The 1972 Little All-America college football team, also known as the College Division All-America football 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 from small colleges and universities who were selected by 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 ...

(AP) as the best players at each position. For 1972, the AP selected three teams, each team having separate offensive and defensive platoons.

First team

Offense

* Quarterback -

Bob Biggs George Robert Biggs (born February 20, 1951) is a former American football player and coach. He played college football for UC Davis and was selected by the Associated Press as the first-team quarterback on the 1972 Little All-America college fo ...

(senior, 6'0", 175),

UC Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

* Running back -

Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''. Early lif ...

(sophomore, 5'10", 190), Northeast Louisiana * Running back -

Billy "White Shoes" Johnson William Arthur Johnson (born January 27, 1952), better known as Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 throug ...

(sophomore, 5'9", 170), Widener * Running back - Mike Deutsch (senior, 6'2", 220),

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

* Wide receiver -

Roger Carr Roger Dale Carr (born July 1, 1952) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Baltimore Colts. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1976 s ...

(junior, 6'3", 200),

Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...

* Tight end - James Moore (senior, 6'0", 191), McNeese State * Tackle - David Taylor (senior, 6'5", 260), Catawba * Tackle - Robert Woods (senior, 6'5", 248), Tennessee State * Guard - Gary Kipling (senior, 6'3", 235),

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

* Guard -

Curtis Wester Curtis Wester (May 7, 1951 – May 8, 1995) was a guard in the Canadian Football League. Wester played college football at East Texas State where he was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team guard on the 1972 Little All-America colle ...

(senior, 6'4", 245),

East Texas State East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

* Center - Bob Daigle (senior, 6'3", 230), Southwest Texas

Defense

* Defensive end - Joe Carpone (senior, 6'3", 215),

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

* Defensive end -

Barney Chavous Barney Lewis Chavous ( ; born March 22, 1951) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the second round (36th overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos after playing college ...

(senior, 6'4", 250), South Carolina State * Defensive tackle -

Gary "Big Hands" Johnson Gary Lynn "Big Hands" Johnson (August 31, 1952 – August 4, 2010) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was a four-time All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He p ...

(sophomore, 6'3", 260),

Grambling Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African American Heritage ...

* Defensive tackle - Alex Price (senior, 6'4", 280), Alcorn A&M * Linebacker -

Waymond Bryant Waymond Bryant (born July 28, 1952) is a former American football linebacker. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears. Biography Bryant was born in Dallas, Texas and attended Franklin D. Roosevelt Hi ...

(junior, 6'3", 235), Tennessee State * Linebacker - Stan Cherry (senior, 6'4", 225), Morgan State * Linebacker - Brian Kelley (senior, 6'3", 230), Cal Lutheran * Linebacker -

Jim Youngblood Jimmy Lee Youngblood (born February 23, 1950) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders, Washington Redskins. He played college football at Tennessee Technolo ...

(senior, 6'3", 235),

Tennessee Tech Tennessee Technological University, commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech, is a public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of Dixie ...

* Defensive back - Mike Amos (senior, 6'3", 180), Cal Poly * Defensive back -

Steve Dennis Steve Dennis (born July 25, 1951) is a former gridiron football player. He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for ten years. Dennis played defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts and Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1975 to 1984. He pla ...

(senior, 6'3", 170), Grambling * Defensive back -

Bruce Polen Bruce Polen (born October 22, 1951) is a former American football player and coach. He was the tenth head football coach at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, serving for two seasons, from 1982 until 198 ...

(senior, 6'0", 170), William Penn

Second team

Offense

* Quarterback - Joe Costner, Maryville * Running back - Don Aleksiewicz, Hobart * Running back - Johnny Baker, Ouachita Baptist * Running back - Kenneth Parks, East Texas * Wide receiver - Tim George, Carson-Newman * Tight end - Ron Mayo, Morgan State * Tackle - Bracey Bonham, NC Central * Tackle - Paul Krause, Central Michigan * Guard - David Nollner, Western Kentucky * Guard - Bob Poss, Indiana State * Center - Mark Walsh, Illinois Benedictine

Defense

* Defensive end -

Ed "Too Tall" Jones Edward Lee Jones (born February 23, 1951), commonly known as Ed "Too Tall" Jones due to his height, is a former American football player who played 15 seasons (1974–1978, 1980–1989) in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys ...

, Tennessee State * Defensive end - Archie Pearmon, Northeastern Oklahoma * Defensive tackle - Dennis Johnson, Delaware * Defensive tackle - Bill Kollar, Montana State * Linebacker - Ron Klawitter, Wittenberg * Linebacker - Steve Nelson, North Dakota State * Linebacker - Larry Rawlinson, McNeese State * Linebacker - Steve Yates, Western Carolina * Defensive back - Mike Holmes, Texas Southern * Defensive back - Doug Jones, Cal State-Northridge * Defensive back - Don Walker, Central (Ohio)

Third team

Offense

* Quarterback - Kim McQuilken, Lehigh * Running back - Harold Hill, Glassboro State * Running back - Chuck Markey, Central Michigan * Running back - Phil Pope, Middlebury * Wide receiver - Chuck Cornell, Bridgeport * Tight end - Bill Schlegel, Lehigh * Tackle - Stan Durtan, Bucknell * Tackle - Connie Wassink, Northwestern (Iowa) * Guard - Joe Kotval, Buena Vista * Guard - Marc Crevier, Ashland * Center - Mike Evanson, North Dakota State

Defense

* Defensive end -

Harvey Martin Harvey Banks Martin (November 16, 1950 – December 24, 2001) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 until 1983. He starred at South Oak Cliff ...

, East Texas * Defensive end - Tom Ramsey, Northern Arizona * Defensive tackle -

Fred Dean Frederick Rudolph Dean (February 24, 1952 – October 14, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). A twice first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler, he won two Super ...

, Louisiana Tech * Defensive tackle - Mike Samples, Drake * Linebacker - Wiley Epps, Kentucky State * Linebacker - Mike Leidy, Hampden-Sydney * Linebacker - Ken Pettus, Newberry * Linebacker - Gary Weaver, Fresno State * Defensive back - Dave Balmert, Indiana (Pennsylvania) * Defensive back - Phil Borlas, Fresno State * Defensive back - Tom Rezzuti, Northeastern

References

{{Little All-America college football teams

Little All-America college football team The Little All-America team is an honor given annually to the best small college players at their respective positions. The first Little All-America team for college football, selected with assistance from reporters in every region, was announc ...

Little All-America college football teams

First team

Offense

Defense

Second team

Offense

Defense

Third team

Offense

Defense

See also

References