Before the Pac-12 disappears: Each school’s football Mt. Rushmore (Mike Price edges out Mike Leach at WSU)
In one month, the Pac-12 will cease to exist in recognizable form. At the close of business on Aug. 1, the 10 departing schools will end their membership in the century-old conference, leaving Washington State and Oregon State behind to rebuild the league (or turn out the lights).
To commemorate the occasion – and give readers something to ponder over the summer – the Hotline presents our Mt. Rushmore selections: The greatest football players to grace the field for each Pac-12 school.
Important disclaimers:
• We selected four players and included the names of five more who were given consideration. In truth, we considered more than nine. For some schools – hello, USC – our initial list was more than 15 deep.
• Performance in the NFL was not part of the calculation.
• Nor did we consider players who competed before their schools joined the Pac-12. For example, Mike Haynes is one of the greatest cornerbacks who ever lived, but his Arizona State career came before the Sun Devils entered the conference.
• Kickers and punters were excluded.
• Not every Mt. Rushmore selection is a record-holder for his school. Statistics mattered, but so did subjective criteria like impact and legacy.
Here we go:
Arizona
Coach: Dick Tomey
Players: DE Tedy Bruschi, RB Ka’Deem Carey, LB Ricky Hunley, NT Rob Waldrop
Also considered: S Chuck Cecil, CB Darryll Lewis, CB Chris McAlister, WR Dennis Northcutt, LB Scooby Wright
Comment: Arizona was a defensive juggernaut for many years under Tomey, and our selections reflect that existence. Cecil made the greatest play in school history, a 106-yard interception return against ASU, and is plenty worthy of Mt. Rushmore status. We mulled Rob Gronkowski’s inclusion, but his college production was limited.
Arizona State
Coach: John Cooper
Players: OG Randall McDaniel, QB Jake Plummer, DE Terrell Suggs, DT Will Sutton
Also considered: S David Fulcher, LB Vernon Maxwell, DE Derrick Rodgers, OT Juan Roque, LB Pat Tillman
Comment: Plummer and Suggs were obvious picks; the others were pondered at length. Tillman’s total legacy is monumental because of his military service and death. But his on-field performance in Tempe, while first-rate, didn’t quite match the four listed on Mt. Rushmore in our estimation.
Cal
Coach: Pappy Waldorf
Players: TE Tony Gonzalez, RB Jackie Jensen, QB Joe Kapp, RB Chuck Muncie
Also considered: DE Andre Carter, RB Marshawn Lynch, CB Deltha O’Neal, OG Les Richter, QB Joe Roth
Comment: That’s right: No Aaron Rodgers. Or Steve Bartkowski. Or DeSean Jackson. (The bar in Berkeley is higher than you might expect.) With regard to Rodgers specifically, he had one superb season, in 2004, after transferring from junior college and before turning pro. Our selections performed to that standard and had longer college careers.
Colorado
Coach: Mike MacIntyre
Players: LB Jimmie Gilbert, LB Nate Landman, WR Paul Richardson, WR Lavish Shenault
Also considered: CB Chidobe Awuzie, RB Jarek Broussard, CB Travis Hunter, RB Phillip Lindsay, CB Isaiah Oliver
Comment: Not many options for CU due to the school’s limited time in the conference and the paucity of elite players, which was reflected in the lack of success. (The Buffaloes were bowl-eligible twice in 13 seasons.)
Oregon
Coach: Rich Brooks
Players: RB LaMichael James, QB Marcus Mariota, WR Ahmad Rashad, CB Mel Renfro
Also considered: QB Joey Harrington, CB Alex Molden, DT Haloti Ngata, OL Penei Sewell, OL Gary Zimmerman
Comment: We viewed Mariota, Rashad and Renfro as clear picks for Mt. Rushmore and gave James a slight lean for the fourth spot. Cornerback Kenny Wheaton was considered as the author of the defining play in school history (his interception against Washington in 1994), as was Justin Herbert. We considered both Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly for the coaching position.
Oregon State
Coach: Tommy Prothro
Players: QB Terry Baker, WR Brandin Cooks, RB Steven Jackson, DT Stephen Paea
Also considered: WR Vern Burke, WR Mike Haas, QB Sean Mannion, CB Jordan Poyer, RB Jacquizz Rodgers
Comment: If you’re unfamiliar with Baker, know that he won the 1962 Heisman Trophy. Burke was a star in the early ’60s, as well. The other selections reflect OSU’s success over the past quarter century. We also considered quarterback Derek Anderson, tailback Ken Simonton and defensive lineman Inoke Brecterfield.
Stanford
Coach: Pop Warner
Players: QB Frankie Albert, QB John Elway, WR Ken Margerum, QB Jim Plunkett
Also considered: QB Andrew Luck, RB Christian McCaffrey, DE Bill McColl, FB Ernie Nevers, WR Troy Walters
Comment: Few schools can match the Cardinal’s star power across all positions and even fewer can match the Cardinal’s lineup of quarterbacks. We considered Bob Whitfield and Toby Gerhart, among others, along with John Ralston, Bill Walsh and David Shaw for the coaching position.
UCLA
Coach: Terry Donahue
Players: QB Gary Beban, S Kenny Easley, RB Jackie Robinson, LB Jerry Robinson
Also considered: QB Troy Aikman, RB Freeman McNeil, LB Don Moomaw, OL Jonathan Ogden, WR JJ Stokes
Comment: A heavyweight lineup of players, for sure. Easley and Jerry Robinson were three-time consensus All-Americans, and Beban won the Heisman in 1967. While obviously better known for breaking baseball’s color barrier, Jackie Robinson’s best sport in college was, in fact, football.
USC
Coach: John McKay
Players: RB Marcus Allen, RB Reggie Bush, S Ronnie Lott, OT Anthony Munoz
Also considered: OG Bruce Matthews, WR Keyshawn Johnson, RB Charles White, LB Richard Wood, OT Ron Yary
Comment: An impossible task given USC’s incredible tradition. Several Heisman winners did not make the cut; nor did coach Pete Carroll, despite his decade-long dynasty. And we should mention our standards for inclusion, while modest, leave no room on Mt. Rushmore for anyone accused of double murder.
Utah
Coach: Kyle Whittingham
Players: CB Jaylon Johnson, DT Star Lotulelei, RB Zack Moss, QB Cam Rising
Also considered: DE Bradlee Anae, OL Isaac Asiata, DT Leki Fotu, LB Devin Lloyd, DE Nate Orchard
Comment: The Utes had an impressive list of candidates considering their short stay in the conference (13 seasons), with linemen accounting for a high percentage of the players under consideration. Whittingham was not only Utah’s best coaching candidate but the only coaching candidate as he prepares for Year 20.
Washington
Coach: Don James
Players: DE Steve Emtman, RB Hugh McElhenny, QB Michael Penix Jr., OL Rick Redman
Also considered: RB Napoleon Kaufman, OL Lincoln Kennedy, S Lawyer Milloy, QB Marques Tuiasosopo, WR Reggie Williams
Comment: Only one selection, Penix, played for the Huskies during the Pac-12 era. Most other names should be familiar to fans who have tracked the conference over decades, but perhaps not Redman, a two-time consensus All-American. Warren Moon’s exploits and legacy were rooted more in his pro career than his time at UW.
Washington State
Coach: Mike Price
Players: C Mel Hein, QB Ryan Leaf, RB Reuben Mayes, QB Jack Thompson
Also considered: QB Drew Bledsoe, RB Steve Broussard, DT Rien Long, DE DeWayne Patterson, S Lamont Thompson
Comment: No specialist made a stronger case for inclusion than WSU’s Jason Hanson, arguably the best placekicker in conference history. And we gave serious thought to the late Mike Leach as the Mt. Rushmore coach, but Price had a longer tenure in Pullman and took the Cougars to the Rose Bowl, twice.