The 1944 College Football All-America team is composed of

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

players who were selected as

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

ns by various organizations and writers that chose

College Football All-America Team The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term ''All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Football ...

s in 1944. The nine selectors recognized by the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

as "official" for the 1944 season are (1) ''

Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...

'', as selected by

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...

, (2) the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, (3) the

United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

, (4) the All-America Board, (5) ''Football News'', (6) the

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

(INS), (7) '' Look'' magazine, (8) the

Newspaper Enterprise Association The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary news ...

(NEA) and (9) the ''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

''.

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Les Horvath Leslie Horvath (October 12, 1921 – November 14, 1995) was an American football quarterback and halfback who won the Heisman Trophy while playing for Ohio State University in 1944. Horvath was the first Ohio State player to win the Heisman, an ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

tackle

Don Whitmire Donald Boone Whitmire (July 1, 1922 – May 3, 1991) was an American football tackle who played college football from 1941 to 1944 at the University of Alabama and the United States Naval Academy (USNA). He is one of only four college football ...

were the only players unanimously chosen as first-team player by all of the official selectors. Horvath won the 1944

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

as the Buckeyes turned in a 9–0 record and finished second in the national polls. Whitmire later served in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and held the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

Phil Tinsley Phil R. Tinsley (January 16, 1924 – July 17, 1989) was an American football player who was an All-American end for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Biography Tinsley initially attended ...

received first-team honors from eight of the nine official selectors, and

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

backfield The offensive backfield is the area of an American football field behind the line of scrimmage. The offensive backfield can also refer to members of offense who begin plays behind the line, typically including any backs on the field, such as the ...

duo of Glenn Davis and

Doc Blanchard Felix Anthony "Doc" Blanchard (December 11, 1924 – April 19, 2009) was an American football player and serviceman who became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, and was the first football player to win the James E. S ...

each received seven first-team honors.

Consensus All-Americans

For the year 1944, the NCAA recognizes nine published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.

All-American selections for 1944

Ends

, Georgia Tech (AAB; AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-2; INS-1; LK; NEA; SN; UP-2; CP-1; WC) *

Paul Walker Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...

, Yale (COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-2; LK; NEA; UP-2; CP-1) *

Jack Dugger John Richard Rabbit Dugger (January 13, 1923 – February 23, 1988) was an American football player who played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steeler ...

, Ohio State (AAB; AP-3; FWAA-1; INS-1; SN; UP-1; CP-2; WC) *

Hub Bechtol Hubert Edwin "Hub" Bechtol (April 20, 1926 – October 22, 2004) was a college football player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Texas Longhorns. He was a 3 Time All-American at The University of Texas at Austin in 1944, 1945, and 1946. He ...

, Texas (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1) * Henry Walker, Virginia (AP-2) *

Leon Bramlett Leon Crow Bramlett Jr. (September 17, 1923 – October 19, 2015) was an American farmer, football player, and politician. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, he briefly played football at the University of Mississippi and the University of Alabama bef ...

, Navy(AP-2) * Barney Poole, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-3; UP-1; INS-2; CP-2) * Frank Bauman, Purdue (UP-3; FWAA-2) * Ben Martin, Navy (UP-3) * Art Renner, Michigan (UP-4)

Tackles

, Navy (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; LK; NEA; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC) *

John Ferraro John Ferraro (May 14, 1924 – April 17, 2001) was an American politician and businessman who was a Democratic member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1966 until his death in 2001, the longest tenure of any member in the city's history. Befo ...

, USC (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; NEA UP-2; CP-1; WC) *

George Savitsky George Michael Savitsky (July 30, 1924 – September 4, 2012) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. Born in New York City, Savitsky grew up in Camden, New Jersey and played foo ...

, Penn (College Football Hall of Fame) (NEA; UP-3) * Bill Willis, Ohio State (College and Pro Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; FWAA-2; INS-2; LK; SN; UP-1) *

Milan Lazetich Milan "Sheriff" Lazetich (August 27, 1921 – July 9, 1969) was an American football player in the 1940s. He played college football for the University of Montana and University of Michigan. He was a first-team All-Big Ten tackle and second-te ...

, Michigan (AP-2; FWAA-2; INS-2; UP-3; CP-2) * Monte Moncrief, Texas A&M (AP-3) * Robert McClure, Nevada (AP-3; UP-4) * DeWitt "Tex" Coulter, Army (UP-2) * George Owen, Wake Forest (UP-4) * George Sullivan, Notre Dame (UP-4; CP-2)

Guards

Bill Hackett William Charles Hackett (December 9, 1923 – June 2, 1995) was an American football guard at Ohio State University. He was a consensus All-American in 1944. After college, he became a doctor of veterinary medicine and played a part in the found ...

, Ohio State (AAB; AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-2; UP-2; CP-1; WC) *

Ben Chase Benjamin Semple Chase III (March 18, 1923 – March 6, 1998) was an American football guard who played one season with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He played college football at the United States Naval Academy and attended ...

, Navy (AAB; FN; FWAA-2; INS-1; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC) * Hamilton Nichols, Rice (AP-1) *

Joe Stanowicz Joseph John Stanowicz (November 4, 1921 – September 21, 1999) was an American football player. He attended the United States Military Academy where he played at the guard position for the Army Black Knights football team. He was selected by t ...

, Army (FWAA-1; INS-1; UP-1; CP-2) *

Clyde Flowers Clyde Eugene Flowers (October 6, 1921 – August 15, 2000) was an American football player. Flowers was born in Perryton, Texas, in 1921. He attended Texas Christian University (TCU) where he played at the guard position for the TCU Horned Fro ...

, TCU (NEA) *

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube Content creation, content creator, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including ''The Fault in Our Stars'' ( ...

, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; COL; INS-2) * William Hachten, California (AP-2; UP-4; LK) * Ralph Serpico, Illinois (AP-3; SN; UP-3; FWAA-2) * Robert Dobelstein, Tennessee (AP-3) * Pat Filley, Notre Dame (UP-2) * Ellis Jones, Tulsa (UP-3; CP-2; LK) * Ernie Knotts, Duke (UP-4)

Centers

John Tavener Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious works. Among his best known works are '' The Lamb'' (1982), '' The Protecting Veil'' (1988), and ''Song ...

, Indiana (College Football Hall of Fame) (UP-1; FWAA-1; INS-1; LK; CP-1) * Caleb Warrington, Auburn (AAB; AP-1; COL; FWAA-2; INS-2; NEA; SN; UP-3; WC) * Felto Prewitt, Tulsa (AP-2; FN) * Robert St. Onge, Army (AP-3) * John T. Martin, Navy (UP-2) *

Gordon Appleby Gordon Earl Appleby (June 4, 1923 – January 28, 2011) was an American football center. A native of Massillon, Ohio, he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was named the Buckeyes team MVP in 1943, and was a fourth-team selection by the Unite ...

, Ohio State (UP-4) *

Gordon Berlin Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

, Washington (CP-2)

Quarterbacks

, Ohio State (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; COL b FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; LK; NEA; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC) * Buddy Young, Illinois (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; UP-2; INS-2; CP-2; LK) *

Doug Kenna Edgar Douglas Kenna II (June 11, 1924 – January 28, 2013) was an American football player and businessman. Biography College football Kenna played his freshman year at the University of Mississippi for the Ole Miss Rebels. However, following hi ...

, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (UP-3; COL; CP-2) *

Jim Hardy James Francis Hardy (April 24, 1923 – August 16, 2019) was an American football quarterback. He was born in Los Angeles. High school career Hardy attended and played high school football at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. College care ...

, USC (UP-4; FWAA-2) *

Frank Broyles John Franklin Broyles (December 26, 1924 – August 14, 2017) was an American college football player and coach, college athletics administrator, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach for one season at the University of Missour ...

, Georgia Tech (FWAA-2)

Halfbacks

* Glenn Davis, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; NEA; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC) *

Creighton Miller Creighton Miller (September 26, 1922 – May 22, 2002) was an American football player and attorney. As an attorney, he played a role in organizing the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), the union that represents players in the ...

, Notre Dame (College Football Hall of Fame) (CO-1; FN; INS-1; SN) *

Bob Jenkins Robert F. Jenkins (September 4, 1947 – August 9, 2021) was an American television and radio sports announcer, primarily calling Indy car and NASCAR telecasts for ESPN/ABC and later Versus/NBCSN. Jenkins was the radio "Voice of the Indianapoli ...

, Navy (AAB; AP-2; COL; FWAA-2; INS-2; NEA; SN; UP-1; WC) * Bob Odell, Penn (College Football Hall of Fame) (CO-1; INS-1; LK; NYS-1) * Bob Fenimore, Oklahoma A&M (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; COL; FN; FWAA-1; INS-2; NEA; UP-3; CP-2) *

Jug Girard Earl Francis "Jug" Girard (January 25, 1927 – January 17, 1997) was an American football player. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as an End (football), end, Halfback (American football), halfback, quarterback, Punter ...

, Wisconsin (LK) * Bob Kelly , Notre Dame (AP-3; UP-2; INS-2) *

Shorty McWilliams Thomas Edward "Shorty" McWilliams (May 12, 1926 – January 9, 1997) was an American football player who played one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the eighth roun ...

, Mississippi State (AP-2; UP-2) * Thomas Davis, Duke (AP-3; UP-4; CP-2) * Harold Hamburg, Navy (AP-3; UP-3) *

Clyde Scott Clyde Luther Scott (August 29, 1924 – January 30, 2018) was an American athlete who competed professionally in the National Football League and earned an Olympic medal in the 110 meter hurdles. He was born in Dixie, Louisiana. Biography ...

, Navy (College Football Hall of Fame) (UP-4)

Fullbacks

, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1; FN; FWAA-1; INS-1; LK; SN; UP-1; CP-1; WC) *

Babe Dimancheff Boris Stephan "Babe" Dimancheff (September 6, 1922 – October 17, 2008) was an American football halfback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Boston Yanks (1945–1946), the Chicago Cardinals (1947–1950), and the Chicago Bears (19 ...

, Purdue (AP-2; UP-2; FWAA-2; INS-1; CP-1) *

Bob Wiese Robert Lee Wiese (January 25, 1923 – November 19, 1971) was an American football player. He played college football for Fritz Crisler's University of Michigan Wolverines football teams in 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1946—missing the 1945 season du ...

, Michigan/Navy (UP-3) * Gordon Gray, USC (AP-3; UP-4)

Key

Bold = Consensus All-American * -1 – First-team selection * -2 – Second-team selection * -3 – Third-team selection

Official selectors

* AAB = All-America Board * AP =

* COL = ''

'': "chosen by

and 10 veteran football writers from all sections of the country" * FN = ''

Football News A national championship in the highest level of college football in the United States, currently the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), is a designation awarded annually by various organizations to their selection of the best coll ...

'' * INS =

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

* LK = '' Look'' magazine, selected by NBC sports reporter and commentator Bill Stern * NEA =

: "It still is the duty of every football writer, it seems, to pick an All-America team. Selecting one has become a futility that even a World War can't stop. So without further ado and with no apologies, here we go again." * SN = ''

'' * UP =

: "selected for the United Press ... by sports editors and writers from all over the country"

Other selectors

* CP =

Central Press Association The Central Press Association was American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. Originally independent, it was a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate from 1930 onwards. At its peak, the ...

: "Mighty Army, Navy, and Ohio State dominated the 1944 Central Press Captains' All-American team, picked for the 14th straight season with the help of the nation's football captains. As in the past two years, service players are not included in the selections." * FWAA =

Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...

* WC =

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

References

{{College Football All-America Teams

All-America Team The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

College Football All-America Teams