The 1954 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 1954 college football season. The organizations choosing the teams included the United Press, Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America, the American Football Coaches Association, and the Newspaper Editors Association. Wisconsin's fullback Alan Ameche won the Heisman Trophy in 1954 as the best player in college football and was a unanimous All-American selection. Two other players were unanimous choices among the All-American selectors: Notre Dame's quarterback Ralph Guglielmi and Ohio State's halfback Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy.
All-American selections for 1954[]
Ends[]
- Max Boydston, Oklahoma (UP, FWAA, AFCA, TSN, INS, WC)
- Ron Beagle, Navy (AP, FWAA, TSN, NEA, INS, WC)
- Don Holleder, Army (UP, AFCA, NEA, CP)
- Frank McDonald, Miami (Fla.) (AP, FWAA)
- Dean Dugger, Ohio State (FWAA)
- Ron Kramer, Michigan (CP)
Tackles[]
- Jack Ellena, UCLA (AP, UP, AFCA, TSN, NEA, CP, INS, WC)
- Sid Fournet, LSU (UP, FWAA, AFCA, NEA, INS, WC)
- Frank Varrichione, Notre Dame (TSN, CP)
- Rex Boggan, Mississippi (AP)
- Darris McCord, Tennessee (FWAA)
- Art Walker, Michigan (FWAA)
Guards[]
- Bud Brooks, Arkansas (AP, UP, FWAA-[t], AFCA, TSN, NEA, INS, WC)
- Cal Jones, Iowa (UP, FWAA, TSN, CP, NEA, WC)
- Tom Bettis, Purdue (FWAA, CP, INS)
- Ralph Chesnauskas, Army (AP)
- Jim Salisbury, UCLA (FWAA, AFCA)
- Frank Mincevich, South Carolina (FWAA)
Centers[]
- Kurt Burris, Oklahoma (AP, UP, FWAA, AFCA, TSN, NEA, CP, WC)
- Hal Easterwood, Mississippi State (FWAA)
- Matt Hazeltine, California (INS)
Quarterbacks[]
- Ralph "Goog" Guglielmi, Notre Dame (AP, UP, FWAA, AFCA, TSN, NEA, CP, INS, WC)
- Paul Larson, California (FWAA)
Halfbacks[]
- Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy, Ohio State (AP, UP, FWAA, AFCA, TSN, NEA, CP, INS, WC)
- Dicky "Forty-Seven" Maegle, Rice (AP, UP, FWAA, AFCA, TSN, NEA, WC)
- Tommy Bell, Army (FWAA, INS)
- Lenny Moore, Penn State (CP)
- Bob McNamara, Minnesota (FWAA)
Fullbacks[]
- Alan "The Horse" Ameche, Wisconsin (AP, UP, FWAA, AFCA, TSN, NEA, CP, INS, WC)
- Bob Davenport, UCLA (FWAA)
Key[]
- AP = Associated Press: “The team was chosen on the recommendations of 11 AP regional all-America boards plus individual recommendations received from more than 500 AP member newspapers and radio stations, and is based on full reports for the entire season.”)[1]
- UP = United Press[2]
- TSN = The Sporting News[3]
- FWAA = Football Writers Association of America[4]
- AFCA = American Football Coaches Association, published in Collier’s Magazine[5]
- NEA = Newspaper Editors Association[6]
- CP = Central Press Association: selected by captains of college football teams[7]
- INS = International News Service: “selected by INS grid experts throughout the nation”[8]
- WC = Walter Camp Football Foundation[9]
Bold = Consensus All-American[10]
Heisman Trophy voting[]
The chart below reflects the point total in the 1954 Heisman Trophy voting.
| Rank | Name | Position | School | Heisman points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Ameche | Fullback | Wisconsin | 1,068 |
| 2 | Kurt Burris | Center | Oklahoma | 838 |
| 3 | Howard Cassidy | Halfback | Ohio State | 810 |
| 4 | Ralph Guglielmi | Quarterback | Notre Dame | 691 |
| 5 | Paul Larson | Quarterback | California | 271 |
| 6 | Dicky Maegle | Halfback | Rice | 258 |
Other individual awards[]
- Maxwell Award: Ron Beagle, end, Navy
- Walter Camp Award (Back): Ralph Guglielmi, quarterback, Notre Dame
- Knute Rockne Award (Lineman): Max Boydston, end, Oklahoma
- Outland Trophy: Bud Brooks, guard, Arkansas
- AFCA Coach of the Year: Red Sanders, UCLA
Overview[]
The chart below reflects the number of polls in which the leading candidates were selected as a first-team All-Americans, their point total in the 1954 Heisman Trophy voting, and their position in the NFL Draft.
| Name | Position | School | First-team selections | Heisman points | NFL Draft rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Ameche | Fullback | Wisconsin | 9 | 1,068 | 3rd - 1955 |
| Howard Cassidy | Halfback | Ohio State | 9 | -- | 3rd - 1956 |
| Ralph Guglielmi | Quarterback | Notre Dame | 9 | 691 | 4th - 1955 |
| Kurt Burris | Center | Oklahoma | 8 | 838 | 13th - 1955 |
| Jack Ellena | Tackle | UCLA | 8 | 193 | |
| Bud Brooks | Guard | Arkansas | 8 | -- | 60th - 1955 |
| Dicky Maegle | Halfback | Rice | 7 | 258 | 10th - 1955 |
| Cal Jones | Guard | Iowa | 6 | -- | 98th - 1956 |
| Sid Fournet | Tackle | LSU | 6 | -- | 20th - 1955 |
| Max Boydston | End | Oklahoma | 6 | -- | 2nd - 1955 |
| Ron Beagle | End | Navy | 6 | -- | 197th - 1956 |
| Don Holleder | End | Army | 4 | -- | 93rd - 1956 |
| Tom Bettis | Guard | Purdue | 3 | -- | 5th - 1955 |
Notes[]
- ↑ "Pick Ameche Fullback On AP All-American". Janesville Daily Gazette. 1954-12-08.
- ↑ "Ameche Tops Voting For U. P. All-America". Racine Journal Times. 1954-11-24.
- ↑ "The Sporting News: College Football TSN All America Teams". The Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/almanac/nfl/cfbamer.html.
- ↑ "FWAA All America". Football Writers Association of America. http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/allamerica/alltime.pdf.
- ↑ "SURPRISE! Ameche Gains All-American". Winona Daily News. 1954-11-19.
- ↑ Harry Grayson (1954-11-19). "HARRY GRAYSON'S 1954 TEAM: Moegle, Brooks Named To NEA All-America". Brownwood Bulletin.
- ↑ "Central Press All-American". Evening Independent (Massillon, OH). 1954-11-26.
- ↑ John Barrington (1954-11-29). "International News Picks All-American". The Daily Courier (Connellsville, PA).
- ↑ "All-America Teams". Walter Camp Football Foundation. http://waltercamp.org/index.php/teams_and_awards/.
- ↑ Consensus All-American designations based on the NCAA guide to football award winners
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