The top 100 players in Ute history

[UtahsMrSports]

Yep, another Deseret News list! (These lists are nothing but an attempt to give the site an inflated hit count, as by the time you have scrolled through the list, you will have given them 101 views.)

I am anxious to see the reaction to the top 2. Up until today, I had never heard of either. Were they legitimately the best two ever, or are they getting points for playing both ways?

Also, Paul Kruger in the 70s??

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...l-history.html

[concerned]

Yep, another Deseret News list! (These lists are nothing but an attempt to give the site an inflated hit count, as by the time you have scrolled through the list, you will have given them 101 views.)

I am anxious to see the reaction to the top 2. Up until today, I had never heard of either. Were they legitimately the best two ever, or are they getting points for playing both ways?



Also, Paul Kruger in the 70s??

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...l-history.html

Both Wilson and Jefferson were All-Americans. Wilson was an all-pro with the St. L. Cards for years; Jefferson had an outstanding career with the Redskins.

[U-Ute]

Both Wilson and Jefferson were All-Americans. Wilson was an all-pro with the St. L. Cards for years; Jefferson had an outstanding career with the Redskins.

@ #96: Wayne Jones

He sits behind me at games. Great guy.

[SoCalPat]

I disagreed with several of the placements, but take my .02 with a grain of salt. I'm not a fan of such "rankings" as a whole. It's almost impossible to compare players from different eras, only how they dominated their particular era. Also, college football is a fundamentally different game than it was 20 years ago, and that's much different than what it was 50 years previous to that. And of course (shameless plug alert!), the only ranking regarding Utah football that any Ute fan needs to worry about was written by me. Man's gotta protect his turf! That said, it was fun to read and think about the player selection and their placement, and that's the point of any such ranking anyway.

My biggest beefs are as such:

The top 2 played in the single platoon era with limited substitution. Based on that alone, their resumes look better than most, and that's an unfair standard. Eric Weddle played both ways in the two-platoon era, and should be ahead of both Wilson and Jefferson. That said, I would put Jefferson in the top 10, Wilson in the top 30.

Specialists: Notice that the return men are lumped in the 70-100 range, while the kickers are in the 15-35 range. No Andy Phillips? No Chris Yergensen? Hackett, Bateman and Sakoda were among the best ever at their positions at the U., and the best in the nation during their playing days. But why the discrepancy in the worth of a kicker/punter and a return man (all of whom had impacts on offense). Makes no sense.

Steve Marshall should've been 30 spots higher just for what he did in his one game at QB in the 1973 season finale against CSU. It's the greatest game ever played by a QB at the U.

Lee Grosscup at 5? C'mon now ... His rep was made off one game, when Utah "beat" Army in a 38-33 loss. The Utah Pass was a Cactus Jack Curtice creation. And Don Rydalch ahead of Brian Johnson and Mike McCoy?

I have never heard of John Huddleston, and I suspect his placement at 51 is largely a result of being the best player during the worst two-year stretch ever in Utah football (1974-75). I'm not sure he should be on this list, much less ahead of Paul Kruger. My apologies to any of his family who visit this site.

Eric Jacobson (52) and Garrett Smith (41) are vastly undervalued. So are Mike Fouts (97) and Jamal Anderson (99). Where's Frank Christiansen? He was Utah's first three-time all-American. Jack Johnson and Marvin Jonas also played in the NFL in their earliest days. They're offensive linemen, which makes them easy picks for the top 100. What stats do you have to argue against them?

If we're going to talk purely about what they did at the U., my top five are Alex, Weddle, Jefferson, Luther Elliss and Steve Odom. I don't think it's coincidence all of those guys had stellar NFL careers.

[concerned]

I disagreed with several of the placements, but take my .02 with a grain of salt. I'm not a fan of such "rankings" as a whole. It's almost impossible to compare players from different eras, only how they dominated their particular era. Also, college football is a fundamentally different game than it was 20 years ago, and that's much different than what it was 50 years previous to that. And of course (shameless plug alert!), the only ranking regarding Utah football that any Ute fan needs to worry about was written by me. Man's gotta protect his turf! That said, it was fun to read and think about the player selection and their placement, and that's the point of any such ranking anyway.

My biggest beefs are as such:

The top 2 played in the single platoon era with limited substitution. Based on that alone, their resumes look better than most, and that's an unfair standard. Eric Weddle played both ways in the two-platoon era, and should be ahead of both Wilson and Jefferson. That said, I would put Jefferson in the top 10, Wilson in the top 30.

Specialists: Notice that the return men are lumped in the 70-100 range, while the kickers are in the 15-35 range. No Andy Phillips? No Chris Yergensen? Hackett, Bateman and Sakoda were among the best ever at their positions at the U., and the best in the nation during their playing days. But why the discrepancy in the worth of a kicker/punter and a return man (all of whom had impacts on offense). Makes no sense.

Steve Marshall should've been 30 spots higher just for what he did in his one game at QB in the 1973 season finale against CSU. It's the greatest game ever played by a QB at the U.

Lee Grosscup at 5? C'mon now ... His rep was made off one game, when Utah "beat" Army in a 38-33 loss. The Utah Pass was a Cactus Jack Curtice creation. And Don Rydalch ahead of Brian Johnson and Mike McCoy?

I have never heard of John Huddleston, and I suspect his placement at 51 is largely a result of being the best player during the worst two-year stretch ever in Utah football (1974-75). I'm not sure he should be on this list, much less ahead of Paul Kruger. My apologies to any of his family who visit this site.

Eric Jacobson (52) and Garrett Smith (41) are vastly undervalued. So are Mike Fouts (97) and Jamal Anderson (99). Where's Frank Christiansen? He was Utah's first three-time all-American. Jack Johnson and Marvin Jonas also played in the NFL in their earliest days. They're offensive linemen, which makes them easy picks for the top 100. What stats do you have to argue against them?

If we're going to talk purely about what they did at the U., my top five are Alex, Weddle, Jefferson, Luther Elliss and Steve Odom. I don't think it's coincidence all of those guys had stellar NFL careers.

Why Wilson so low? He was no less important to his U team than any of the top 5 you mention, maybe more so. Had as good a college career. You wouldnt penalize Chuck Bednarik or Frank Gifford for being a two way player. He had a better pro career than any you mention--HOF on first year of eligibility, 8 time all pro, No. 43 on Sporting News list of greatest 75 NFL players. Merlin Olsen is the only comparable local player.

[SoCalPat]

Why Wilson so low? He was no less important to his U team than any of the top 5 you mention, maybe more so. Had as good a college career. You wouldnt penalize Chuck Bednarik or Frank Gifford for being a two way player. He had a better pro career than any you mention--HOF on first year of eligibility, 8 time all pro, No. 43 on Sporting News least of greatest 75 NFL players. Merlin Olsen is the only comparable local player.

This list makes it clear that only what the player did at the U. was taken into consideration. Wilson's best position at the U. was running back, and I wouldn't rate him among the top 15 backs ever at the U. Now, if you're going to take NFL careers into consideration, Wilson rates no worse than No. 3. (You can make arguments for Steve Smith and Mac Speedie being ahead of Wilson). But I think Wilson's NFL career comes into play in these rankings, even though it isn't supposed to. Are his Utah accomplishments good enough to rank him No. 2 on this list? I don't think so, not by a long shot.

Also, I would take Steve Young ahead of either Wilson or Olsen.