Aggie Football Top 100: Nos. 10-1

There was the Haskell Hurricane. There were the Blitz Brothers. There was Tank. Actually, there were two tanks.

There was DaMonster, Stonewall, Johnny Football and an array of Junction Boys.

In more than a century of college football, Texas A&M has produced hundreds of great — sometimes legendary — football players.

But who are the 100 best?

A TexAgs panel that includes coaches, former players, A&M football historians and media members were tasked with compiling the list of A&M’s 100 greatest players and ranking them in order. The Top 100 has been revealed in groups of 10 over a two-week period.

Today we conclude with Nos. 10 to 1.

10. Kevin Smith, 1988-91, CB (957): A product of West Orange-Stark High School, Smith is arguably A&M’s best cornerback ever. He was named All-Southwest Conference three consecutive seasons and was a consensus All-American in 1991 when he was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. Smith snatched nine interceptions in 1989 and had seven in ’90. He’s the Aggies’ all-time interceptions leader with 20. He returned three for touchdowns. He’s also credited with 32 passes broken up in his career.

Smith was a big-play threat in the return game, too. He averaged 14.5 yards on 19 punt returns in 1991. He returned three punts for touchdowns in his career. Smith was a first-round selection (17th overall) of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1992 NFL Draft. He played nine seasons with the Cowboys, was on three Super Bowl-winning teams and was named All-Pro once.

9. Charlie Krueger, 1955-57, DT/OT (959): Bear Bryant only had to travel as far as nearby Caldwell to find the player that would anchor his A&M defense. Krueger proved to be one of the greatest players on teams that posted a 24-5-2 record in his three seasons. Krueger was named the Southwest Conference Sophomore Lineman of the Year in ’55. The next two seasons he was named All-SWC and All-American. He was a stalwart on the ’57 defense that allowed just 50 points and posted four shutouts. He served as co-captain for that team with John David Crow.

Krueger was a 1983 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a first-round pick (eighth overall) of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1958 NFL Draft. He played 15 seasons with the 49ers, was named All-Pro three times, appeared in two Pro Bowls and had his No. 70 retired by the franchise.

8. Jacob Green, 1977-79, DE (965): Though not blessed to play on great teams, Green was still a dominant force on the Aggie defense. A two-time All-American, he set a school record with 20 quarterback sacks in 1979 while compiling 134 tackles — an extraordinary total for a defensive lineman. Green posted 37 career sacks, which remains the second most in school history. He also holds school records with 12 career forced fumbles and in single-season forced fumbles with six in 1978.

He was a first-round selection (10th overall) of the Seattle Seahawks in the 1980 NFL Draft. Green played 13 NFL seasons, posted 116 career sacks, appeared in two Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro twice.

7. Von Miller, 2007-2010, LB/DE (980): Flourishing at the hybrid “Jack” position, Miller emerged as the nation’s premier pass rusher during his junior season. That year he led the nation with 17 sacks to earn All-American honors. The next season he got off to a slow start because of an ankle injury, but came on to post 10.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss to again earn All-American acclaim. He also won the Butkus Award as the nation’s premier linebacker.

Miller was the first-round selection (second overall) of the Denver Broncos in the 2011 NFL Draft and immediately developed into a force. He was named Rookie of the Year and All-Pro. Miller has twice been named All-Pro and has appeared in three Pro Bowls.

6. Ray Childress, 1981-84, DE/DT (1003): There was no question Childress could be dominant. The question was from what position would he dominate. He was used at both defensive end and defensive tackle. A two-time All-American and All-SWC selection, Childress posted 25 sacks and 360 tackles in his illustrious A&M career. In ’83 he posted four sacks against Arkansas and finished with 15 that year. He led the team with 117 tackles that year. As a senior in ’84, he recorded 124 tackles and 10 sacks to anchor a defense that ranked No. 5 in the nation against the pass.

Childress was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He was selected in the first round (third overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers and played 12 professional seasons, being named All-Pro six times, appearing in five Pro Bowls and setting an NFL record by forcing three fumbles in one game.

5. Luke Joeckel, 2010-12, OT (1004): The Aggies' most decorated offensive lineman, Joeckel was inserted into A&M’s starting lineup in the first game of his freshman year. He went on to start in all 39 games of his three-year career. Joeckell was named All-Big 12 in 2011 and then All-SEC in 2012. In 2012 he was a consensus All-American and won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top lineman. He opted to forgo his senior season and enter the 2013 NFL Draft. Joeckel was then a first-round selection (second overall) of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was starting at left tackle as a rookie until he suffered a season-ending ankle injury.

4. Dat Nguyen, 1995-98, LB (1061): Originally thought by some to be too small to play college football, the 5-11 Nguyen proved his doubters to be very much mistaken. The son of Vietnamese immigrants, Nguyen emerged as the Wrecking Crew’s most decorated player. He’s the only Aggie to lead the team in tackles in four consecutive seasons; he shared the team lead in interceptions in 1996. He was named the Southwest Conference Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 1995 and then earned All-Big 12 acclaim the next three seasons. Nguyen was named All-American in 1998, while also winning the Lombardi Award and the Bednarik Award as well as recognition as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

After setting an A&M record with 517 career tackles, Nguyen was a third round selection of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1999 NFL draft. He played seven professional seasons, was named All-Pro once and appeared in one Pro Bowl.

3. John David Crow, 1955-57, RB/LB (1083): As Bear Bryant might say, if Crow wasn’t on the list we ought to do away with the thing. At 6-2, 220 pounds, the Louisiana native was especially big for his day and his accomplishments matched his physical stature. He was a powerful two-way player that was just as adept on either side of the line of scrimmage. A two-time All-Southwest Conference selection, Crow was named All-American in 1957 and won the Heisman Trophy. That year he rushed for 562 yards and six touchdowns, threw five touchdown passes and intercepted five passes.

Crow is a member of A&M’s athletic Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. He was selected in the first round of the 1958 NFL Draft (second overall) by the Chicago Cardinals. He played 11 NFL seasons with the Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, appeared in four Pro Bowls, was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the ‘60s and completed more passes (33) than any non-quarterback in league history.
 
2. John Kimbrough, 1938-40, RB (1091): “The Haskell Hurricane” was a two-time All-American and Heisman Trophy runner-up who led the Aggies to the 1939 national championship. He scored both touchdowns in the Aggies’ 14-13 victory over Tulane in the Sugar Bowl that secured the national title. Jarrin’ John rushed for 152 yards on 26 carries in that game. He rushed for 475 yards and scored 10 touchdowns and was ranked fifth in the nation in scoring that season. The next season he finished second to Michigan’s Tom Harmon in the 1940 Heisman Trophy voting. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Kimbrough was a first-round selection (second overall) of the Chicago Cardinals in the 1941 NFL Draft. His four-year career in professional football was interrupted by World War II, where he served as an Army pilot in the Pacific. His career was cut short by a series of heart attacks. Kimbrough was so popular in his time that he appeared in two motion pictures that were released in 1942. He also was elected to the Texas House of Representatives.

1. Johnny Manziel, 2012-13, QB (1092): "Johnny Football" played just two seasons at Texas A&M and earned All-Southeastern Conference acclaim in both. But that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Combining dazzling, elusive running, accurate passing and an uncanny ability to improvise, Manziel in 2012 became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. He also was named All-American and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and won the Davy O’Brien Award that year. As a redshirt freshman he led A&M to an 11-2 record while passing for 3,706 yards and leading the SEC with 1,410 rushing yards. He also set an FBS bowl record with 229 rushing yards in a 41-13 Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

Manziel passed for 7,820 yards and 63 touchdowns and rushed for 2,169 and 30 touchdowns in his two-season career.

He opted to enter the 2014 NFL Draft and was a first-round selection (22nd overall) of the Cleveland Browns.

The Aggie Football Top 100

• Nos. 19-11
  
• Nos. 30-T20
  
• Nos. 40-31
  
• Nos. 50-41
  
• Nos. 60-51
  
• Nos. 70-61
  
• Nos. 80-71
  
• Nos. 90-81
• Nos. 100-91

About the rankings

Panelists included: Jackie Sherrill, Jimmy Wright, Dave Elmendorf, Dennis Goehring, Hugh McElroy, Rusty Burson, Mike Henderson, Tom Turbiville, Brad Marquardt, Bob Spoede, Chip Howard, David Sandhop, Gabe Bock and Olin Buchanan.

Rankings were compiled by a points list in which 100 points were awarded first place, 99 for second place, etc. After a 13-vote total was accumulated, the point values of the highest and lowest votes were eliminated to determine a final point score. Each individual’s final point score is in parentheses.