Little All-America team

Last updated
Little All-America team
Awarded forThe best small college players at their respective positions
CountryUnited States
Presented by Associated Press

The Little All-America team is an honor given annually in the United States to the best small-college players at their respective positions.

The first Little All-America team for college football, selected with assistance from reporters in every region, was announced in December 1934 by Edward J. Neil of the Associated Press (AP). Neil wrote that the Little All-America team was intended to honor "the little fellows, players in hundreds of colleges who labored just as earnestly, often with just as much ability, but barely edging into the spotlight . . ." [1]

Players who received Little All-America honors (years in parentheses) and were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame include: Joe Stydahar (1934), Bulldog Turner (1939), Tony Canadeo (1939), Andrew Robustelli (1949), Buck Buchanan (1962), Willie Lanier (1965), Terry Bradshaw (1969), Walter Payton (1974), and Shannon Sharpe (1989).

Other notable Little All-Americans include Otis Taylor (1964), Carl Garrett (1966, 1967, 1968), Billy "White Shoes" Johnson (1973), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (1973), Wilbert Montgomery (1973), Neil Lomax (1980), and Christian Okoye (1986).

The award also exists for college basketball. [2]

In 2017, the award was divided into DII and DIII Little All-America teams.

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The 2017 College Football All-America Team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-America" honor annually following the conclusion of the fall college football season. The original All-America team was the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Caspar Whitney and Walter Camp. The National Collegiate Athletic Bureau, which is the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) service bureau, compiled, in 1950, the first list of All-Americans including first-team selections on teams created for a national audience that received national circulation with the intent of recognizing selections made from viewpoints that were nationwide. Since 1957, College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) has bestowed Academic All-American recognition on male and female athletes in Divisions I, II, and III of the NCAA as well as National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics athletes, including all NCAA championship sports.

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The 1935 Little All-America college football team is composed of college football players from small colleges and universities who were selected by the Associated Press (AP) as the best players at each position. For 1935, the AP did not select a second team but instead chose multiple players for "honorable mention" at each position.

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The 1948 Little All-America college football team is composed of college football players from small colleges and universities who were selected by the Associated Press (AP) as the best players at each position. For 1948, the AP selected first, second, and third teams. Back Eddie LeBaron of Pacific and guard James Nelson of Missouri Valley were chosen for the first team for the second consecutive year.

The 1957 Little All-America college football team is composed of college football players from small colleges and universities who were selected by the Associated Press (AP) as the best players at each position. For 1957, the AP selected three teams of 11 players each, with no separate defensive platoons.

The 1964 Little All-America college football team is composed of college football players from small colleges and universities who were selected by the Associated Press (AP) as the best players at each position.

The 1966 Little All-America college football team is composed of college football players from small colleges and universities who were selected by the Associated Press (AP) as the best players at each position. For 1966, the AP selected two teams, each team having separate offensive and defensive platoons.

The 1973 Little All-America college football team, also known as the Small College All-America football team, is composed of college football players from small colleges and universities who were selected by the Associated Press (AP) as the best players at each position. For 1973, the AP selected three teams, each team having separate offensive and defensive platoons.

The 2021 College Football All-America Team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-America" honor annually following the conclusion of the fall college football season. The original All-America team was the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Caspar Whitney and Walter Camp. The National Collegiate Athletic Bureau, which is the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) service bureau, compiled, in the 1950, the first list of All-Americans including first-team selections on teams created for a national audience that received national circulation with the intent of recognizing selections made from viewpoints that were nationwide. Since 1957, College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) has bestowed Academic All-American recognition on male and female athletes in Divisions I, II, and III of the NCAA as well as National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics athletes, including all NCAA championship sports.

References

  1. "Small School All-American Teams Chosen". The Tacoma Daily Ledger. December 5, 1934. p. 7 via Newspapers.com.
  2. [ bare URL ]