1978 All-America college football team

Official list of the best college football players of 1978 August 2023 25em 1978 College Football All-America Team border-top:#aaa 1px solid border-top:1px #aaa solid College Football All-America Team 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season border-top:1px #aaa solid 1976 1977 ← → 1979 1980 The 1978 All-America college football 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) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) based on the input of more than 2,000 voting members; (2) the Associated Press (AP) selected based on the votes of sports writers at AP newspapers; (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) selected by the nation's football writers; and (4) the United Press International (UPI) selected based on the votes of sports writers at UPI newspapers. Other selectors included Football News (FN), the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), 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 Kellen Winslow, Missouri (AFCA, UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN, WC) Mark Brammer, Michigan State (FWAA, UPI-2, NEA-2) Tackles Keith Dorney, Penn St. (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN, WC) Kelvin Clark, Nebraska (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, NEA-2, WC) Jeff Toews, Washington (AP-2, UPI-2, NEA-1, TSN) Matt Miller, Colorado (UPI-1) Robert Dugas, LSU (AP-2, NEA-2) Anthony Muñoz, USC (UPI-2) Greg Kolenda, Arkansas (AP-3) Craig Wolfley, Syracuse (AP-3) 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 Dave Huffman, Notre Dame (AP-2, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN, WC) Jim Ritcher, North Carolina St. (AFCA, AP-1) Dwight Stephenson, Alabama (UPI-2) Robert Shaw, Tennessee (NEA-2) Chuck Brown, Houston (AP-3) 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 Billy Sims, Oklahoma (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, TSN, WC) Charles Alexander, LSU (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, UPI-2, NEA-1, TSN, WC) Charles White, USC (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-2, WC) Ted Brown, North Carolina State (AP-1, UPI-1, NEA-2) Eddie Lee Ivery, Georgia Tech (AP-2, UPI-2) Darrin Nelson, Stanford (AP-2) Willie McClendon, Georgia (UPI-2) Obie Graves, Cal State Fullerton (AP-3) James Hadnot, Texas Tech (AP-3) Joseph H. Holland, Cornell (AP-3) 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 Reggie Kinlaw, Oklahoma (AP-2, UPI-1, WC) Manu Tuiasosopo, UCLA (UPI-2) Ardis McCann, Louisiana Tech (AP-3) Linebackers Jerry Robinson, UCLA (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-1, WC, TSN) Tom Cousineau, Ohio State (AP-1, UPI-1, NEA-1, WC, AFCA, TSN) Bob Golic, Notre Dame (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, NEA-2, WC) Ken Fantetti, Wyoming (AP-3, FWAA) Barry Krauss, Alabama (AP-2, UPI-2, TSN) George Cumby, Oklahima (NEA-1) John Corker, Ohlahoma State (AP-1) Daryl Hunt, Oklahoma (AP-2, UPI-2) Michael Jackson, Washington (AP-2, UPI-2, NEA-2) Joe Norman, Indiana (NEA-2) Jack Lazor, Kent State (AP-3) Frank Manumaleuga, San Jose State (AP-3) 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 Russell Erxleben, Texas (NEA-1, WC, FWAA, TSN) Joe Restic, Notre Dame (NEA-2) Key Bold – Consensus All-AmericanFootball Award Winners National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2016 March 18, 2017 3, 12 http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2016/Awards.pdf -1 – First-team selection -2 – Second-team selection -3 – Third-team selection Official selectors AFCA – American Football Coaches Association, selected by 2,100 voting members for KodakKodak All-America has two quarterbacks The Salina Journal December 4, 1978 15 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4552330/kodak_all_america_has_two_quarterbacks/ AP – Associated PressBruins, Troy share wealth in AP All-America squad The San Bernardino County Sun December 6, 1978 D2 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4552091/bruins_troy_share_wealth_in_ap_all/ FWAA – Football Writers Association of AmericaFWAA All-America Since 1944: The All-Time Team Ted Gangi March 2, 2016 http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/allamerica/alltime.pdf March 4, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190304073432/http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/allamerica/alltime.pdf dead UPI – United Press InternationalUPI All-America Team The Salina Journal December 5, 1978 13 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4552263/five_big_eight_players_named_upi_all/ Other selectors FN – Football News NEA – Newspaper Enterprise AssociationPenn State's Fusina tops NEA All-America The Paris News December 6, 1978 7B https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4552641/penn_states_fusina_tops_nea_all_america/ TSN – The Sporting NewsAll-American Honors Pile Up For Hurricane Named Smith December 5, 1978 The Miami Herald 2D https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald/166705215/ Newspapers.com February 25, 2025 WC – Walter Camp Football FoundationMarch 2016 See also 1978 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team 1978 All-Big Eight Conference football team 1978 All-Big Ten Conference football team 1978 All-Pacific-10 Conference football team 1978 All-SEC football team 1978 All-Southwest Conference football team References All-America Team Category:All-America college football teams