There's a train a coming: the recruiting class that changed college football

I was on the faculty at Texas A&M for 27 years and taught sociology of sports. Now my son and I are writing a book about the 1972 recruiting class and the fascinating story of the integration of Aggie sports. That recruiting class - Bubba Bean, Ed Simonini, Pat Thomas, Jackie Williams, Carl Roaches, Garth Ten Napel, Skip Walker, Alvin Bowers, Richard Osborne, Edgar Fields, Bucky Sams, and other Aggie legends - was arguably Texas A&M's best ever. It was also one of the most important in college football history, and it accelerated desegregation in the sport across the South.

Don Albrecht
Mathew Albrecht '03

If you could take a time machine and bring back three players from the great 1975 team to play this year, who would it be and why? Put your answers below, then vote for the best post. The post with the most votes will win a free copy of the book, signed by the authors.

Here are only some of the players to consider:

Running Back Bubba Bean. First Team All-SWC 1974 and 1975. Finished career as leading rusher in school history. 1976 NFL First round draft pick.
"Bubba did everything the right way. His work effort. His discipline." Donnie Wigginton

Defensive tackle Edgar Fields. 1975 Second Team All-American.
"He could run and run and run." Donnie Wigginton

Safety Lester Hayes. 1973 UIL State Champion, 220 yard dash. 1975 Second Team All American. 5 time NFL Pro Bowl (1980-1984). 1980 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
"He can mortally fly and he can mortally knock the fire out of you." Emory Bellard

Linebacker Robert Jackson. 1975 Second Team All SWC. 1976 Unanimous All-American. 1977 NFL first round draft pick.
"He was one of the three hardest hitters in the world." John Paul Young

Defensive End Tank Marshall. 1975 First Team All-SWC.
"They should have had an entire police force on hand just to keep us from ripping them apart." Tank Marshall on the 1975 Texas game

Linebacker Ed Simonini. 1973 SWC Defensive Player of the Year. 1974 Second-team All American. 1975 Unanimous All American.
"Completely dedicated. All business. And impossible to block." Alvin Bowers
"He didn't just lead by example. He made others around him think they could be great too. He made them think they could do things they had never imagined before." John Paul Young

Linebacker Garth Ten Napel. 1975 First team All-American.
"He isn't big, but is a big-play player, and likes to hit people." Eagle writer Jerry Waggoner

Wide Receiver and Returner Carl Roaches. 1972 UIL State Champion, 100 yard dash. SWC All-Decade Team as punt returner. 1981 NFL Pro Bowl.
"Carl Roaches is the toughest player I've ever coached." Emory Bellard

Cornerback Pat Thomas. Consensus All-American, 1974 and 1975. NFL Pro Bowl 1978 and 1980.
"Pat Thomas is the quickest defensive back I've had in 24 years coaching." Melvin Robertson
"They gamble a lot on defense, but when you have Pat Thomas back there you don't have to worry about much." Illinois Coach Bob Blackmon

Safety Jackie Williams. 1975 First Team All-SWC.
"Those guys will hand you your head." TCU Tight End Ron Parker