Notable College Football Players Born in Illinois:
- Alex Agase, OL/LB, Illinois/Purdue
- Otto Graham, QB, Northwestern
- Howard Griffith, RB, Illinois
- Napoleon Harris, LB, Northwestern
- Rodney Harrison, DB, Western Illinois
- Dana Howard, LB, Illinois
- John Lynch, DB, Stanford
- Russell Maryland, DL, Miami
- Donovan McNabb, QB, Syracuse
- Simeon Rice, DL, Illinois
- Shannon Sharpe, TE, Savannah State
- Michael Turner, RB, Northern Illinois
Next: Indiana