The 1952 College Football All-America team is composed of

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

players who were selected as

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

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 Footbal ...

s in 1952. The eight selectors recognized by the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

as "official" for the 1952 season are (1) the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, (2) 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 ...

, (3) the All-America Board, (4) the

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

(AFCA), (5) the

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 ...

(FWAA), (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) 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 new ...

(NEA), and (8) 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 ...

''.

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Jack Scarbath John Carl Scarbath (August 12, 1930December 6, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was inducted into the College ...

and Notre Dame halfback

Johnny Lattner John Joseph Lattner (October 24, 1932 – February 12, 2016) was an American football player who was a halfback. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1953 and the Maxwell Award in both 195 ...

were the only two players to be unanimously named first-team All-Americans by all eight official selectors. Lattner was awarded the 1953

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

Consensus All-Americans

For the year 1952, the NCAA recognizes eight 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 1952

Ends

Frank McPhee Frank McPhee (21 October 1948 – 10 May 2000) was a long-time Greater Glasgow-based crime boss. Early life McPhee was born in Lennoxtown, Glasgow on October 21, 1948. His mother came from an Irish Traveller family, but adopted a settled life ...

, Princeton (AAB, INS, NEA, SN, UP, WC, CP-1) * Bernie Flowers, Purdue (AAB, FWAA, NEA, SN, UP, WC, CP-1) * Eddie Bell, Pennsylvania (AFCA, INS, AP-2, CP-3) * Tom Stolhandske, Texas (AP-1, FWAA, INS) * Tom Scott, Virginia (AP-1; NEA) *

Joe Collier Joel Dale Collier (June 7, 1932 – May 6, 2024) was an American professional football coach who was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League (AFL) from 1966 through part of 1968, compiling a 13–16–1 record. He l ...

, Northwestern (INS) *

Don Branby Donald Jerome Branby (December 29, 1928 – March 8, 2010) was an American football player. Branby played college football at the end position for the Colorado Buffaloes football team. During the 1952 season, he recovered seven fumbles, had ni ...

, Colorado (AP-1) *Buck Martin, Georgia Tech (AFCA) *

Steve Meilinger Stephen Frank Meilinger (December 12, 1930 – September 14, 2015) was an American football end who played professionally in the National Football League before joining the United States Marshals Service, during which time he served as one of th ...

, Kentucky (NEA) *Ed Luke, Michigan State (AP-2) * Harry Babcock, Georgia (AP-2, CP-2) *Ed Woodsum, Yale (CP-2) *

Lowell Perry Lowell Wesley Perry (December 5, 1931 – January 7, 2001) was an American football player and coach, government official, businessman, and broadcaster. He was the first African-American assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL), the ...

, Michigan (CP-3)

Tackles

Dick Modzelewski Richard Blair Modzelewski (February 16, 1931 – October 19, 2018) was an American professional football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and Cleveland Brow ...

, Maryland (College Football Hall of Fame) (AFCA, AAB, NEA, SN, UP, WC, CP-1) * Hal Miller, Georgia Tech (AP-3, FWAA, NEA, SN, UP, WC, CP-1) *

Doug Atkins Douglas Leon Atkins (May 8, 1930 – December 30, 2015) was an American professional football defensive end who played for the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college foot ...

, Tennessee (AAB; INS) * Ed Meadows, Duke (AFCA; AP-2; CP-2) * Kline Gilbert, Mississippi (AP-1, FWAA) *

Dave Suminski David Mitchell Suminski (June 18, 1931 – September 22, 2005) was an American professional football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the Univers ...

, Wisconsin (AP-1) *

Harvey Achziger Harvey Walter Achziger (August 8, 1931 – May 15, 2022) was an American businessman and former professional football player. Achziger played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with whom he won the Grey Cup in 1957. Achzi ...

, Colorado A&M (INS) *Bob Fleck, Syracuse (INS) * J.D. Kimmel, Houston (AP-1) * Charlie LaPradd, Florida (AP-1) *Jerry Minnick, Nebraska (INS) * Ollie Spencer, Kansas (NEA) *Ben Dunkerley, West Virginia (AP-2) * Eldred Kraemer, Pittsburgh (AP-2) *William "Bill" Skyinskus, Syracuse (AP-2) * Bob Van Doren, USC (CP-2) *

Sam Palumbo Sam Palumbo (born June 7, 1932) is a former linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 1955 NFL draft and played two seasons with the team. During the 1957 NFL season he pl ...

, Notre Dame (CP-3) *Vic Rimkus, Holy Cross (CP-3)

Guards

* John Michels, Tennessee (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB, AP-1, FWAA, NEA, SN, UP, WC) * Elmer Willhoite, Southern California (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, INS, NEA, UP, WC, CP-1) * Steve Eisenhauer, Navy (AP-1, INS, NEA, SN, CP-2) *

Harley Sewell Harley Edward Sewell (April 18, 1931 – December 17, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1953 to 1962, and the Los Angeles Rams in 1963. He was bor ...

, Texas (AFCA, AAB, AP-2, NEA, CP-1) *

Marv Matuszak Marvin H. Matuszak (September 12, 1931 – February 28, 2004) was an American professional American football, football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). He went to two NFL Pro Bowls and was onc ...

, Tulsa (AP-1) *

Frank Kush Frank Joseph Kush (January 20, 1929 – June 22, 2017) was an American football player and coach. As a player he earned All-American honors in 1952 as a defensive lineman playing for the Michigan State Spartans. He was head coach at Arizona S ...

, Michigan State (AP-1, CP-3) *Michael "Mike" Takacs, Ohio State (INS) *James "Jim" Reichenbach, Ohio State (AP-2) *Chester Millett, Holy Cross (AP-2) *Bill Athey, Baylor (CP-2) * Crawford Mims, Mississippi (CP-3)

Centers

Donn Moomaw Donn Dement Moomaw (October 15, 1931 – February 10, 2025) was an American professional football player and Presbyterian minister. Moomaw played college football for the UCLA Bruins as the center and linebacker for the team. He was elected t ...

, UCLA (College Football Hall of Fame) (AFCA, AP-1, NEA, SN, UP, WC, CP-2) *

Tom Catlin Thomas Allen Catlin (September 8, 1931 – June 7, 2008) was an American football player and coach. He spent a total of 37 years in the National Football League (NFL), including stints as defensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills (1978–1982) ...

, Oklahoma (AAB, FWAA, INS, NEA, SN, CP-3) *

Dick Tamburo Richard Pfeiffer Tamburo (February 6, 1930 – February 24, 2020) was an American college football player and coach and athletics administrator. A native of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, he played college football for the Michigan State Spartans ...

, Michigan State (AP-1, CP-1, INS) *

Pete Brown Peter Ronald Brown (25 December 1940 – 19 May 2023) was an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce.Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'' (Muze UK Ltd, 1997) ...

, Georgia Tech (AP-1) * Joe Schmidt, Pittsburgh (INS) *James Dooley, Penn State (AP-2) *

, Oklahoma (AP-2) * George Morris, Georgia Tech (AP-2)

Backs

, Maryland (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB, AFCA, AP-1, COL-1, FWAA, INS, NEA, SN, UP, Look-1, CP-2) *

, Notre Dame (College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AFCA; AP-1, FWAA, INS, NEA, SN, UP, WC, CP-1) *

Billy Vessels Billy Dale Vessels (March 22, 1931 – November 17, 2001) was an American football player at the halfback position. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, winning a national championship in 1950 and being awarded the Heisman Trop ...

, Oklahoma (Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Fame) (AAB; AP-1, FWAA, INS, NEA, SN, UP, WC, CP-1) *

Jim Sears James Herbert "Jimmy" Sears (March 20, 1931January 4, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a defensive back and halfback in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). He played college foot ...

, Southern California (AP-1, INS, NEA; WC) *Don McAuliffe, Michigan State (AAB; COL-1, UP, CP-3) * Leon Hardeman, Georgia Tech (AAB, INS, SN, CP-3) *

Johnny Olszewski John Anthony Olszewski Jr. ( ; born September 10, 1982), also known by his nickname Johnny O, is an American politician who has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 2nd congressional district since 2025. A memb ...

, California (INS, NEA, AP-2, CP-2) *Bobby Morehead, Georgia Tech (AP-1, INS) *

Paul Giel Paul Robert Giel (February 29, 1932 – May 22, 2002) was an American college football and professional baseball player from Winona, Minnesota. He was an All-American in both sports at the University of Minnesota. Collegiate career Giel atten ...

, Minnesota (AP-1, FWAA, CP-2) * Buck McPhail, Oklahoma (AFCA) *

, Michigan (NEA) *

Paul Cameron Paul Drummond Cameron (born November 9, 1939) is an American psychologist. While employed at various institutions, including the University of Nebraska, he conducted research on passive smoking, but he is best known today for his claims about hom ...

, UCLA (NEA) * Don Heinrich, Washington (AP-1, CP-3) *

Gene Filipski Eugene C. Filipski (June 14, 1931 – August 23, 1994) was a professional gridiron football halfback who played two seasons with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) and four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Weste ...

, Villanova (FWAA) *Andy Kozar, Tennessee (AP-2, CP-3) * Bobby Marlow, Alabama (AP-2, CP-2) * Ed Mioduszewski, William & Mary (AP-2) * Val Joe Walker, Southern Methodist (AP-2) *Norris Mullis, South Carolina (AP-2) *Gilbert "Gil" Reich, Kansas (AP-2) *

Eddie Crowder Eddie Crowder (August 26, 1931 – September 9, 2008) was an American football player and coach. He was an All-American quarterback (QB) and Safety (American football position), safety at the Oklahoma Sooners football, University of Oklahoma (OU) ...

, Oklahoma (CP-1) *

Alan Ameche Alan Ameche (; June 1, 1933 – August 8, 1988), nicknamed "the Iron Horse", or simply "the Horse", was an American professional football player who was a fullback for six seasons with the Baltimore Colts in the National Football League (NFL). ...

, Wisconsin (CP-1)

Key

Official selectors

Other selectors

References

{{College Football All-America Teams

All-America Team The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

College Football All-America Teams