Cats could be shut out of All-Century team
The Pac-12 invited me to be on the panel to select its All-Century football team (1915-2015). It will be an absurdly difficult process.
Thirty-nine former Arizona players are on the ballot I received last week, and it could be that no Wildcats — zero — make the 50-player team to be announced in December.
For example: Five quarterbacks will make the All-Century team. Do you realize that the Pac-12 has 16 quarterbacks in the College Football Hall of Fame?
And that doesn’t include Pat Haden, Andrew Luck, Rodney Peete, Warren Moon, Sonny Sixkiller and Marcus Mariota.
Arizona has two QB nominees: Nick Foles and Tom Tunnicliffe.
The Wildcats are most strongly represented at linebacker. Ricky Hunley, Byron Evans, Marcus Bell, Sean Harris, Lance Briggs, Chris Singleton and Scooby Wright are among 68 linebackers nominated.
I will vote for Hunley – each panelist can select 10 players per position – but beyond that, the pre-1980s linebackers include Hall of Famers Richard Wood, Matt Hazeltine, Donn Moomaw, Jerry Robinson, Rick Redman and Jeff Siemon, all seemingly deserving of one of five berths.
Where does that leave Junior Seau or Chip Banks, who were as good as Hunley and Scooby? Only five will make the All-Century team.
The All-Century team will be revealed on a Pac-12 Networks broadcast before the league championship game in December. I think six ex-Wildcats will make the preliminary list of 120: Hunley, center Joe Tofflemire, defensive end Tedy Bruschi, defensive tackle Rob Waldrop, safety Chuck Cecil and cornerback Chris McAlister. Or at least they should.
How about ex-UA tailback Ka’Deem Carey? As good as he was, the Canyon del Oro grad has little chance to make even the final ballot of 10. Amazingly, the Pac-12 has 28 running backs in the College Football Hall of Fame, stretching to legends such as Stanford’s Ernie Nevers and Washington’s Hugh McElhenny.
The Coach of the Century? Of the 38 candidates, I’ll vote for USC’s John McKay and Washington’s Don James. Also on the ballot are ex-UA coaches Larry Smith and Dick Tomey.
