The 1970s were all about the Wishbone and other option type offenses and running backs ruled the day. Archie Griffin was the only two time Heisman Trophy winner. The linemen were smaller and quicker and it was all about running the ball.

This is the 1975 version of the consensus All-American team.

QB: John Sciarra – UCLA: Playing his high school football at Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California, Sciarra signed with UCLA and head coach Pepper Rodgers. He was a freshman in 1972 which was the first year that freshmen were eligible and he split time with now television star Mark Harmon at Quarterback. They split time again in 1973, but Harmon was gone after that and the job was Sciarra’s. Harmon

However, head coach Rodgers was also gone and Dick Vermeil was hired as the new coach. Quarterback Jeff Dankworth also got plenty of playing time in 1974. 1975 was Sciarra’s senior season and it was his best. Even though the offense he ran was conservative, he still passed for 1,300 yards and he ran for just under 800 yards and 14 Touchdowns. Sciarra was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 4th round, but he decided to go to the CFL and he converted to a receiver position. He returned to the NFL when Dick Vermeil had landed the Philadelphia Eagles job and he played Defensive Back for the Eagles for 6 seasons and he played in one Super Bowl.

Sciarra won’t go down as one of the all-time greats, but he was very efficient for the 9-2-1 Bruins.

RB: Archie Griffin – Ohio State: One of college football’s all-time greats. I’ve written about him many times on this blog and he’s still the only college football player of all time to win two Heisman Trophies. Griffin actually had a better season as a junior in 1974, but he was still able to repeat as Heisman winner. Griffin ran for 1,450 yards in 1975, but in reality, fullback Pete Johnson took a lot of carries away from Archie.  Ohio State Legend

RB: Chuck Muncie – California: Quarterback Joe Roth and super back Chuck Muncie led the Cal Golden Bears to an 8-3 record in 1975. Muncie ran for 1,460 yards and 13 touchdowns. Not only a threat in the running game, but Muncie was a receiving threat out of the backfield. In 1975 alone, Muncie caught 39 passes out of the backfield. Muncie was much like the Derrick Henry type of back in that he was about 6-3, 230 with excellent speed. Muncie ran for 3,052 yards and 32 touchdowns during his three years at Cal.

In the 1976 NFL Draft, Muncie was picked with the 3 selection of the 1st round by the New Orleans Saints. He played for the Saints for 4 seasons and during the early part of his 5th season with the

Saints, he was traded to San Diego where he played for 4 more seasons. He played 9 seasons in the NFL total with 6,702 yards and 71 rushing touchdowns. His best year with the Saints was in 1979 when he ran for 1,198 yards and then with the Chargers, he hit 1,144 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Muncie’s career could have been much better, but he had a drug problem that eventually caught up with him. He passed away in 2013 from a heart attack.

RB: Ricky Bell – USC: Archie Griffin won the Heisman Trophy in 1975 with Chuck Muncie in second and Ricky Bell in third. Bell had an outstanding season in 75 with nearly 1,900 rushing yards. Bell was a junior in 1975 and they did not leave early back in these days. The following year, Bell was the first player taken in the draft ahead of Pro Football Hall of Fame member Tony Dorsett from Pittsburgh who won the Heisman.

Originally a linebacker while being recruited, Bell was moved to tailback and took the job. Bell passed away at the age of 29 due to heart failure.

WR: Steve Rivera – California: The product of Banning High School in Los Angeles, Rivera teamed up with quarterback Vince Ferragamo, who signed with Nebraska, to form a deadly a feared passing connection in California high school football. Rivera obviously landed at Cal and had a stellar career there. The 1970s passing and receiving yardage would blow nobody away today, but Rivera caught enough to take a lot of heat off of fellow All American running back Chuck Muncie. He was quarterback Joe Roth’s go-to guy, as well. Rivera was a 4th round draft pick, but only briefly with the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears. Steve Rivera is not related to Ron Rivera the coach of the Carolina Panthers who was also a consensus All American at Cal.

WR: Larry Sievers – Tennessee: Clinton, Tennessee native Sievers was not only a consensus All American in 1975, but he also made it in 1976. Although he was a great player in college, he was a total bust in the NFL after being picked in the 4th round by the Seattle Seahawks, but they traded him to Tampa Bay and he failed to make the team.

TE: Bennie Cunningham – Clemson: One of Clemson’s all-time greats and the best tight end in the country in 1975. At 6-6, 255 Cunningham was way ahead of his time and a true weapon as a receiver and a blocker. The Laurens, South Carolina native was a first-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers where he helped win a couple of Super Bowls. He was an all-time great with the Steelers

playing 10 seasons. Cunningham passed away in 2018 from cancer.

OT: Bob Simmons – Texas: A three-year starter, the senior from Temple, Texas was a force up front for the Longhorns. He was a consensus All American and then was a 3rd round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1976 draft and he played there for seven years. He played a season in the United States Football League for the Chicago Blitz.

OT: Dennis Lick – Wisconsin: Chicago native, Lick signed with the Badgers after playing at St Rita High School in Chicago. Just one of many top players from that school, Lick was a 4-year starter at Wisconsin. The home town Chicago Bears liked him enough to make him a first-round draft pick and he played for the Bears for 6 seasons.
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OG: Randy Johnson – Georgia: Small town Georgia kid that played fullback in high school and nose guard. He was actually a tremendous all-around athlete in high school participating in wrestling, basketball, baseball and even threw the weights in track and field. Georgia coach Vince Dooley preferred quickness and athleticism over size in his offensive linemen. Johnson blocked for smooth running backs like Gliding Glynn Harrison and Kevin McLee. This was one of my favorite Georgia teams. Johnson was drafted in the 4th round of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, but he didn’t make the team. He signed with Tampa Bay the following season and played there a couple of seasons before heading for Canada. The only problem with Johnson is the lack of pure size.

OG: Ted Smith – Ohio State: Talk about small-town boys, Smith came from Gibonsville, Ohio which is barely on the map. In high school, he played running back and linebacker. Woody Hayes recruited Smith as a linebacker and he played there 2 seasons before switching over to offensive guard. Hayes was much like other coaches of the period in that he didn’t care about size, but more athletic offensive linemen would do. After adjusting for a year at guard, Smith was a consensus All American at guard as a senior. Blocking for Heisman winner Archie Griffin truly did not hurt. Smith was only 6-1, 245 and was not drafted.

C: Rik Bonness – Nebraska: The Cornhuskers awesome running game opened the door for a guy like Bonness to make the All American team. But, the same can be said for Bonness opening up holes in that awesome run game. Talk about undersized, Bonness was only 6-3, 220 and he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders to play linebacker. That would never happen today. He played briefly with the Raiders before moving on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons before finishing up in New York with the New York football Giants. Bonness may have been the last of a breed.

DE: Leroy Cook – Alabama: Cook was a 3-year starter for the Crimson Tide and Bear Bryant. Like many on this list, he came from humble beginnings in Abbeville, Alabama. Abbeville is pretty much an Auburn town, but they missed on Cook and his teammate Ronnie Joe Barnes, who both signed with Alabama. Talk about country, Cook’s parents never made it to junior high before dropping out of school and going to work. Also, Cook was married in high school which is rare everywhere but in the extreme country. Cook was a great player with good size and quickness, but he injured his knee in his very last Iron Bowl in a freak accident. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 10th round, but never recovered from injury and was cut.

DE: Jimbo Elrod – Oklahoma: The Sooner defense was loaded across the board. Elrod was extremely small for the defensive end position, at 6 foot and 220 pounds, but used tremendous

quickness and athletic ability to make plays. He also fed off of the Selmon brothers and how much offenses feared them. Elrod helped the Sooners win a lot of games over a 3 year period and he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs as an outside linebacker and he played there 3 seasons before moving on to the Houston Oilers where he played another year. Tragically, Elrod and wife were killed in an automobile accident in 2016.

DT: Lee Roy Selmon – Oklahoma: Thank God for Mr. and Mrs. Selmon was a famous saying in Oklahoma back in the early and mid-70s because of the trio of outstanding brothers that played for Oklahoma during that time period. Lee Roy was the very best of the bunch and was a leader of one of the best defenses in the country during this time period. Lee Roy was the very top pick in the 1976 NFL draft and college offensive coordinators were more than glad to see him go. In the NFL, he earned Pro Football Hall of Fame honors. Selmon passed away in 2011 due to complications from a stroke. Selmon Brothers

DT: Steve Niehaus – Notre Dame: Trivia question: Who was the first player ever drafted by the Seattle Seahawks? Answer: Duh, Steve Niehaus of Notre Dame. After playing on some really good Notre Dame teams including a national champion in 1973, and some good teams in 1974 and 1975. Some might call Niehaus a bust in the NFL because he wasn’t around long. But, he was NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year with 9 1/2 sacks. He didn’t last because he injured his knees and in those days they were unable to repair them as well as today. Niehaus played high school football for Gerry Faust at Cincinnati Moeller High School.

NG: Dewey Selmon – Oklahoma: Dewey was a great player in his own right even if he was slightly overshadowed by his brother Lee Roy. Dewey was also a bit smaller at about 6-1, 245. But, he could bring it and was tough to block. With Dewey, Lee Roy and Jimbo Elrod combined with linebacker Rod Shoate who should have been on this team, the 1975 Sooners were really tough to run the ball on. Dewey followed his brother to Tampa Bay when the Bucs drafted Lee Roy number one and Dewey with their second pick. Dewey played 6 seasons with the Buccaneers and was an All-Pro once and then his last season with the San Diego Chargers.

LB: Ed Simonini – Texas A%M: Simonini led his team in tackles for 3 straight seasons and may have been at his best in 1975. The Aggies had a tough defense in 1975 with Simonini and cornerback Pat Thomas leading the way. Ed was a 3rd round draft pick by the Baltimore Colts where he played for 6 seasons before finishing his career with the New Orleans Saints.

LB: Greg Buttle – Penn State: Another product of Linebacker U, Buttle still holds Penn State tackleLBU

records, or those that haven’t been broken by Paul Posluszny and Shane Conlan. Penn State coach Joe Paterno called him as good as any linebacker the school had, but I am not sure when he said that and if it was after Conlan and Posluszny and we can’t forget Jack Ham. There have been so many great ones that it’s hard to pick them out and Lavar Arrington was incredible. Buttle was a 3rd round pick in 1976 by the New York Jets and he played there for 9 seasons.

LB: Sammy Green – Florida: It’s hard to believe now, but the Gators had never won an SEC championship before the arrival of Steve Spurrier. But, Green was an all-time Gator great. Green played at Fort Meade High School back in the day before they figured out that there’s a lot of talent hidden in the state of Florida. After making consensus All American in 1975, Green was drafted in the 2nd round by the Seattle Seahawks and he played there for 4 seasons before finishing his career with a season at Houston. Green actually had a decent NFL career even if he only played a total of 5 seasons.

DB: Tim Fox – Ohio State: A super high energy player, Fox was an incredible hitter on every level. He wasn’t the biggest of defensive backs at about 5-11, 185 but he brought the heat on every play and had a lot of pride. He was all over the field at Ohio State and then was a 1st round pick by the New England Patriots. At New England, he continued his fine play and played there for 6 seasons before moving on to the San Diego Chargers where he played 3 more seasons. Finally, he finished up in Los Angeles with the Rams for 2 more seasons. For a smaller guy, he was afraid of nothing.

DB: Pat Thomas – Texas A%M: A repeat All American, Thomas was a long term starter at cornerback for the Aggie. He played high school football on a state champion Plano High School in the Dallas suburb. For the Aggies, he was basically a shutdown corner. The Rams of Los Angeles picked him with their second selection of the 1976 draft and he played there for 7 seasons making Pro Bowls and All-Pro. After his playing days were over, he got into coaching.

DB: Chet Moeller – Navy: A really outstanding college player at safety who stood by his Navy commitment instead of following a chance at the NFL. But, he was a bit undersized for NFL play, anyway.

If you made it this far,  I’d encourage you to watch film on these guys if you can find it. You might be surprised at how good some of these guys were in their day.