1951 College Football All-America Team

The 1951 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams for the 1951 college football season. The organizations that chose the teams included: the United Press; the Associated Press; and Collier's Weekly].

Key

 * AP = Associated Press. The AP selected separate offensive and defensive teams. "The team was picked after the Dec. 1 games in consultation with 11 prominent sportswriters. They had the benefit of reports from hundreds 0f writers and broadcasters throughout the country."
 * UP = United Press. The United Press did not select separate offensive and defensive teams.  They selected only 11 first-team players: "Chosen by ballots from 260 sports writers and broadcasters in all sections of the nation, these players were considered the finest at their positions."
 * FWAA = The Football Writers Association of America picked separate offensive and defensive teams: "22-man offensive and defensive all-star teams picked by Grantland Rice and the Football Writers Association of America for Look magazine
 * CP = Central Press Association: "the 21st annual Central Press All-American football team, selected as usual with the assistance of the nation's football captains"
 * COL = Collier's Weekly: "The on-the-field reports of the coaches on this year's crop of football players were consolidated and evaluated by Collier's All-America board of 10 coaches, including Lloyd Jordan, association president; Frank Leahy, Notre Dame; Carl Snavely, North Carolina; Henry Frnka, Tulane; Dutch Meyer, T.C.U.; Ray Eliot, Illinois and Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma"
 * INS = International News Service, later merged with UP to form UPI. The INS began selecting separate offensive and defensive teams in 1948 and continued that tradition in 1951.
 * TSN = The Sporting News
 * NEA= Newspaper Editors Association. The NEA selected separate offensive and defensive teams.
 * CT = Chicago Tribune's 5th annual All-Players All-America team determined based on polling of players in cooperation with the major universities and colleges throughout the United States. The results were based on a record 18,876 votes (10,086 for offense and 8,790 for defense).
 * WC = Walter Camp Football Foundation

Bold = Consensus All-American


 * 1 - First Team Selection
 * 2 - Second Team Selection
 * 3 - Third Team Selection

Offensive ends

 * Bill McColl, Stanford (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-1; FWAA-1; CP-1; COL-1; INS-1; TSN; NEA-1; CT-1; WC-1)
 * Bob Carey, Michigan State (AP-1; UP-1; CP-1; TSN; NEA-1; WC-1)
 * Billy Howton, Rice (AP-2; CP-3; COL-1; CT-1)
 * Stan Williams, Baylor (FWAA-1)
 * Tom McCann, Holy Cross (AP-2)
 * Jim Mutscheller, Notre Dame (UP-2)
 * Lowell Perry, Michigan (UP-3; CP-2)
 * Barker, Washington State (UP-3)
 * Hal Faverty, Wisconsin (CP-2; INS-1)

Offensive tackles

 * Don Coleman, Michigan State (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-1; FWAA-1; CP-1; COL-1; INS-1; TSN; NEA-1; CT-1; WC-1)
 * Bob Toneff, Notre Dame (AP-1; UP-2; CP-2)
 * Jack Little, Texas A&M (FWAA-1)
 * Charles Ulrich, Illinois (INS-1)
 * Bill George, Wake Forest (CT-1)
 * Ollie Spencer, Kansas (AP-2)
 * Bob Werckle, Vanderbilt (AP-2)
 * Hal Mitchell, UCLA (CP-2)
 * John Feltch, Holy Cross (CP-3)

Offensive guards

 * Bob Ward, Maryland (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-1; FWAA-1 (defense); COL-1; INS-1; TSN; NEA-1; CT-1; WC-1)
 * Marvin Matuszak, Tulsa (AP-1)
 * Nick Liotta, Villanova (FWAA-1; CT-1 (linebacker))
 * George Mrkonic, Kansas (INS-1)
 * Jim Donarski, Arizona (AP-2)
 * Norm Manoogian, Stanford (AP-2)
 * John Michels, Tennessee (UP-3)
 * Harley Sewell, Texas (College Football Hall of Fame) (CP-3)
 * Gerald Audette, Columbia (CP-3)

Centers

 * Dick Hightower, Southern Methodist (SMU) (AP-2; UP-1; CP-1; COL-1; INS-1; TSN; CT-1; WC-1)
 * Doug Moseley, Kentucky (AP-1; UP-3; FWAA-1; CP-3)
 * George Tarasovic, LSU (NEA-1)
 * Charlie Harris, California (CP-2)

Backs

 * Dick Kazmaier, Princeton (Heisman Trophy and College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-1; FWAA-1; CP-1; COL-1 (HB); INS-1; TSN; NEA-1 (HB); CT-1 (HB); WC-1)
 * Hank Lauricella, Tennessee (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-1; FWAA-1; CP-1; COL-1 (QB); INS-1; TSN; NEA-1 (HB); CT-1 (HB); WC-1)
 * Babe Parilli, Kentucky (AP-2; UP-1; CP-1; INS-1 (defense); TSN; NEA-1 (QB); CT-1 (QB); WC-1)
 * Johnny Karras, Illinois (AP-2; UP-1; FWAA-1; CP-1; COL-1 (HB); TSN; WC-1)
 * Larry Isbell, Baylor (AP-1; UP-3; FWAA-1; CP-2; INS-1 (defense))
 * Hugh McElhenny, Washington (Pro and College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-3; CP-3; NEA-1 (FB); CT-1 (FB))
 * Frank Gifford, Univ. Southern California (Pro and College Football Hall of Fame) (UP-3; CP-3; COL-1 (FB))
 * Ed Modzelewski, Maryland (AP-2; UP-3; CP-2; INS-1)
 * Gary Kerkorian, Stanford (UP-2; CP-3; INS-1 (defense))
 * Johnny Bright, Drake (College and Canadian Football Hall of Fame) (UP-2; CP-3)
 * Bill Wade, Vanderbilt (AP-2)

Defensive ends

 * Pat O'Donahue, Wisconsin (AP-1; FWAA-1; NEA-1)
 * Dewey McConnell, Wyoming (AP-1; NEA-1)
 * Frank McPhee, Princeton (UP-2; FWAA-1; CP-3; INS-1)
 * Leo Sugar, Purdue (AP-2; CT-1)
 * Eddie Bell, Penn (AP-2; INS-1)
 * Doug Atkins, Tennessee (CT-1)

Defensive tackles

 * Jim Weatherall, Oklahoma (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-1; FWAA-1; CP-1; COL-1; INS-1; TSN; NEA-1 (offense); WC-1)
 * Pug Pearman, Tennessee (AP-1; UP-2; FWAA-1; NEA-1; CP-3)
 * Doug Conaway, Texas Christian (NEA-1)
 * Lamar Wheat, Georgia Tech (UP-3; INS-1)
 * Dick Modzelewski, Maryland (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; CT-1)
 * Tom Johnson, Michigan (CT-1)
 * Jerrell Price, Texas Tech (AP-2)

Defensive guards

 * Ray Beck, Georgia Tech (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-3; FWAA-1 (offense); CP-1; COL-1; NEA-1; CT-1)
 * Joe Palumbo, Virginia (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; NEA-1 (offense))
 * Chet Millett, Holy Cross (FWAA-1)
 * Ted Daffer, Tennessee (AP-2; UP-2; CP-2; INS-1; NEA-1)
 * Bill Athey, Baylor (AP-2)

Linebackers

 * Keith Flowers, Texas Christian (AP-1; CT-1)
 * Les Richter, California (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-1 (guard); FWAA-1; CP-1 (guard); INS-1 (off. guard); TSN (guard); CT-1 (offense and defense); WC-1 (guard))
 * Pat Cannamella, Univ. Southern California (AP-2; UP-2; FWAA-1; CP-2 (guard); INS-1 (def. center); NEA-1)
 * Chuck Boerio, Illinois (UP-2 (center); NEA-1)
 * Donn Moomaw, UCLA (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; UP-3)

Defensive backs

 * Bobby Dillon, Texas (AP-1; FWAA-1 (def. halfback); NEA-1 (safety); CT-1)
 * Al Brosky, Illinois (AP-1; FWAA-1 (safety))
 * Ollie Matson, San Francisco (College and Pro Football Hall of Fame) (AP-1; UP-2; FWAA-1 (def. halfback); CP-2; INS-1 (offense); NEA-1 (def. halfback)
 * Harry Agganis, Boston U. (NEA-1 (def. halfback))
 * Al Dorow, Michigan State (INS-1)
 * Jim Ellis, Michigan State (CT-1)
 * Avatus Stone, Syracuse (CT-1)
 * Vic Janowicz, Ohio State (College Football Hall of Fame) (AP-2; UP-2; CP-2)
 * Veryl Switzer, Kansas State (AP-2)
 * Jim Dooley, Miami (AP-2)

Heisman Trophy voting
The chart below reflects the point total in the 1951 Heisman Trophy voting.

Other individual awards for 1951

 * Outland Trophy: Jim Weatherall, tackle, Oklahoma
 * Maxwell Award: Dick Kazmaier, halfback, Princeton
 * AP Athlete of Year: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton
 * Walter Camp Award: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton
 * Knute Rockne Award (Lineman): Bob Ward, guard, Maryland
 * AFCA Coach of the Year: Chuck Taylor, Stanford