Warren Sapp's Mt Rushmore of U players

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When you have so many great players in your history, no list will make everyone happy.
We need a Mt Rushmore for each position.
QBs, RBs, WRs, TEs, LBs, CBs, Safeties.
And still there would be some controversy with personal opinions.
 
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Only using 4, you're leaving off a TON of Hall of famers. It's near impossible to be wrong.
 
good one too. some just don't remember the older guys. but its a lot of talent for only 4 names.
But he remembers Otto. My impression is that Otto was more of a dominator in the pros than in college.

Hendricks belongs in their instead of Otto.
 
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Nothing against his list as I agree it's just too hard to pick 4, but I think as far as UM-only careers go Dan Morgan has to be on that list. First player in NCAA history to win the Butkus, Bednarik, and Nagurski awards. 532 tackles. I mean come on.
 
Here's my take:

Criteria: impact at UM on their team and on CFB generally, including titles and CFB awards and CFB HOF; also impact on UM brand including through NFL impact:

Top 4: Irvin, Reed, Ted Hendricks, Jerome Brown
Runners up (no order): Jim Kelly, Testaverde, Kosar, Toretta, Be. Blades, S. Taylor, R. Lewis, Edgerrin James, Morgan, Maryland
Hon. mention: Otto, Sapp, Foreman, Bosseler, Dorsey, Walsh, Barrow, D. Smith, Wayne, AJ, Cortez Kennedy, Harrah, McKinnie, McGahee, Searcy, Eddie Brown

Coach: Jimmy (CFB + NFL HOF)

Notes: Irvin and Reed seem like must-haves everyone should agree on. Hendricks has an award named after him in college and is in the NFL HOF. Jerome was central to the brand in the '80s and if he'd lived would be in Canton as well. Tough call who would be first runner up.
 
Exactly. He had a HOF pro career as well. He revolutionized the position.

picking 4 is impossible. there's at least a dozen guys you could throw out there, and no one would fight you:

otto, irvin, taylor, reed, kelly, kosar, vinny, ray, jerome, alonzo, morgan, russell, etc. etc.

but having said that, even if you don't know which 4 to pick, i don't know how you leave off ted hendricks
 
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picking 4 is impossible. there's at least a dozen guys you could throw out there, and no one would fight you:

otto, irvin, taylor, reed, kelly, kosar, vinny, ray, jerome, alonzo, morgan, russell, etc. etc.

but having said that, even if you don't know which 4 to pick, i don't know how you leave off ted hendricks
You have to define your criteria first but IMO Otto doesn't deserve to be on UM's Mt. Rushmore for what he did in the NFL.

I can understand viewing the NFL as relevant in two ways: if you built the brand for the U (Reed, Lewis, Irvin, particularly, Taylor, Sapp also). And then next as a tie-breaker if you're in Canton.

Guys who are in the CFB and NFL HOF sure are hard to argue with. Also brand ambassadors and guys who led title teams.
 
picking 4 is impossible. there's at least a dozen guys you could throw out there, and no one would fight you:

otto, irvin, taylor, reed, kelly, kosar, vinny, ray, jerome, alonzo, morgan, russell, etc. etc.

but having said that, even if you don't know which 4 to pick, i don't know how you leave off ted hendricks
My thoughts exactly. I don't know who the other three are, but Ted is the first one up there, by a wide, wide margin. That's not saying others are not VERY deserving, but what Ted did was game changing. That's why I called him the George Washington of our Mt. Rushmore.

I'd put Schnellenberger on there myself if you just look at importance to the program. Then Reed and Lewis. Dan Morgan would be close, as would JB, Kelly, Taylor, Otto, etc.

Ask me tomorrow and I might have a different bottom 3, but the top would still be Hendricks.
 
I have Hendricks up there as well, but he's something like a pre-historic figure -- played before UM was what the program is or became, before any titles. So can debate how that works from a 'Mr. Rushmore' (brand) perspective. I still have him there because there's an award named after him.

Reed is in the CFB and NFL HOF, reps the brand, and led the resurrected brand in its last iteration.

Irvin - repped the brand in the '80s, multiple SBs with Dallas, NFL HOF, iconic.

Fourth spot is the tough one. I can't give it to a guy who didn't win a title at UM. So no Lewis. Sapp was on the '91 team IIRC but played after that. I know everyone loves Morgan but he didn't win a title, and there are more compelling people to consider from a brand and left the mark perspective. Jerome repped the brand in the '80s also. We have a couple Heismans, Kosar, Kelly, JJ, Howard....
 
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