The All-time University of Minnesota NFL Team

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Rick:

Here's the all-time University of Minnesota NFL team:

QB—Mike Hohensee, Only Gopher QB to win an NFL start

HB—Marion Barber, Pro Bowl, 7 seasons, 59 touchdowns

FB—Bronko Nagurski, Hall of Fame

WR—Gino Cappelletti, 5 Pro Bowls, AFL’s all-time leading scorer

WR—Eric Decker, 8 seasons, 53 touchdowns

TE—Charlie Sanders, Hall of Fame

T—Matt Herkenhoff, 10 seasons, 122 starts

T—Frank Youso, 8 seasons, 80 starts

G—Gale Gillingham, 5 Pro Bowls, 10 seasons, 115 starts

G—Milt Sunde, Pro Bowl, 11 seasons, 112 starts

C—Brian Williams, 9 seasons, 62 starts

DE—Carl Eller, Hall of Fame

DE—Aaron Brown, 8 seasons, 57 sacks, Super Bowl champion

DT—Leo Nomellini, Hall of Fame

DT—Anthony Montgomery, 4 seasons, 22 starts

OLB—Bobby Bell, Hall of Fame

MLB—Karl Mecklenburg, 6 Pro Bowls, 79 sacks

*-OLB—De'Vondre Campbell, 2021 first-team all-pro

CB—Wilbur Moore, Pro Bowl, 8 seasons (1940s), 13 INTs

CB—Andy Uram, Pro Bowl, 6 seasons (1940s), 9 INTs

*-S—Antoine Winfield, Jr., Pro Bowl, Super Bowl champion

S—Tyrone Carter, 11 seasons, 9 interceptions

K—Chip Lohmiller, Pro Bowl, NFL’s 78th all-time scorer

KR—Rick Upchurch, 1970s NFL all-decade team

ST—Marcus Sherels, 110 career tackles

LS—Derek Rackley, 8 seasons with Atlanta, Seattle

*-Still active

www.si.com

The all-time University of Minnesota NFL team features Nagurski, Eller and coaches - Sports Illustrated Talk Of Fame Network

The all-time University of Minnesota NFL team has five Hall of Famers on the field and three more off it. Bronko Nagurski, Carl Eller are the headliners on the field and Bud Grant and Tony Dungy off it.
www.si.com www.si.com

Go Gophers!!
 






Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
The fact Mike Hohensee is the only Gopher QB to win an NFL game stings a little!
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No kidding. Had a backup or 2 I think, but in the original article it also mentioned Dungy and I think Sandy Stephens, not on this list. They were in the Russel Wilson, Donovan McNabb mold. But they played in an era where the black QB wasn't something people were ready for. They would have been very good (according to the article), but sadly left off the list. The NFL told them to play DB or WR or something like that (I can't remember exactly). Dungy changed to DB, and Stephens said F you and played in Canada.
 









GophersInIowa said:
The weird thing is he didn't return punts much for the Gophers.
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Minnesota just has such superior athletes that they can switch positions at the drop of a hat. Especially in a lower league like the NFL......
 
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BTChamp said:
Minnesota just has such superior athletes that they can switch positions at the drop of hat. Especially in a lower league like the NFL......
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Bryant Allen was returning punts Sherels senior season after Sherels was solid the year before.

Getting off topic, didn't Bryant Allen play on the basketball team too and then transferred to Illinois St before getting kicked off the team?
 

GophersInIowa said:
Bryant Allen was returning punts Sherels senior season after Sherels was solid the year before.

Getting off topic, didn't Bryant Allen play on the basketball team too and then transferred to Illinois St before getting kicked off the team?
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Interesting. I didn't follow that close back then. I'm sorry, but I would be the last guy to know about Bryant and transferring/getting booted. I remember the name and that's about it. Times have changed since the Gophers were just the team I cheered for, and now when I try to know as much as humanly possible about each player.
 

No Karl Mecklenburg? 79 total sacks, 1,118 tackles for the Denver Broncos. 6x pro bowler, inducted in to Broncos Ring of Fame.

​

 

GopherJack said:
No Karl Mecklenburg? 79 total sacks, 1,118 tackles for the Denver Broncos. 6x pro bowler, inducted in to Broncos Ring of Fame.

​

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He's there, at MLB

Even though he was an OLB, they had to put him somewhere.
 

BTChamp said:
No kidding. Had a backup or 2 I think, but in the original article it also mentioned Dungy and I think Sandy Stephens, not on this list. They were in the Russel Wilson, Donovan McNabb mold. But they played in an era where the black QB wasn't something people were ready for. They would have been very good (according to the article), but sadly left off the list. The NFL told them to play DB or WR or something like that (I can't remember exactly). Dungy changed to DB, and Stephens said F you and played in Canada.
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Neither Dungy nor Stephens was an average passing QB, even in college. Stephens had a pretty poor Canadian career.

Still loved them both, but neither would have cut it as a pro style QB.
 

highwayman said:
Neither Dungy nor Stephens was an average passing QB, even in college. Stephens had a pretty poor Canadian career.

Still loved them both, but neither would have cut it as a pro style QB.
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Terrific, but I was just replying with what the article said. "Both would have been quarterbacks in today’s NFL." I have no idea. Maybe "very good" was wrong by me. I don't know.

Point being about lack of QB's Minnesota put in the league. And the article talks a little about it. Not advocating anything.

https://www.si.com/nfl/talkoffame/nfl/the-all-time-university-of-minnesota-nfl-team
 






The rest look good but the OL needs quite a bit of rethinking. Fahnhorst was definitely overlooked. At the other tackle, John Williams started for the Super Bowl champion Colts in 1970 and had a 12-year career. Greg Larson started 153 games at center for N.Y. Giants from 61-73.
 




Ski U Mah Gopher said:
He's there, at MLB

Even though he was an OLB, they had to put him somewhere.
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Karl Mecklenburg was also an NFL Hall of Fame semi-finalist for 8 consecutive years. Was involved in that concussion lawsuit against the NFL - sad to say that Karl has had cognitive issues over the years, not sure how he is doing now. Have some friends who are Broncos fans, Mecklenberg ranks way up there as an all-time favorite.
 

What an awesome idea for an SI article. I created the post 3 years ago. Maybe I should've gotten paid for it at SI instead of posting my amazing intellectual property for free on GH!

Gophers All-Time NFL Team

I came across an interesting article that listed Pitt's all-time football team, defined not by their success in college, but by their success in the NFL. I was impressed by the names on the list...many Hall of Fame luminaries and others who were excellent NFL players, so I wondered how the...
gopherhole.com gopherhole.com

This was mine from 2019:

Here’s my University Minnesota all-time NFL team:

Offense:
QB None, only one QB has ever thrown an NFL TD. Amazingly, the all-time Gopher NFL team doesn't have a QB
RB Bronco Nagurski, Hall of Fame
RB Marion Barber III, 1 Pro Bowl
WR Rick Upchurch, 3-time All-Pro, 4 Pro Bowls
WR Eric Decker, 8 seasons, 3 seasons 1,000+ receiving yards, 53 TDs
TE Charlie Sanders, Hall of Fame
OT Keith Fahnhorst, 14 seasons, 2-time Super Bowl champ, 2-time All-Pro
OT Matt Herkenhoff, 10 seasons
G Gale Gillingham, 2-time Super Bowl champ, 2-time All-Pro, 5 Pro Bowls
G Greg Larson, 12 seasons, 1 Pro Bowl
C Brian Williams, 9 seasons, Super Bowl champ

Defense:
DE Carl Eller, Hall of Fame
DE Aaron Brown, Super Bowl champ
DT Leo Nomellini, Hall of Fame
DT None
LB Karl Mecklenberg, 3-time All-Pro, 6 Pro Bowls
LB Bob Stein, 6 seasons, Super Bowl champ
LB Bobby Bell, Hall of Fame
DB Tyrone Carter, 11 seasons, 2-time Super Bowl champ
DB Jeff Wright, 12 INTs, 3 Super Bowl appearances
DB Tony Dungy, Hall of Fame
DB Kerry Glenn, 7 career INTs
PK Chip Lohmiller, 9 seasons, Super Bowl champ, 1 All-Pro
P Joe Prokop, 7 seasons
KR Marcus Sherels, 5 career punt returns for TDs
Coach Bud Grant, Hall of Fame
 
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