College Football: Ranking the best players names of all time
10. Dick Butkus, Illinois
You might giggle at his name, but Dick Butkus used to be a name that struck fear into the hearts of opposing offenses. Simply known by Butkus, he was a consensus All-American linebacker for Illinois from 1963-64 where he also finished third in voting for the Heisman in his senior year. Butkus went on to play for the Chicago Bears and became legendary with the Monsters of the Midway. If you want to get an idea of just how much of a larger-than-life character he used to be, check out this piece by Arthur Kretchmer which remains one of the best football profiles ever written.
9. Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
There is something intimidating about seeing a large man with so few letters across the back of his shoulders. Ndamukong Suh means “house of spears” in his ancestral tongue if that wasn’t already fearsome enough. Suh is regarded as one of college football’s greatest players of all time while playing defensive tackle with Nebraska from 2005-09. Honestly, he might be the only player I have ever seen (other than a quarterback) who could take full control of a game, which is incredible considering he plays on defense and there are 21 other men on the field. He almost won the 2009 Big 12 Championship single-handedly against Texas and in retrospect, probably should have won the Heisman that year.
8. Bronko Nagurski, Minnesota
They don’t make them like Bronko Nagurski anymore nor do they name them like him. Born Bronislau Nagurski to Ukrainian immigrants, he got the name Bronko after his first teacher was unable to pronounce his name. According to legend, he was recruited to play for Minnesota after his coach saw him plowing a field – without a horse. Nagurski played both tackle on defense and fullback on offense for the Gophers where he was an All-American at both positions in 1929.
Like most uniquely named tough guys back in the day, he went on to play for the Chicago Bears. It’s said that one time on a touchdown run at Wrigley Field, he pinballed through several tacklers and bounced off the goalposts before crashing into the stadium’s brick walls, upon which he returned to the huddle and said, “That last guy hit me awfully hard.”
7. Bull Barge, South Alabama
A linebacker from 2015-18, he was named the Sun Belt Conference’s hardest hitter by Street & Smith, but you probably should have already known that upfront. His name is almost perfect grammatically with the alliteration and the fact that his first and last names are both one syllable.
6. Chris Blewitt, Pitt
Chris Blewitt was the kicker for Pitt from 2013-16, and every time he stepped up for a field goal, part of you wondered if he would live up to his name. Fortunately, he usually proved to be very reliable as he ended his career as Pittsburgh’s all-time field goals and extra points leader and finished second only behind Tony Dorsett in total points scored at the school.