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Dave Rimington
Center
1979-1982
Omaha, Neb.

1981 and 1982 Outland Trophy Winner
1982 Lombardi Award Winner
The only player ever to win the Outland Trophy in consecutive years (1981 and 1982), Dave Rimington is one of the most decorated offensive linemen in college football history.

The 6-foot-3, 290-pound center was a two-time first-team All-American in 1981 and 1982 and is one of just 13 Huskers to have his jersey retired. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997, while his No. 50 jersey was retired by Nebraska in 1982.

A three-time first-team All-Big Eight choice from 1980 to 1982, Rimington was named the Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year in 1981, marking the only time in conference history that a lineman has earned the prestigious honor. During his career, the Omaha South grad helped the Huskers win back-to-back Big Eight titles in 1981 and 1982, as Nebraska led the nation in rushing during his senior season.

A four-year letterman and three-year starter, Rimington was named team captain and capped his senior season by winning the 1982 Lombardi Award. Also, a two-time first-team academic All-American, Rimington was honored by the NCAA as a Top-Five Student-Athlete and was selected as a National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete in 1982. He was also a three-time first-team academic All-Big Eight choice from 1980 to 1982. In 1999, he was selected to the Walter Camp All-Century team.

Most recently, Rimington became the first Nebraska student-athlete in history to be inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame. Rimington claimed that distinguished honor in 2004.

College career[edit]

Butkus played center and linebacker from 1962 through 1964 at the University of Illinois for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team. In his first year on the varsity team, he was named to the 1962 All-Big Ten Conference football team as the third-team center by the Associated Press (AP) and second-team center by United Press International (UPI).^[7][8] In 1963, Illinois compiled an 8–1–1 record and defeated Washington in the 1964 Rose Bowl. Butkus was named the team's most valuable player for the season, and was awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player.^[9] He was a unanimous choice as a center for the 1963 College Football All-America Team, earning first-team honors from all seven major selectors.^[10]


As a senior in 1964, Butkus was named the team's co-captain along with safety George Donnelly.^[11] UPI deemed Butkus college football's Lineman of the Year for 1964,^[12] and he was named the player of the year by the American Football Coaches Association and The Sporting News.^[13] For the second consecutive season he was deemed the Illini's most valuable player. He was chosen for the 1964 All-America team by five of the six major selectors. In a cover story for Sports Illustrated that season, sportswriter Dan Jenkins remarked, "If every college football team had a linebacker like Dick Butkus of Illinois, all fullbacks soon would be three feet tall and sing soprano."^[14] Butkus also finished sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1963 and third in 1964, rare results both for a lineman and a defensive player.^[15]


According to statistics kept by the university, he completed his college career with 374 tackles: 97 in 1962, 145 in 1963, and 132 in 1964.^[16]

I saw this, too.  It has both good and the bad I mentioned.  The tackles numbers are nice to have.  He was thought highly of by his teammates.
I think what it was mostly is that Illinois stunk in '61.  They were bad in '62 - on offense and defense, when Butkus first played.  Then the next year they go to the Rose Bowl.  So we have a team that went from winless to awful to Rose Bowl, so we credit the best player by eye test.
Nothing wrong with that.  

Well Dick never won the Butkus, and Dave never claimed the Rimington award, so there's that.

I'm visiting a friend in Vegas, I'll be home tomorrow.  Will try to get this going again.