Two major NCAA career rushing records fell in the 1990s. Florida’s “Fun ‘n’ Gun” offense changed how teams played. ESPN’s “College GameDay” brought its pregame show directly to college campuses for the first time.
College football exploded in popularity during a decade that started with Colorado and Georgia Tech splitting the national championship. It ended with the Bowl Championship Series in its third year.
Our first-team All-America selections from 1990-99 feature a ridiculous running back class. The 1990s team centers around tackle Orlando Pace – the dominant Ohio State lineman who brought the “pancake” stat into college football.
The defense features Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson – who led the Wolverines to a split national championship with Nebraska in 1997.
The Huskers are well-represented on this team.
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SN 140 1990s All-America Team (1990-99)
Offense
QB: Tommie Frazier, Nebraska
RB: Ricky Williams, Texas
RB: Ron Dayne, Wisconsin
WR: Desmond Howard, Michigan
WR: Randy Moss, Marshall
TE: Marco Battaglia, Rutgers
T: Orlando Pace, Ohio State
G: Aaron Taylor, Notre Dame
C: Aaron Taylor, Nebraska
G: Will Shields, Nebraska
T: Jonathan Ogden, UCLA
AP: Raghib Ismail, Notre Dame
K: Sebastian Janikowski, Florida State
Star Power
Williams and Dayne took turns breaking the all-time rushing record during their careers.
Dayne rushed for 6,397 yards. Williams finished with 6,279 yards. The next two running backs in consideration – San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk and Ohio State’s Eddie George – would be first-team selections in most decades.
Randy Moss played one season in the FBS with Marshall. He had 90 catches for 1,647 receiving yards and 25 TDs.
Howard had 23 total TDs in 1991 with Michigan. That includes the iconic “Heisman pose” on a 93-yard punt return against Ohio State on Nov. 23, 1991.
He followed Ismail, who averaged 22 yards per catch for his career and had five kickoff returns for TDs for the Irish.
Best Position Group
Offensive line. Pace – a two-time Unanimous All-American – finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 1996. Ogden enjoyed a dominant career, and Shields also was a unanimous pick.
Nebraska center and guard Aaron Taylor won three national championships. Notre Dame guard Aaron Taylor won the Lombardi Award in 1993.
Alabama tackle Chris Samuels just missed the cut. That’s how loaded this offensive line is.
Toughest Debate
Tommie Frazier vs. Danny Wuerffel. Peyton Manning was eliminated from this debate first.
Wuerffel passed for 10,875 yards and 114 TDs with the Gators. Frazier passed for 3,521 yards and rushed for 1,955 yards in Nebraska’s option offense.
They met in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2, 1996 – a game the Huskers won 62-24.
Perhaps Frazier’s 75-yard TD run is the best tiebreaker.
Defense
DL: Steve Emtman, Washington
DL: Warren Sapp, Miami
DL: Rob Waldrop, Arizona
DL: Chris Zorich, Notre Dame
LB: Ray Lewis, Miami
LB: Marvin Jones, Florida State
LB: LaVar Arrington, Penn State
CB: Charles Woodson, Michigan
CB: Champ Bailey, Georgia
S: Lawyer Milloy, Washington
S: Ken Swilling, Georgia Tech
P: Todd Sauerbrun, West Virginia
Star Power
Imagine this team with social media. Woodson made a series of highlight-reel plays at Michigan – ranging from one-handed interceptions against Michigan State to his sequel to the Desmond Howard punt return against Ohio State.
Lewis and Sapp were at Miami together. Lewis was somehow not a Unanimous All-America selection, but that didn’t disqualify him from the list.
The “LaVar Leap” was Arrington’s masterpiece with Penn State.
They were great players with larger-than-life personalities in the 1990s.
Best Position Group
Secondary. Woodson and Bailey could play both ways in any era. Both went on to Pro Football Hall of Fame careers at the next level.
Milloy and Swilling were prototype elite safeties. This position group is so loaded that Thorpe Award winners such as Arizona’s Darryll Lewis, Florida State’s Terrell Buckley, Alabama’s Antonio Langham and Ohio State’s Antoine Winfield didn’t make the list.
Toughest Debate
Marvin Jones vs. Derrick Brooks vs. Pat Fitzgerald. That third linebacker spot was tricky.
Jones and Brooks are pretty interchangeable at Florida State, but our panel gave the slight edge to Jones. He swept the Lombardi Award and Butkus Award in 1992 and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Fitzgerald was a two-time Bednarik Award and Butkus Award winner with the Wildcats. He would later be the head coach from 2006-22.
Fun Fact
Janikowski was so good in college he left after his junior year and was a first-round pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Janikowski led the NCAA in field goals made in 1998 (27) and 1999 (23). That second season helped the Seminoles complete a perfect 12-0 national championship run under Bobby Bowden.
The legendary Florida State coach would later say, “Have you ever thought about how many national championships we might have won if we had Janikowski every year of my career?”
