(Ed. Note: This is the 13th in the series of digital postcards commemorating 75 years of the FWAA All-America Team.  The first FWAA All-America Team was published in 1944 during World War II and is the second longest continuously published team in major-college football.) 

In 1994, O.J. Simpson made headlines by fleeing police in a slow-speed chase in a white Bronco … The Major League Baseball season was suspended on Aug. 12, cancelling the World Series for the first time since 1904 … Lisa Marie Presley married Michael Jackson … Ice skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by Tonya Harding’s bodyguard … Lawrence Taylor retired from the NFL … “Schindler’s List” wins best picture at Academy Awards … Richard Nixon died.

Tom Osborne’s top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers knocked off No. 3 Miami in the Orange Bowl to wrap up the national title … No. 2 Penn State beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl, but couldn’t reach a split decision for the national championship … Nebraska’s strength was the offensive line with All-Americans Brendan Stai and Outland Trophy recipient  Zach Weigert, along with linebacker Ed Stewart … Penn State was represented on the All-America team by quarterback Kerry Collins and running back Ki-Jana Carter … Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam was an overwhelming choice for the Heisman Trophy … Big names on that All-America team were offensive lineman Tony Boselli of USC, defensive lineman Derrick Alexander and linebacker Derrick Brooks of Florida State and Miami defensive lineman Warren Sapp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bW1AB5IKeI

COTTON BOWL NUGGET

What a mismatch! In a 55-14 thumping of Texas Tech, USC set Cotton Bowl records for points (55), total offense (578), passing yards (435), points in a quarter (28) and points in a half (34). Trojan receiver Keyshawn Johnson caught eight passes for 222 yards and five touchdowns.

1994 FWAA Selectors

• Andy Bagnato, Chicago Tribune
• Lee Barfknecht, Omaha World-Herald
• Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
• Bob Hammond, Laramie Daily Bommerang
• Charles Hollis, Birmingham News
• Ivan Maisel, Newsday
• Alan Schmadtke, Orlando Sentinel
• Corky Simpson, Tucson Citizen
• Dick Weiss, New York Daily News

(Ed. Note: This is the eleventh in the series of digital postcards commemorating 75 years of the FWAA All-America Team.  The first FWAA All-America Team was published in 1944 during World War II and is the second longest continuously published team in major-college football.) 

In 1987…..Plans for Disneyland Paris were announced…First Starbucks outside Seattle opened in Vancouver and Chicago…The Dow closed over 2,000 for the first time…Pound of bacon sold for $1.80…..The Simpsons cartoon first appeared….Platoon won Best Picture…Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame….President Ronald Reagan gave his tear down the Berlin Wall speech.

On the 1987 FWAA All-America team, Syracuse quarterback Don McPherson was named first team as the Orangemen grabbed the Lambert Trophy as the best team in the East and claimed a berth in the Sugar Bowl. The FWAA’s Coach of the Year was also from Syracuse, Dick MacPherson. Miami (Florida) won the national championship, edging Oklahoma, 20-14, in the Orange Bowl behind a defense led by FWAA All-America Daniel Stubbs. Air Force’s Chad Hennings claimed the 1987 Outland Trophy. Other stars of the FWAA All-America team were South Carolina’s Sterling Sharpe, Oklahoma’s Keith Jackson, Florida State’s Deion Sanders and Michigan State’s Lorenzo White.

COTTON BOWL NUGGET:

Notre Dame’s Tim Brown, an FWAA All-America as a returner, led the Fighting Irish into the Cotton Bowl where they dropped a 35-10 decision to Texas A&M.  Brown, a Dallas native, was the first Irish Heisman Trophy winner to play in a bowl game and third Heisman Trophy winner to play in the Cotton Bowl in four seasons. He returned the opening kickoff 37 yards and caught a touchdown pass for a 7-0 Irish lead, before the Aggies took over in the second half.

Tim Brown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T67HDocsEY 

Your 1987 FWAA Selectors

• Lee L. Richards, Eastern Football Magazine
• Bill Millsaps, Richmond Times-Dispatch
• Jack Hairston, Gainesville Sun
• Melanie Hauser, Houston Post
• Tom Shatel, Kansas City Star-Times
• Bob Pille, Chicago Sun-Times
• Bob Hammond, Laramie Daily Boomerang
• Bob Hurt, Arizona Republic
• Gordon White, New York Times

(Ed. Note: This is the ninth in the series of digital postcards commemorating 75 years of the FWAA All-America Team.  The first FWAA All-America Team was published in 1944 during World War II and is the second longest continuously published team in major-college football.)

In 1983…. A record 125 million watched the final episode of M*A*S*H*…Motown celebrated its 25-year anniversary…First mobile phones were released by Motorola…A Ford Mustang cost $6,572.00….U.S. Unemployment rose to 12 million, highest since 1941.

The FWAA All-America Team featured three offensive players from Nebraska: running back Mike Rozier, wingback Irving Fryar and offensive lineman Dean Steinkuhler.  It marked the third straight season, a Nebraska player captured the Outland Trophy after Dave Rimington’s back-to-back in 1981 and 1982.  Auburn’s Bo Jackson, who later would win the Heisman in 1985 and become a professional baseball-football star after college, was also on the team as a sophomore.

Bo Jackson video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe-mVW-z2jA

There was plenty of firepower on defense on this FWAA team as well: Tennessee’s Reggie White, Clemson’s William Perry (The Refrigerator) and Cal’s Ron Rivera. Miami’s Howard Schnellenberger claimed the FWAA’s Coach of the Year Award.

COTTON BOWL NUGGET

Georgia defeated previously unbeaten Texas, 10-9, in a Classic at Fair Park.  A fumbled punt by Texas in the fourth quarter led to Georgia’s winning points on the ensuing drive.  But Miami would be the consensus national champion after besting top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl when the Cornhuskers’ last-gasp rally fell short on a missed two-point conversion.

Orange Bowl ending:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoNs0mdKAO8

Your 1983 FWAA Selectors

• Arnie Burdick, Syracuse Herald-Journal
• Wilt Browning, Greensboro Daily News
• Al Ludwick, Augusta Chronicle-Herald
• Ish Haley, Dallas Times-Herald
• Steve Richardson, Kansas City Star-Times
• Pat Harmon, Cincinnati Post
• Dick Rosetta, Salt Lake City Tribune
• Bob Hurt, Arizona Republic
• Bob Hentzen, Topeka Capital-Journal

(Ed. Note: This is the seventh in the series of digital postcards commemorating 75 years of the FWAA All-America Team.  The first FWAA All-America Team was published in 1944 during World War II and is the second longest continuously published team in major-college football.) 

In 1976, after 45 years of coaching, Paul Brown announced his retirement from the NFL…Ted Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves for a reported $12 million. … C.W. McCall’s song “Convoy” hit No. 1 on the country music charts. … Jack Nicholson won a Golden Globe Award for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” … TV comedy “Laverne and Shirley” premiered. … Jockey Bill Shoemaker won his 7,000th race. … Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computers in the garage of Jobs’ parents. … The movie “All the President’s Men” was released. … Hank Aaron hit his 755th and final homer off Dick Drago of the Angels. … Outbreak of “Legionnaire’s Disease” kills 29 in Philadelphia. … Chicago White Sox suited up in shorts.

Heisman Trophy-winning running back Tony Dorsett led Pittsburgh to the national championship. … Quarterback Matt Cavanaugh and a stubborn Pitt defense dominated fifth-ranked Georgia, 27-3, in the Sugar Bowl to stake the claim to the FWAA’s Grantland Rice Trophy (national title). … USC landed three players on the FWAA All-American team – running back Ricky Bell, defensive lineman Gary Jeter and defensive back Dennis Thurman. … Notre Dame defensive lineman Ross Browner won the Outland Trophy. … Prominent names on the All-American team included quarterback Gifford Nielson (BYU), tight end Ken MacAfee (Notre Dame), kicker Tony Franklin (Texas A&M) and punter Russell Erxleben (Texas).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL6d6zxdQxg – Dorsett

Go to http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/allamerica/alltime.pdf to see the entire list.

COTTON BOWL NUGGET

In its first season in the Southwest Conference, Houston was able to grab a share of the league title, play in a major bowl game and beat an undefeated team (Maryland) from the Atlantic Coast Conference, 30-21. Running back Alois Blackwell ran for 149 yards and two first-quarter touchdowns to lead the Cougars. Houston, under coach Bill Yeoman, had a 21-0 lead after 15 minutes and never let the Terrapins get within serious striking distance.

1976 FWAA Selectors

• Cooper Rollow, Chicago Tribune
• Norman Miller, New York Daily News
• Charles Karmosky. Newport News Daily Press
• John Mooney, Salt Lake Tribune
• Bob Galt, Dallas Times Herald
• Roy Edwards, Memphis Commercial Appeal
• Joe McGuff, Kansas City Star
• Earl Luebker, Tacoma News Tribune
• Regis McAuley, Tucson Daily Citizen.

(Ed. Note: This is the fifth in the series of digital postcards commemorating 75 years of the FWAA All-America Team.  The first FWAA All-America Team was published in 1944 during World War II and is the second longest continuously published team in major-college football.)  

In 1970, the soap opera “All My Children” debuted on Jan. 5 on ABC…  Farmers sued Max Yasgur for $35,000 in damages caused in “Woodstock” … Curt Flood files a lawsuit challenging baseball’s reserve clause … The movie “M*A*S*H” starring Donald Sullivan and Elliott Gould is released … Arthur Ashe won the Australian Open … Pete Maravich becomes the first to score 3,000 points in college basketball – without the 3-point line … a U.S. postage stamp costs 6 cents … The Beatles disband … Apollo 13 crew survives an accident in space and splashes down on April 17.

Airplane crashes involving players, coaches and administrators from Marshall and Wichita State football teams marred this season … This was the first season schools were allowed to schedule 11 regular season games … Joe Theismann threw for over 500 yards in a hard rain, but Notre Dame lost for the first time in the final game of the regular season, 38-28, to USC … The No. 6 Irish beat No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and No. 2 Ohio State lost to Stanford (and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jim Plunkett) in the Rose Bowl. That set up No. 3 Nebraska to beat No. 5 LSU in the Orange Bowl to win the national title … Ohio State’s Jim Stillwagon won the Outland Trophy … Big-name FWAA All-Americans included Dan Dierdorf (Michigan), Tom Gatewood (Notre Dame), Jack Youngblood (Florida), Jack Ham (Penn State) and John Tatum (Ohio State) … Northwestern’s 6-4 record (6-1 in Big Ten) earned Alex Agase  FWAA Coach of the Year honors.

Go to http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/allamerica/alltime.pdf to see the entire list.
Bob Hope Video of the 1970 team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1S_D0TUGcc

COTTON BOWL NUGGET

Top-ranked Texas fumbled nine times, losing five, and Notre Dame ended UT’s bid for a national title – along with the Longhorns’ 30-game winning streak – with a 24-11 payback victory. All the scoring was done in the first half. Texas’ All-American running back Steve Worster was limited to 42 yards on 16 carries. Quarterback Eddie Phillips did the most damage, rushing for 164 yards on 23 carries and throwing for 199 (9 of 17). ND’s Joe Theismann threw for a TD (26 yards to Tom Gatewood) and ran for two (15 and 3 yards).

1970 FWAA Selectors

• Steve Weller, Buffalo Evening News
• George McClelland, Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
• Tom McEwen, Tampa Tribune
• Si Burick, Dayton News
• Volney Meece, Daily Oklahoman
• Burle Petitt, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
• Don Fair, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
• Carl Porter, Tucson Daily Citizen