Big 12 Football: 50 best players of all-time

Big 12 Football best players of all-time: 1. Ricky Williams, RB, Texas football

The only reason to not put Ricky Williams at No. 1 would be the fact that he spent his first season with the Texas Longhorns in the Southwest Conference. That year, he was a solid freshman with 990 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. However, even if we throw that campaign out the window, Williams not only had one of the best careers in the Big 12, but he was also one of the better players in NCAA history.

Williams was great from the start but he only got better every season he played. His sophomore campaign saw him rush for 1,272 yards and 12 touchdowns but again, this was nothing compared to what he had in store. As a junior, Williams kicked it into another gear and ran for 1,893 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Then, he returned for his senior season and was even better. This time, he had 2,124 yards and 27 touchdowns — a performance that led to him winning the Heisman Trophy as well as the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and AP Player of the Year award as well. When all was said and done, Williams had his No. 34 retired by Texas.

His NFL career never reached the heights expected but he still made quite a mark on the league, and was a part of one of the biggest trades since Dallas shipped off Herschel Walker. Desperate for a playmaker, New Orleans Saints head coach Mike Ditka traded every pick he had to Washington (a first through seventh but without the second-round pick which was already traded) for the rights to draft Williams.

Seeing someone give up their entire draft was unheard of, but it spoke to the talent that Williams had, and how much he impacted the collegiate game of football.