Ranking the 10 best small school college football wide receivers of all time

Ranking the 10 best small school college football WRs of all time

Jan 2, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Western Michigan Broncos wide receiver Corey Davis (84) catches a touchdown pass in front of Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Sojourn Shelton (8) during the second half of the 2017 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jim O’Brien will forever be remembered for his winning field goal in Super Bowl V for the Baltimore Colts. The 32-yard kick broke a 13-13 tie against the Dallas Cowboys to bring Baltimore its first Super Bowl win. But O’Brien lasted just four years in the NFL, all as a placekicker. Few remember his exploits as a receiver at Cincinnati, but his play as a Bearcat in the late 1960s was epic enough to land him in our top 10.

Even though Cincinnati went just 12-15-1 between 1967 and 1969, O’Brien was among the top receivers in the country. Getting his first playing time as a sophomore, the El Paso native hauled in 26 passes for 547 yards. The following year O’Brien followed it up with a season that put him about the nation’s leading receivers, averaging 25.2 yards per catch for 1107 yards and 12 touchdowns. He ended his career as Cincinnati’s leader with 142 points over three years.

Thanks to his success in college, O’Brien was selected by Baltimore in the third round of the 1970 NFL Draft. After helping the Colts win the Super Bowl as a rookie, he slowly earned more chances to catch passes in addition to placekicking. He finished 1972 with 11 receptions for 253 yards and two scores. O’Brien ended his NFL career with the Detroit Lions in 1973.

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