1978 College Football All-America Team

Official list of the best college football players of 1978

1978 College Football All-America Team
College Football All-America Team
1978 NCAA Division I-A football season
1976 1977 ← → 1979 1980

The 1978 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1978. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognizes four selectors as "official" for the 1978 season. They are:[1] (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) based on the input of more than 2,000 voting members;[2] (2) the Associated Press (AP) selected based on the votes of sports writers at AP newspapers;[3] (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) selected by the nation's football writers;[4] and (4) the United Press International (UPI) selected based on the votes of sports writers at UPI newspapers.[5] Other selectors included Football News (FN), the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA),[6] The Sporting News (TSN), and the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WC).

Offense

Receivers

  • Emanuel Tolbert, SMU (AP-1, FWAA, UPI-2, NEA-2, WC)
  • Kirk Gibson, Michigan State (AP-2, UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN)
  • Gordon Jones, Pittsburgh (AFCA [split end], AP-2, NEA-1 [flanker])
  • Jerry Butler, Clemson (AP-1, NEA-2 [flanker], TSN)
  • Junior Miller, Nebraska (AP-3)
  • Dave Petzke, Northern Illinois (AP-3)

Tight ends

Tackles

Guards

  • Pat Howell, USC (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN, WC)
  • Greg Roberts, Oklahoma (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN, WC)
  • Joe Bostic, Clemson (AP-2, UPI-2, NEA-2)
  • Pete Inge, San Diego State (AP-2)
  • Steve Lindquist, Nebraska (AP-3, UPI-2)
  • Brad Budde, USC (NEA-2)
  • Doug Panfil, Tulsa (AP-3)

Centers

Quarterbacks

  • Chuck Fusina, Penn St. (AFCA-t, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, WC)
  • Rick Leach, Michigan (AFCA-t, AP-2, UPI-2)
  • Jack Thompson, Washington State (TSN)
  • Steve Dils, Stanford (NEA-2)
  • Steve Fuller, Clemson (AP-3)

Running backs

Defense

Defensive ends

  • Al Harris, Arizona St. (AP-1, UPI-1, NEA-1, WC, AFCA, FWAA, TSN)
  • Hugh Green, Pittsburgh (AP-1, UPI-1, NEA-2, WC)
  • Don Smith, Miami (Fla.) (AFCA, NEA-2, TSN)
  • George Andrews, Nebraska (AP-2, UPI-2, NEA-1)
  • Don Blackmon, Tulsa (AP-2)
  • Willie Jones, Florida State (UPI-2)
  • John Adams, LSU (AP-3)
  • Chuck Schott, Army (AP-3)

Defensive tackles

  • Mike Bell, Colorado St. (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, UPI-2, NEA-1, TSN, WC)
  • Bruce Clark, Penn St. (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-2)
  • Marty Lyons, Alabama (AP-1, FWAA, UPI-2, NEA-1, TSN)
  • Matt Millen, Penn State (UPI-1, NEA-2, WC)
  • Dan Hampton, Arkansas (AFCA)
  • Jimmy Walker, Arkansas (AP-3, FWAA)
  • Mike Stensrud, Iowa State (AP-2)
  • Ken Kremer, Ball State (AP-3)

Middle guards

Linebackers

Defensive backs

  • Johnnie Johnson, Texas (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, WC)
  • Kenny Easley, UCLA (AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN, WC)
  • Jeff Nixon, Richmond (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-2, NEA-1, WC)
  • Lawrence Johnson, Wisconsin (NEA-1, TSN)
  • Henry Williams, San Diego St. (AFCA, UPI-2)
  • Rick Sanford, South Carolina (TSN)
  • Pete Harris, Penn State (AP-2, UPI-1, NEA-2)
  • Don Bessillieu, Georgia Tech (TSN)
  • Jeff Delaney, Pittsburgh (AP-2, UPI-2)
  • Lovie Smith, Tulsa (AP-2)
  • Russ Calabrese, Missouri (NEA-2)
  • Tim Smith, Oregon State (NEA-2)
  • Vaughn Lusby, Arkansas (NEA-2)
  • Jason Coloma, Brigham Young (AP-3)
  • Nesby Glasgow, Washington (AP-3)
  • Joe Restic, Notre Dame (AP-3)

Special teams

Kickers

  • Matt Bahr, Penn State (UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN)
  • Tony Franklin, Texas A&M (FWAA, UPI-2, NEA-2)

Punters

Key

  • Bold – Consensus All-American[1]
  • -1 – First-team selection
  • -2 – Second-team selection
  • -3 – Third-team selection

Official selectors

Other selectors

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. pp. 3, 12. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Kodak All-America has two quarterbacks". The Salina Journal. December 4, 1978. p. 15.
  3. ^ a b "Bruins, Troy share wealth in AP All-America squad". The San Bernardino County Sun. December 6, 1978. p. D2.
  4. ^ a b Ted Gangi (ed.). "FWAA All-America Since 1944: The All-Time Team" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "UPI All-America Team". The Salina Journal. December 5, 1978. p. 13.
  6. ^ a b "Penn State's Fusina tops NEA All-America". The Paris News. December 6, 1978. p. 7B.
  • v
  • t
  • e
1978 College Football All-America Team consensus selections
Offense
Defense
  • DL Mike Bell
  • DL Bruce Clark
  • DL Hugh Green
  • DL Al Harris
  • DL Marty Lyons
Special teams