College Football Stats and History The complete source for current and historical college football players, schools, scores and leaders. And he's like, 'Yeah, they've got me playing the striker position now. "It was just a name somebody came up with and I said, 'OK, that's good.'". Go Orange. Check out our popular trivia games like College Sports Logos Quiz #1, and NCAA College Football Teams "I was an English major, Coach Lamb was an English major and Kalani is an English major, so we're sitting in there really geeking out about what things should be called and why. Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, who certainly has gotten plenty of mileage out of branding his offense the Air Raid back at Iowa Wesleyan, understands the appeal of a catchy label. Peyton Manning “The Sheriff” 3-technique. I've been advised that "it's not a real nickname if you give it to yourself.". New content will be added above the current area of focus upon selection The Assassin. Certainly we don't want to offend anyone, but let's look back at nicknames given to specific squads for specific years, some of which survive to this day. So head coach Kalani Sitake and Tuiaki took a position known as the stud that they used when they worked for Kyle Whittingham at Utah and renamed it the flash at BYU. 2 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. OUR TOP 10: Here's how the Page 2 staff ranked the best sports unit nicknames of all-time: 1. Wrecking Crew— Moniker offered by defensive player Chet Brooks and promoted by 1980s Texas A&M defense. Stay on current site or go to US version. ', "So we said, 'Well, I guess we have to call it the striker now.' Once it had kind of seen the light of day, there was no going back.". But he has heard appeals from his own players and said maybe a time will come when he'll trick up the name for his H-backs as well, a position he utilizes quite a bit. Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern labeled his superbacks. "We've either got to do a cool name or just recognize the fact that those defensive guys have more time on their hands, and certainly amuse themselves in a wholesome activity like changing names," he said. Weapon X. Starting in 1998 when he was head coach at New Mexico, Rocky Long played Brian Urlacher at a position called Lobo back, and the Lobos (Long returned as defensive coordinator last year) still use the name. A little over the top if you ask me. "The star really is the Sam, so he wanted an S-word for that position," Saban explained in 2012. "When you put six guys in the game, whether it's a sub linebacker or a sixth defensive back, we had nickel, dime, dollar. The story behind college football's best nicknames Notre Dame's Paul Hornoug or "The Golden Boy" was one of several recipients of great football nicknames. The problem was that he wasn't sure how a linebacker would take to essentially being labeled a clown. Will is on the weak side, Sam on the strong side. Steel Curtain: Nickname given to the defensive line of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, the backbone of a dominant defense. Nick Saban, then an assistant to Bill Belichick in Cleveland, called his a star. But now the nickname applies to the entire defensive unit. Jug. Conferences. "No one wants to be the poodle.". So we just started calling that the money position.". 4. Cornhuskers held 10 regular season foes to 75 points on the road to the Big Eight title. 8. The Fire Ants— South Carolina's garnet-clad defenders who swarmed all over the field from 1983 until Coach Joe Morrison's untimely death following the 1988 season. Rate 5 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 1 star . When a guy is riding … Offenses still have wide receivers, running backs and tight ends. Off the field, Reggie White was a very participant in the evangelical ministry, on the field he was for many the best Defensive End in NFL history. Scrum Team Name Generator. Blackshirts— Term coined in 1964 by Bob Devaney, head coach at Nebraska, to distinguish the first-team defense from other squads during practice. Being seen as a specialized defender in Miller's old role sure won't hurt. Completely unacceptable now. Let’s take a look at my personal favorites . After a decade in which he became one of the NFL's best pass-rushers and an eight-time Pro Bowler, Miller suffered a season-ending ankle injury last year that required surgery. Most Recent Games and Any Score Since 1869. A nickname that lives up to this legend that collected 198 sacks throughout its career. The 15 Greatest Defense Nicknames In NFL History The “Legion of Boom” is one of the greatest nicknames in sports. But there is lots of mixing and matching going on, too. The Team Named Desire— 1954 Navy squad quarterbacked by George Welsh was so named by Coach Eddie Erdelatz on the way to a Sugar Bowl win over Mississippi. 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LSU Tigers, 2011 (13-1) Head Coach: Les Miles. Tom Bradley, who played the hero back position at Penn State and later coached it as a longtime assistant there, called Takkarist McKinley, who went on to be a first-round pick, a razor when he was UCLA's defensive coordinator. "You'd be amazed sometimes by the brainstorming sessions to come up with something that starts with one of those letters.". Under current coach Neal Brown, bandits are more of a linebacker/defensive end mix. BYU plays a cinco, a flash and a rover. The Dome Patrol SWAT Team Sack Pack The New York Sack Exchange […] Those are two examples of the more aggressive-sounding terminology, which seems to be the way things are trending. Charles McMillian, a holdover member of the defensive coaching staff who knew the star player destined for the position, quickly assuaged such concerns. "You know, just somebody who's got a little bit of a wild hair to him that can drive people nuts.". "All the Mikes on the team would have to start going with the mullet. . Term generally applies to any Georgia defense since '76. "You know what, they actually suggested that," he said. "It's got to be the Joker.". College Football Players. Badge of honor still in use. After they read this, I gotta come up with something.". 2020 Passing Leaders. Under former defensive coordinator Don Brown, Michigan employed a viper, played most notably by Jabrill Peppers, who became a Heisman finalist. Don't ask me. 1 overall recruit in 2019, who said he wants to win the Heisman this season. How college football's title-winning game manager QB went extinct. Then there's Temple, which has a linebacker known as the Bubo. Sons of Anarchy: The New York Jets defensive line of the early 2010s consisting of Muhammad Wilkerson, Damon Harrison, and Sheldon Richardson All four are in the college Football Hall of Fame. And really, why pitch a recruit on being a linebacker when you can pitch them on being a striker instead? This lineman is typically the star pass rusher, as his primary responsibility is to … Consisting of a nose guard, two defensive tackles and two defensive ends, it is intended mainly as a run defense. Red Elephants— Atlanta newspapermen hung that intimidating name on the fearsome 1930 Alabama team that quaked the earth while outscoring its foes, 271-13. If your quarterback can't put up huge numbers … espn.com - When Tim DeRuyter arrived at Texas A&M as the Aggies' new defensive coordinator in 2010, he had an unusual idea. The 5-2 is the standard for many coaches at the high school level and is used somewhat extensively at the collegiate level. Seven Blocks Of Granite— Term associated with the powerful offensive line of 1936 Fordham Rams, anchored by the ferocious Vince Lombardi and coached by Jim Crowley. Different money terms. But this is how it happened: Dave Aranda, now head coach at Baylor, used cinco at Wisconsin when he was defensive coordinator. "You could call the Mike the mullets. Sure enough, Miller embraced it on his way to winning the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker, and he became the No. Georgia Southern has an anchor, Iowa a cash. Chad Kauha'aha'a, who was the Badgers' defensive line coach, brought it to Oregon State when Tuiaki worked there, and Tuiaki brought the name with him to BYU. AP Preseason #1: Clemson. Champions: Alabama (AP, CFP) Heisman Memorial Trophy: DeVonta Smith . "By God, we got a thingamajig out here, so how are they gonna possibly survive that? Last season, there were more than 75,000 defensive snaps in college football games, according to Sports Info Solutions. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and was recognized as an All-American.After playing two professional seasons for … Put these two factors together and you have the Minister of Defense. He wanted his pass-rusher, a hybrid … Why defensive players have the coolest position names in college football - Flipboard 6. . In BYU's case, there's even a bit of a competitive element to it. 10. The Four Horsemen—"Outlined against the blue-gray October sky rode the Four Horsemen: Stuhldreher, Crowley, Layden, and Miller," wrote Grantland Rice on Oct. 18, 1924. "We sit here and we scheme as coaches, and just talk 'round and 'round and finally make a decision and then we're finally waiting to name it," Tuiaki said. Last season, there were more than 75,000 defensive snaps in college football games, according to … Their 1963 N.C. State Wolfpack went 8-2. Or perhaps you'd rather be named for a deadly serpent. To help explain, the Owls listed this asterisked notation in a recent media guide: "BUBO is a type of owl, considered as the biggest, strongest and most ferocious.". At Penn State in the 1950s, coach Rip Engle ran the 52 Monster defense with five defensive linemen and a strong safety known as a monster back. Navy lists a raider, a striker and a bandit. Because you can't go on the field as the mullet and not have a mullet, you know? Terminology has always been subject to change or the whim of a coach. "I don't remember why," Bradley said. by cmal33 Plays Quiz not verified by Sporcle . Under Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia has occasionally played someone at sabre (named for the swords on its logo). Indiana has a husky and a bull. 7. The Mafia— Rossi, Scarpati, Fazarano, and Koszarsky were accused of bringing violin cases to games, without fiddles inside. Assistant head coach/safeties coach Ed Lamb called one of his safeties a flash when he was at Southern Utah. 5. Troy and West Virginia have a position called the spear. The names don't even necessarily mean the same spot on the field. "I think it ought to be called the Joker, but I don't know," DeRuyter told his staff. Why defensive players have the coolest position names in college football. Borrowed from 1960 film "The Magnificent Seven.". You have reached ESPN's Australian edition. Ten years later, college football has more weird position names than ever, thanks to the need for so many new defensive packages to counter pass-happy offenses. The Bandits were a defensive unit built upon speed, not size. Tuiaki laughed when asked what the difference was between a nickel and a cinco, if they both were merely synonyms for the number five. Get the ad-free and most optimal, full-featured Sporcle experience. Another dark nickname some people use for special teams is "Suicide Squad." Freak. 2019 CFB Team Defense. Trips down nostalgia road aside, those names are nicknames for key hybrid defensive positions in college football. of Houston men's basketball … Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White. "It's been brought up every now and then. And maybe we can have a cooler name than the H-backs. The one spot where customization is starting to creep in is at H-back, the hybrid tight end/fullback spot. But that doesn't mean he's ready to start rethinking names for his inside and outside receivers. Our Mike does have a mullet. And who wouldn't want to be the most ferocious owl of them all? "It was actually funny, [in spring 2018] we had been debating a bunch of names and striker had come about," he said. Share 3. In a 3-4, there's another linebacker, often called a Jack, and used as an edge pass-rusher. Red Grange, “The Galloping Ghost,” Illinois running back, 1923-1925. Still to this day, I am honestly terrified of Brian Dawkins. But he might be open to reinterpreting his current terminology. Junkyard Dogs—Name given the 1976 defense that took Georgia to the Sugar Bowl. "We probably need to get a little bit more aggressive with our words so that you go, 'Hey listen, you are going to be a Terminator!'". The nickname was a play on the phrase Iron Curtain during the height of the Cold War. Family Nicknames. It does kind of keep it exciting.". At Coastal Carolina, defensive coordinator Chad Staggs can see why creative names could appeal to recruits, but he isn't sure it's worth all the trouble. Across the country, depth charts feature bucks, dogs, spurs, bulls and macs.