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Brigham Young Cougers
Football All-Americans
 Eldon Fortie- Nicknamed "The Phantom," Fortie broke 21 school records
and is one of only two players in BYU football history to have his
number retired. Rushed for 1,149 yards, an average of 5.8 per game, and
passed for 814 yards in 1962. Holds BYU record for most rushing yards in
a game (272).
Virgil Carter- Threw 141 completions for 2,182 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Rushed for 363 yards. Led nation in total offense and touchdown passes.
Set NCAA total offense record for one game (599). Most offensive plays
in a career (1,059). NCAA post-graduate scholarship recipient.
Jay Miller- Led the nation in receiving with 100 receptions for 1,181
yards including eight touchdowns. Holds BYU record for most receptions
in a game (22) and most receiving yards in a game (263).
Brad Oates- Recorded second highest grade ever for a BYU offensive
lineman in 1975.
Orrin Olsen- Started all 11 games. Brother of Merlin and Phil Olsen.
Gifford Nielsen- Nicknamed the "Mormon Rifle," he threw 207 completions
for 3,192 yards with 29 touchdown passes. Led nation in touchdown
passes, second in total offense, fourth in passing. As a team, the
Cougars finished first in passing (307.8), sixth in total offense
(424.4) and eighth in NCAA scoring (31.9). 1994 College Football Hall of
Fame inductee.
Mark Wilson- Threw 250 completions for 3,720 yards with 29 touchdown
passes. Threw seven touchdown passes in first start. Led NCAA in total
offense. Ranked fourth in the nation in passing efficiency with a 147.1
rating. 1979 Senior Bowl MVP. Finished third in Heisman voting. Set 10
NCAA records in his career. Winner of Sammy Baugh Trophy as College
Passer of the Year. Led team to an undefeated regular season and was
named the Holiday Bowl's Offensive MVP. 1996 College Football Hall of
Fame inductee.
Clay Brown- Made game winning hail mary catch in 1980 Holiday Bowl
against SMU. Member of Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame.
Nick Eyre- Nicknamed "The Bear." Was BYU's first consensus All-America
lineman. Finished third in the Outland Trophy voting. Was a three-year
starter for 24 consecutive games.
Jim Mcmahon- 1980 Led nation with 4,571 yards passing including 47
touchdowns. First Division I player to pass for more than 4,000 yards in
a season. Set or tied 26 NCAA records. Led nation in total offense
(385.6) and pass efficiency (176.9), which ranks second all-time in NCAA
history. Finished fifth in Heisman voting. 1981 Won first-ever Davey
O'Brien Award. Led nation with 3,555 yards passing including 30
touchdowns. Led the NCAA in pass efficiency (155.0) and total offense
(345.8). Finished third in Heisman voting. Finished career with 70 NCAA
records. 1998 College Football Hall of Fame inductee.
Dan Plater- Had 62 catches for 891 yards, an average of 5.2 yards per
catch, including five touchdown passes.
Bart Oates- As a two-year starter on the offensive line, Oates earned
Honorable Mention All-WAC in 1981 and All-WAC First Team in 1982. He was
also named to the District VII. Oates also enjoyed a successful career
in the NFL.
Gordon Hudson- A two-time All-American, Hudson had 67 catches for 928
yards and six touchdowns in 1982 and 44 catches for 596 yards six
touchdowns in 1983. He was also a two-time first-team All-WAC selection.
Steve Young- Won Davey O'Brien Award and finished runner-up for the
Heisman. BYU led nation in total offense and was second in scoring.
Cougars set NCAA total offense record with 584.2 yards per game.
Robbie Bosco- Led BYU to only National Championship in school history.
Led nation in passing and finished runner-up in passing efficiency
(151.8). Runner-up for Davey O'Brien Award and third in Heisman voting.
Kyle Morrell- As BYU's safety Morrell was honored as the WAC Defensive
Player of the Year with 70 tackles, three interceptions and one sack.
Leon White- MVP on Defense at 1984 Holiday Bowl. Recorded 90 tackles, 5
tackles for loss and two sacks.
Marv Allen- 131 tackles, four tackles for loss, four interceptions and
one sack.
Mark Bellini- Walk-on led BYU with 63 receptions for 1,008 yards,
including 14 touchdowns.
Jason Buck- Became only the third player in the Western United States to
win Outland Trophy. Had 59 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks
in 1986.
Pat Thompson- Led conference in punting with 49 punts for 2,195 yards,
an average of 44.8 yards per punt. Led the nation in punting for much of
the season.
Mo Elewonibi- Didn't play football until after high school. Led BYU to a
10-3 record, a berth in the Holiday Bowl and graded out four times with
perfect pass protection as a senior.
Bob Davis- Had 137 tackles, including six sacks. Dick Butkus Award
candidate.
Chris Smith- 1989 Led team with 60 catches for 1,090 yards, including
five touchdowns. 1990 Set NCAA record for tight end with 1,154 yards
receiving. Caught 67 passes and scored two touchdowns.
Ty Detmer- 1990, 1991 First collegian from the Rockies to win the
Heisman Trophy. Passed for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns. Member of the
NCAA All-Decade team. Still holds 58 NCAA records. His career record of
15,031 yards passing is nearly 4,000 yards more than anyone else in
Division I history.
Eric Drage- Led BYU with 54 catches for 867 yards, including five
touchdowns. Is BYU's all-time leading receiver with 3,066 yards. NCAA
post-graduate scholarship recipient.
Alan Boardman- Started four seasons and set BYU career record for punts
at 204 for 8,636 yards and a 42.3 average.
Chad Lewis- All-WAC selection who recorded 24 consecutive games with a
catch. Had 10 touchdowns and 110 receptions in his BYU career.
Itula Mili- Had 46 catches for a nation-leading 692 yards and three
touchdowns for tight ends. First-team All-WAC after senior season.
Ben Cahoon- Led BYU with 57 catches for 931 yards, including four
touchdowns.
Rob Morris- Two-time all-conference selection. His 345 career tackles is
eighth all-time at BYU. Was a first round draft pick in 2000 by the
Indianapolis Colts.
Jared Lee- Had 86 tackles including three for loss. National College
Football Foundation and Hall of Fame National Scholar Athlete. He was
also named a Verizon Academic All-American.
Luke Staley- NCAA leader in scoring (15.45 points per game)and third in
the nation rushing average at 143.82 yards per game. Set BYU single
season records in touchdowns scored (28), Most points scored (170) and
rushing yards (1,596). Led BYU to 12-2 record and MWC Championship.
Ryan Denney- Mountain West Conference first team selection was named
BYU's defensive MVP and was 2002 Senior Bowl Defensive MVP. He was also
named as a Sporting News Fourth-Team All-American selection.
How has Brigham Young Cougars fared in the Mountain West Conference
since 1999?
In 2001, the Cougars won their second MWC title in the past three years
with a perfect 7-0 record, becoming the first-ever MWC team to win the
league title with a perfect record. Eight BYU players were selected for
first-team all-league honors in 2001, five on offense and three on
defense. Running back Luke Staley was also named the Mountain West
Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2001, and head coach Gary
Crowton was named the MWC Coach of the Year by his peers.
How has Brigham Young Cougars fared nationally?
BYU has enjoyed 14 national Top-25 finishes including four Top-10
finishes and the National Championship in 1984. The Cougars also boast
31 All-Americans, two Outland Trophy winners (Jason Buck, Mo Elewonibi),
the 1990 Heisman Trophy winner (Ty Detmer) and the 2001 Doak Walker
Award winner (Luke Staley). |
