Will Shields — Nebraska (Big Ten) (1989-1992)
A college and pro Hall of Famer, Will Shields is our pick for Nebraska’s greatest football player ever, over fellow Cornhuskers Mick Tingelhoff and Ndamukong Suh. At Nebraska, Shields was an offensive lineman and a consensus All-American, and his jersey number has actually been retired by the program. He showed he was an iron man in the NFL, never missing any game in the 14 seasons he played for the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition, he was named to 12 Pro Bowls and seven All-Pro teams.
Will Shields — Nebraska (Big Ten) (1989-1992)
Otto Graham — Northwestern (Big Ten) (1941-1943)
Two of the all-time, early legends of football were Northwestern stars, but between Otto Graham and Paddy Driscoll, we have to go with the former as the best Wildcat. Actually, Graham had a basketball scholarship at Northwestern but he switched to football and became a quarterback and was a first-team All-American selection. From there, he went on to become the first starting quarterback in the history of the Cleveland Browns and remains arguably the best the team has ever had. He led the team to three championships — part of the seven total league championships that he won with them — and was a five-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro selection in only 10 seasons he played. Graham was practically unbeatable in his day.
Otto Graham — Northwestern (Big Ten) (1941-1943)
