1983 All-America college football team

The 1983 All-America college football 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 in 1983. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognizes five selectors as "official" for the 1983 season. They are:^[1] (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA);^[2] (2) the Associated Press (AP) selected based on the votes of sports writers at AP newspapers;^[3] (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) selected by the nation's football writers;^[4] (4) the United Press International (UPI);^[5] and (5) the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WC).^[6] Other selectors included Football News (FN),^[7] Gannett News Service,^[8] the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA),^[9] and The Sporting News (TSN).^[10]

Consensus All-Americans

The following charts identify the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans for the year 1983 and displays which first-team designations they received.

Offense

Name	Position	School	Number^[11]	Official	Other
Bill Fralic	Tackle	Pittsburgh	5/4/9	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Irving Fryar	Receiver	Nebraska	5/4/9	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Mike Rozier	Running back	Nebraska	5/4/9	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Steve Young	Quarterback	Brigham Young	5/4/9	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Gordon Hudson	Tight end	Brigham Young	5/3/8	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA
Dean Steinkuhler	Guard	Nebraska	4/4/8	AFCA, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Bo Jackson	Running back	Auburn	4/3/7	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI	FN, GNS, NEA
Terry Long	Tackle	East Carolina	4/0/4	AFCA, AP, FWAA, WC	-
Tony Slaton	Center	USC	3/1/4	FWAA, UPI, WC	FN
Doug Dawson	Guard	Texas	3/0/3	AFCA, AP, WC	-
Napoleon McCallum	Running back	Navy	2/1/3	FWAA, WC	TSN
Greg Allen	Running back	Florida State	2/0/2	UPI, WC	-

Defense

Name	Position	School	Number^[11]	Official	Other
Rick Bryan	Def. tackle	Oklahoma	5/4/9	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Russell Carter	Def. back	SMU	5/4/9	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Reggie White	Def. tackle	Tennessee	5/4/9	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Ricky Hunley	Linebacker	Arizona	5/2/7	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, NEA
Terry Hoage	Def. back	Georgia	4/3/7	AFCA, FWAA, UPI, WC	FN, NEA, TSN
Jerry Gray	Def. back	Texas	4/2/6	AFCA, AP, FWAA, UPI	GNS, NEA
Wilber Marshall	Linebacker	Florida	4/2/6	AFCA, AP, UPI, WC	FN, NEA
Ron Rivera	Linebacker	California	3/4/7	AFCA, AP, FWAA	FN, GNS, NEA, TSN
Don Rogers	Def. back	UCLA	3/3/6	AFCA, FWAA, WC	FN, GNS, TSN
William Perry	Middle guard	Clemson	4/0/4	AP, FWAA, UPI, WC	-
Jeff Leiding	Linebacker	Texas	3/1/4	AP, FWAA, WC	FN
William Fuller	Defensive end	North Carolina	2/2/4	AFCA, WC	FN, TSN

Special teams

Name	Position	School	Number^[11]	Official	Other
Luis Zendejas	Placekicker	Arizona St.	3/1/4	AP, FWAA, WC	NEA
Jack Weil	Punter	Wyoming	3/0/3	AP, FWAA, UPI	-

Offense

Receivers

Irving Fryar, Nebraska (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Gerald McNeil, Baylor (AFCA, AP-1, FN-2, GNS-3)
Kenny Jackson, Penn State (AP-2, NEA-1)
Eric Martin, LSU (GNS-2, TSN)
Jerry Rice, Mississippi Valley State (CFHOF) (GNS-1)
Brian Brennan, Boston College (AP-2, UPI-2, FN-2)
Louis Lipps, Southern Mississippi (GNS-2)
Eric Richardson, San Jose State (NEA-2)
Dwight Collins, Pittsburgh (NEA-2)
Tracy Henderson, Iowa State (AP-3)
Dave Moritz, Iowa (AP-3)
Jim Sandusky, San Diego State (FN-3, GNS-3)

Tight ends

Gordon Hudson, Brigham Young (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1)
Chuck Scott, Vanderbilt (TSN)
John Frank, Ohio State (FN-3, GNS-2, NEA-2)
Glenn Dennison, Miami (FL) (AP-2)
Paul Bergmann, UCLA (AP-3, UPI-2)
Keli McGregor, Colorado State (GNS-3)

Tackles

Bill Fralic, Pittsburgh (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Terry Long, East Carolina (AFCA, AP-1[guard], FWAA, UPI-2 [guard], WC, FN-3 [guard], GNS-3 [guard])
Brian Blados, North Carolina (AP-1, UPI-2, FN-3, GNS-3, NEA-1)
Mark Adickes, Baylor (AP-2, GNS-1, TSN)
Conrad Goode, Missouri (UPI-1, FN-1)
Jim Juriga, Illinois (UPI-2, NEA-2)
Guy McIntyre, Georgia (AP-2)
William Roberts, Ohio State (FN-2, GNS-2)
Larry Williams, Notre Dame (FN-2)
Don Maggs, Tulane (GNS-2)
Pat Arrington, Auburn (AP-3)
Scott Raridon, Nebraska (AP-3)
Duval Love, UCLA (FN-3)
Mark MacDonald, Boston College (GNS-3)

Guards

Dean Steinkuhler, Nebraska (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Doug Dawson, Texas (AFCA, AP-1, UPI-2, WC, FN-2, GNS-2, NEA-2 [tackle])
Stefan Humphries, Michigan (AP-2, FWAA, UPI-1, FN-1, GNS-2, NEA-2, TSN)
Gary Zimmerman, Oregon (AP-3, GNS-3, NEA-1)
Ron Solt, Maryland (FN-2, GNS-1, NEA-2)
James Farr, Clemson (AP-3)
Chris Babyar, Illinois (FN-3)

Centers

Tony Slaton, USC (AP-2, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1)
Tom Dixon, Michigan (AFCA, AP-1, FN-2, GNS-1, TSN)
Mike Ruether, Texas (UPI-2 [guard], NEA-1)
Jim Sweeney, Pittsburgh (AP-3, GNS-2)
Joel Hilgenberg, Iowa (GNS-3, NEA-2)
Phil Ebinger, Duke (FN-3)

Quarterbacks

Steve Young, Brigham Young (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Randall Cunningham, UNLV (CFHOF) (AFCA [punter], AP-2 [punter], GNS-2)
Doug Flutie, Boston College (CFHOF) (UPI-2, FN-3)
Turner Gill, Nebraska (AP-2)
Walter Lewis, Alabama (FN-2)
Boomer Esiason, Maryland (NEA-2)
Ben Bennett, Duke (AP-3)
Jeff Hostetler, West Virginia (GNS-3)

Running backs

Mike Rozier, Nebraska (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Bo Jackson, Auburn (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1)
Greg Allen, Florida State (AP-3, UPI-1, WC, FN-2, GNS-3, NEA-2)
Napoleon McCallum, Navy (CFHOF) (AP-2, FWAA, UPI-2, WC, FN-2, GNS-3, NEA-2, TSN [RS])
Allen Pinkett, Notre Dame (AP-2, UPI-2, FN-1, GNS-2, TSN)
Keith Byars, Ohio State (CFHOF) (AP-3, UPI-2, GNS-2)
Alfred Anderson, Baylor (FN-2)
Ethan Horton, North Carolina (FN-3)
D. J. Dozier, Penn State (FN-3)
John Kershner, Air Force (FN-3)

Defense

Defensive ends

William Fuller, North Carolina (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-2, UPI-2 [DT], WC, FN-1, GNS-2, NEA-2, TSN)
Bruce Smith, Virginia Tech (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-2, FN-3, GNS-1, NEA-1)
Don Thorp, Illinois (AP-3 [DT], FWAA, UPI-2 [DT], FN-2, GNS-3, NEA-2, TSN)
Freddie Gilbert, Georgia (AP-2, UPI-1, FN-2, GNS-2)
Ron Faurot, Arkansas (UPI-1, FN-2)
Donnie Humphrey, Auburn (UPI-2, GNS-3)
Jimmie Carter, New Mexico (AP-3)

Defensive tackles

Rick Bryan, Oklahoma (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Reggie White, Tennessee (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Keith Millard, Washington State (GNS-1)
Dan Ralph, Oregon (GNS-2)
Ray Childress, Texas A&M (CFHOF) (GNS-2)
Doug Smith, Auburn (AP-3, FN-2, NEA-2)
Andre Townsend, Mississippi (FN-3)
Alphonso Carreker, Florida State (FN-3)
Bill Maas, Pittsburgh (GNS-3)
James Robinson, Clemson (GNS-3)

Middle guards

William Perry, Clemson (AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-2)
Brian Pillman, Miami (OH) (AP-2)
Michael Carter, SMU (AP-3, UPI-2)

Linebackers

Ricky Hunley, Arizona (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-2, NEA-1)
Wilber Marshall, Florida (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, UPI-1, WC, FN-1 [DL], GNS-3, NEA-1)
Ron Rivera, California (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-2, FN-1 [DL], GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Jeff Leiding, Texas (AP-1, FWAA, UPI-2, WC, FN-1)
Carl Banks, Michigan State (AP-1, UPI-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Vaughan Johnson, North Carolina State (AP-2, TSN)
Jay Brophy, Miami (FL) (AP-3, UPI-2, FN-1, NEA-2)
Jack Del Rio, USC (AP-3, FN-3 [DL], GNS-1, NEA-2)
Kevin Murphy, Oklahoma (AP-2, UPI-2 [DE], GNS-2)
Gregg Carr, Auburn (AP-2, FN-3)
Steve DeOssie, Boston College (AP-2)
Jackie Shipp, Oklahoma (FN-2, NEA-2)
Rowland Tatum, Ohio State (FN-3 [DL], NEA-2)
Larry Station, Iowa (FN-2)
Scott Radecic, Penn State (FN-2)
Mike Knox, Nebraska (GNS-2)
Jim Dumont, Rutgers (AP-3)
Andy Ponseigo, Navy (AP-3, FN-3)
Tommy Thurson, Georgia (FN-3)
Gary Reasons, NW Louisiana St (Div I-AA) (GNS-3)
Emanuel King, Alabama (GNS-3)

Defensive backs

Don Rogers, UCLA (AFCA, AP-2, FWAA, UPI-2, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-2, TSN)
Jerry Gray, Texas (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, GNS-1, NEA-1)
Russell Carter, SMU (AFCA, AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-1, NEA-1, TSN)
Terry Hoage, Georgia (CFHOF) (AFCA, FWAA, UPI-1, WC, FN-1, GNS-2, NEA-1, TSN)
Mossy Cade, Texas (AP-1, UPI-2, WC, FN-2, GNS-2, NEA-2, TSN)
Leonard Coleman, Vanderbilt (AP-3, GNS-1, NEA-2)
Craig Swoope, Illinois (AP-2, UPI-2, FN-3, NEA-1)
Victor Scott, Colorado (AP-2)
Tom Flynn, Pittsburgh (FN-3, NEA-2)
Ken Calhoun, Miami (FL) (FN-2)
Tony Lilly, Florida (FN-2)
David Fulcher, Arizona State (CFHOF) (GNS-2)
Randy Robbins, Arizona (GNS-2)
Martin Bayless, Bowling Green (AP-3, GNS-3)
Harry Hamilton, Penn State (AP-3, GNS-3)
Tim Agee, West Virginia (FN-3)
Chris Rockins, Oklahoma State (GNS-3)
Bo Eason, UC Davis (GNS-3)

Special teams

Kickers

Luis Zendejas, Arizona State (AP-1, FWAA, WC, FN-3, GNS-2, NEA-1)
Bruce Kallmeyer, Kansas (AFCA, AP-2, UPI-1, GNS-1)
Paul Woodside, West Virginia (UPI-2, FN-2, TSN)
Tony Zendejas, Nevada (Reno) (NEA-2)
Jeff Ward, Texas (AP-3)
Kevin Butler, Georgia (FN-1, GNS-3)

Punters

Jack Weil, Wyoming (AP-1, FWAA, UPI-1, FN-3, GNS-3, NEA-2)
Jim Colquitt, Tennessee (WC, FN-2, NEA-1)
Randall Cunningham, UNLV (CFHOF) (AFCA, AP-2)
Ralf Mojsiejenko, Michigan State (GNS-1, TSN)
John Kidd, Northwestern (FN-1, GNS-2)
John Teltschik, Texas (UPI-2)
Harry Newsome, Wake Forest (AP-3)

Returners

Napoleon McCallum, Navy (CFHOF) (TSN)

Key

Bold – Consensus All-American^[1]
-1 – First-team selection
-2 – Second-team selection
-3 – Third-team selection
CFHOF = College Football Hall of Fame inductee

Official selectors

AFCA – American Football Coaches Association, aka the Kodak-AFCA Team^[2]
AP – Associated Press^[3]
FWAA – Football Writers Association of America^[4]
UPI – United Press International^[5]
WC – Walter Camp Football Foundation^[6]

Other selectors

FN – Football News^[7]
GNS – Gannett News Service^[8]
NEA – Newspaper Enterprise Association^[9]
TSN – The Sporting News^[10]

References

1 2 "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. pp. 3, 12–13. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
1 2 "1983 Kodak-AFCA All-America Team". The Palm Beach Post. December 2, 1983. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 "Associated Press All-American Team". Herald and Review (Decatur, IL). December 6, 1983. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 Ted Gangi (ed.). "FWAA All-America Since 1944: The All-Time Team" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
1 2 Dave Raffo (December 8, 1983). "Offensive Titans Nebraska, BYU Dominate UPI All-America". Tyrone Daily Herald. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 "1983 Walter Camp All-America Team". The Palm Beach Post. December 2, 1983. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 "All-America". The Sioux City Journal. November 30, 1983. p. C2. Retrieved February 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 Buchsbaum, Joel S. (November 29, 1983). "Young, not Rozier deserves trophy". The Pensacola Journal. Gannett News Service. p. 3B. Retrieved February 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 "The 1983 NEA All-America team". The Republic (Columbus, Ind.). November 30, 1983. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 "The 1983 Sporting News All-America College Football team". Times-Advocate (Escondido, CA). December 14, 1983. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.
1 2 3 This column lists the number of selectors choosing the player as a first-team All-American as follows: official selectors/other selectors/total selectors.

[CAA-1] 1 2 "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. pp. 3, 12–13. Retrieved March 18, 2017.

[AFCA-2] 1 2 "1983 Kodak-AFCA All-America Team". The Palm Beach Post. December 2, 1983. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.

[AP-3] 1 2 "Associated Press All-American Team". Herald and Review (Decatur, IL). December 6, 1983. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.

[FW-4] 1 2 Ted Gangi (ed.). "FWAA All-America Since 1944: The All-Time Team" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[UPI-5] 1 2 Dave Raffo (December 8, 1983). "Offensive Titans Nebraska, BYU Dominate UPI All-America". Tyrone Daily Herald. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.

[WC-6] 1 2 "1983 Walter Camp All-America Team". The Palm Beach Post. December 2, 1983. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.

[FN-7] 1 2 "All-America". The Sioux City Journal. November 30, 1983. p. C2. Retrieved February 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[GNS-8] 1 2 Buchsbaum, Joel S. (November 29, 1983). "Young, not Rozier deserves trophy". The Pensacola Journal. Gannett News Service. p. 3B. Retrieved February 26, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[NEA-9] 1 2 "The 1983 NEA All-America team". The Republic (Columbus, Ind.). November 30, 1983. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.

[TSN-10] 1 2 "The 1983 Sporting News All-America College Football team". Times-Advocate (Escondido, CA). December 14, 1983. p. C6 – via Newspapers.com.

[Key-11] 1 2 3 This column lists the number of selectors choosing the player as a first-team All-American as follows: official selectors/other selectors/total selectors.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

v t e 1983 College Football All-America Team consensus selections
Offense	QB Steve Young RB Mike Rozier RB Bo Jackson RB Greg Allen RB Napoleon McCallum WR Irving Fryar TE Gordon Hudson OL Bill Fralic OL Terry Long OL Dean Steinkuhler OL Doug Dawson C Tony Slaton
Defense	DL Rick Bryan DL Reggie White DL William Perry DL William Fuller LB Ricky Hunley LB Wilber Marshall LB Ron Rivera LB Jeff Leiding DB Russell Carter DB Jerry Gray DB Terry Hoage DB Don Rogers
Special teams	PK Luis Zendejas P Jack Weil

Consensus All-Americans

Offense

Defense

Special teams

Offense

Receivers

Tight ends

Tackles

Guards

Centers

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Defense

Defensive ends

Defensive tackles

Middle guards

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Kickers

Punters

Returners

Key

Official selectors

Other selectors

See also

References