RU's best team ever by position (link)

[RUich]

Just looking at these names brings a smile to my face. We really have had some fantastic players.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/134530/rutgers-all-century-team-best-lineup-since-2000

 

[RUinPAC10land]

I would have put in William Beckford over Devraun at LB. I would also put in Logan Ryan or Jason McCourty over Girault or Lefeged. Overall, not a bad list at all. Duron Harmon is another guy that comes to mind as well.

 

[HailHailToMichigan]

I was at the UM/Rutgers game last year and after the first two kickoff returns by Grant I was telling people around me he was going to return one for a touchdown that day. You could just tell he was only one move away from breaking each one and it wasn't looking good. Then the next chance he got he did.

Thankfully it didn't hurt us and I hope we avoid him this season.

 

[Beancounter88]

It's the best team since 2000. So, what other players would have made the team if it was ever? Pickel, Cherry, Jennings, O'Hara, Robeson? And the QB debate would be interesting.

 

[mdk01]

I would have put in William Beckford over Devraun at LB. I would also put in Logan Ryan or Jason McCourty over Girault or Lefeged. Overall, not a bad list at all. Duron Harmon is another guy that comes to mind as well.

Sometimes Girault's contributions as a defensive signal caller get overlooked. He was really like a coach on the field his jr. and sr. years.

I wonder whether Darius Hamilton deserves a spot on the DL.

 

[RBNY87]

I would have put in William Beckford over Devraun at LB. I would also put in Logan Ryan or Jason McCourty over Girault or Lefeged. Overall, not a bad list at all. Duron Harmon is another guy that comes to mind as well.

Agree on adding a CB over safety, but not on Beckford. It shows that we really have had very few dominate LB'ers

 

[rubaseball78]

I would have put in William Beckford over Devraun at LB. I would also put in Logan Ryan or Jason McCourty over Girault or Lefeged. Overall, not a bad list at all. Duron Harmon is another guy that comes to mind as well.

Beckford's success came as a DE.

 

[saran]

Sometimes Girault's contributions as a defensive signal caller get overlooked. He was really like a coach on the field his jr. and sr. years..

That's what I was thinking. Greene and others who played with Girault said he made them all better players with his mental understanding of the game and situations.

 

[rubaseball78]

I also like a bunch of other DBs over Lefged. Two that quickly come to mind are Ryan and Harmon.

 

[Source]

In the early 1950s Rutgers issued its "all-time" team by position. Unfortunately by this time, Paul Robeson's name was scrubbed from this list even though he was on every single similar list made preceding the one below. Remember that football players played offense and defense in those days:

Centers:

Gaynor “Mickey” Brennan’25; Bernie Crowl ’30; Albert Twitchell ’35; Otto Hill ’42; Ken MacDonald ’43; Ernie Gardner ’49; Leon Root ‘51

Guards:

Alfred “Budge” Garrett ’18; Al Neuschaefer ’19; Bob Lincoln ’25; John Schmidt ’43; John Verbitski ’47; Charlie Liberti ’48; Earl Read ’51; Ed Pacilio ‘53

Tackles:

John Toohey ’16; Bob “Nasty” Nash ’16; Ken “Thug” Rendall ’18; Bill Feitner ’19; Howard Raub ’24; Dave Bender ’25; Mike Bullard ’37; Len Cooke ’40; Ralph Schmidt ’42; Bob Ochs ’49; Oakley Pandick ’50; Burt Arnold ’51; Les Miller ‘53

Ends:

Harry Rockafeller ’16; Don Storck ’20; Carl E Waite ’26; Lester Hanf ’27; Walter Winika ’36; Paul Harvey ’39; Fred Sowick ’50; William “Bucky” Hatchett ’50; Dick Wacker ’51; Harold Corizzi ’52; Russ Sanblum ‘53

Quarterbacks:

John “Eddie” Elmendorf ’14; Cliff Baker ’20; Hoyt “Bus” Terrill ’26; Stanley “Tex” or “The Little Giant” Rosen ’28; Frank “Flinging Frank” Burns ’49

Halfbacks:

Howard Parker Talman ’16; Elmer “Toady” Bracher ’18; John “Mike” Whitehill ’20; Walter “Fitz” French ’22; Henry “Heinie” Benkert ’25; Jack Grossman ’32; John “Moon” Mullen ’39; Art Gottlieb ’40; Art Mann ’48; Irwin Winklereid ’49; Herm Hering ’50; Harvey Grimsley ‘50

Fullbacks:

Homer Hazel ’25; Arnie Truex ’35; Bill Tranavitch ’40; Vinnie Utz ’42; Gene McManus ’47; John Sabo ’50; Jim “Mighty Mo” Monahan ‘53

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

That's what I was thinking. Greene and others who played with Girault said he made them all better players with his mental understanding of the game and situations.

That 2006 defense.. many thought it would take a step back after 2005 and losing Neil and others... instead the whole thing moved like a well oiled machine from day one. It was solely responsible for those first 5 wins before the offense began to work. I think this is why Thomson got the nod at LB and is probably why Girault should have gotten a spot. I also think Foster's all-america honors were made possible by the performance of the defense and guys like Meekins back in 2006. The Rutgers defenders were universally undervalued in 2006 and the powers that be recognized that in 2007.

 

[RUinOhio]

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