 It's time for yours truly Jimmy Powers with another Grantland rice story Hi there. This is Jimmy Powers coming your way once again transcribed with another chapter from the Grantland rice story The tumult and the shouting today's chapter is entitled Football all-timers and should bring back many happy memories So with a low bow to granny. I'll pick up his narrative in first person There's something about the side of a top-flight football player That's just a little different from any other athlete with the possible exception of a fighter or a thoroughbred and Because college football as long as it's worth the name will be played by the young undergraduate Here's to him. I've been asked to rank my all-time collegiate and professional 11s This side of a house full of ghosts Nothing could be more mythical, but I'll give it a whirl ranking some of the greatest games I've covered. However, isn't quite so difficult as a starter I give you the 1935 game between Notre Dame and Ohio State a brawl in which the Irish were rated the underdog but between the passing of Notre Dame's Bill Shakespeare and the running of Andy Pilney the Irish pulled it out in the last seconds 1813 that was a great battle. So was the sugar bowl game in 1944 when Duke defeated, Alabama 2926 in a seesaw battle at new no odds And as long as football remains a game of heart as well as speed and muscle I'll not forget the Pennsylvania versus Michigan game of 1908 It was a scarless tie until Michigan's great center Germany Schultz a one-man gang in himself Had to be dragged from the field then Penn stormed all over the Wolverine 29 to nothing Back to the modern era. I saluted Yale's 1934 team that featured 11 60-minute bulldogs led by the irrepressible Larry Kelly who grabbed a touchdown pass Eli whacked favorite Princeton seven to nothing the Notre Dame versus Oklahoma games of 52 and 53 were other thrillers Alabama's 2913 victory over Stanford in the 34 Rose Bowl game was a corker with that dead-eye Combination Dixie Howell to Don Hudson renting Stanford's battle flags There are many many others but right now. Let's return to my all-time football team Who are the greatest backs in football who are the next four best backs? I have asked at least 50 of the best-known coaches for their ratings and opinions Then I have done the best I could in lining up the four stars There are two categories that must be considered the four best who played both professional and college football and the four best Who played only college ball? Who were the best men I have looked at who played both games? The list must include Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, Bronco Nagersky, Ernie Nevers, Ken Strong, Benny Friedman Steve Van Buren, Cliff Battles, Dutch Clark, Bill Dudley, Norm Stanley and such great passing quarterbacks as Sammy Baw, Johnny Lujak, Sid Luckman, Otto Graham and Frankie Albert This does not include the star collegians who never played pro football. They will be handled in a different group There are three names that leap out at me through the years. They are Jim Thorpe, Red Grange and Bronco Nagersky They were great collegians and great pro stars for many years Their imprint upon the game was deeper than any running and kicking backs or tackling and blocking backs or whatever else made up football greatness All three had that indefinable quality known as color It seems a shame to leave out such backs as Ernie Nevers, Cliff Battles, who ran over and around all opponents and Ken Strong, the magnificent runner, passer, blocker and kicker Any decision is tough since these were all good friends of mine who played long and brilliantly Getting back to Thorpe, Grange and Nagersky, one of Thorpe's high points was his kicking He was a great punter, a deadly man at place kicking and a fine drop kicker He had accuracy and long range to work with Grange was a baffling runner, the type that once broke away for four long runs to touchdowns in the first period against Michigan He could also block, tackle and handle passes expertly A great many coaches, including his own coach, Doc Spears, named Bronco Nagersky as the greatest player of all time He was a star end, a star tackle and a crushing fullback who could pass I believe 11 Nagerskys could beat 11 Granges or 11 Thorpes Bronco weighed 228 pounds and he was fast and quick Now we come to the toughest assignment of them all, the selection of the greatest passing quarterback to go with Thorpe, Grange and Nagersky Here is the leading list, Ball, Graham, Luckman and Albert with Bobby Lane coming up in a hurry and Bob Waterfield in close consideration I first saw Sammy Ball in a battle with Southern Methodist at Fort Worth in 1935 He was playing for Texas Christian, the second TCU got the ball on its own 15 yard line, Ball fell back and began passing TCU had good runners, but its attack was Ball's passing The period between 1934 and 1952 is a long time, 18 years Yet, Sling and Sam faced the savageness and the drive of college and pro football for 18 years Where, as the passer, he was knocked down more times than a machine could register When you throw Ball, Graham and Luckman together, there is a very slim margin left in favor of number one But Ball is picked for 18 brilliant years and also for his able kicking most of the time This leaves the backfield as follows, quarterback, Sammy Ball, halfback, Jim Thorpe, halfback, Red Grange, fullback, Bronco, Nagersky Selecting the greatest all-time college backfield is simpler We have a fine group to pick from Gip of Notre Dame, Olyphant of Army, Frank of Yale, Mahon of Harvard, Koy of Yale, Eckersall of Chicago, Heston of Michigan, Fan of Cornell Unfortunately, Willie Heston played before the day of the forward pass in a different game He was probably the finest running back of the lot Most of the more famous college stars have gone out for pro football in recent years So those stars who made their reputations on college teams without the aid of the pro game Make up a much briefer list The four college backs finally selected include Gip of Notre Dame, Frank of Yale, Mahon of Harvard, and Eckersall of Chicago There is no doubting George Gip's standing He and Frank were perhaps the best college backs I ever saw Gip could crash through a line or sweep an end He was a fine kicker, he was also a fine passer Earl greasy Neil, who has been as close to the college game as anyone else Says Clint Frank of Yale is not only the best college back But the best all around back he ever saw Frank was a very fine offensive back But in addition to that he was a real miracle on defense, says Neil I've seen him play back to break up passes And still make his tackles at the line of scrimmage He was all over the field, knocking down passes And smashing line plays, often tackling back of the line for heavy losses Frank could do everything and do everything brilliantly Eddie Mahon was a star running back, a good kicker and passer And an all around worker He was Harvard's main star in the big years of Houghton's dominance Walter Eckersall was a brilliant quarterback on Stagg's Chicago teams Around 1904, 5 and 6 He was extremely fast and slippery, a sensational kicker, punt or drop And he ran his teams with fine judgment He was also one of the best of all safety men When you've looked at so many hundreds of college backs for 50 years The picture is bound to become confused But George Fan also belongs high on any list This Cornell star was a brilliant, hard fighting back who went all out on every play Elmer Olyphant also rates high A bull for both Purdue and Army in all sports Olyphant ranked with Harvard's Charlie Brinkley and Thorpe as a field goal kicker I don't feel qualified to pick a complete all-time pro team Men are shifted back and forth too often And there are stars for offense and stars for defense You would have to keep naming them for a week However, there is a much better shot at an all-time college team Here is our choice Sender, Germany Schultz, Michigan, 06 Guard, Pudge Heffelwinger, Yale, 92 Guard, Herman Hickman, Tennessee, 32 Tackle, Joe Stidihar, West Virginia, 35 Tackle, Bill Henry, Washington and Jefferson, 20 And Don Hudson, Alabama, 35 And Bernie Usterbaum, Michigan, 28 Quarterback, Sammy Baugh, TCU, 37 Halfback, Jim Thorpe, Carlisle, 15 Halfback, Red Grainge, Illinois, 25 Fullback, Bronco Nagersky, Minnesota, 30 This team will do until another comes along It seems a crime to leave out such men as Sid Luckman, Otto Graham, Walter Ecker-Saul, Elmer Oliphant Eddie Mahon, Cliff Battles, Bulldog Turner, Bill Dudley, Bill Hewitt Danny Fortman, George McAfee, Bob Waterfield And so many more who have starred brilliantly so long But as the big pack has passed before us for 50 years This is the best picture our memory can recall Well, that's it for today Now this is Jimmy Powers once again transcribed saying Don't forget to be with us next time to hear another chapter from The Tumult and the Shouting Until then, hasta la vista