The All-Time Aggies: 1893-1967

By John Hirn
CSU Athletic Historian

Mythical all-time teams are always a great way to look back on some of the finest players in school history and debate who were the greatest of their generation. As fans debate the greatest players from the last 50 years, here is a mythical look back at the greatest athletes that played football at CSU prior to the opening of Hughes Stadium.

In this examination of great players, there is considerable thought given to how an athlete stacked up in their own time by recognition of awards, how they finished in school records at the time and their influence on the team of that day.

This listing of the All-Time Aggies (CSU officially abolished the nickname Aggies in 1966) is heavily geared toward a kind of football that was played in its day. Not until 1962 did CSU consistently have its players on offense and defense, for most of this era they played both sides of the ball. Bob Davis' teams from 1947 to 1955 played a two-platoon system with some playing both offense and defense and others only playing one or the other. With the exception of the few years following WWII, athletes could not play varsity until their sophomore season, so in most cases they only had three years of eligibility. The list reflects an older style of the game that many fans do not even understand today.

It must also be noted that due to playing as an independent from 1962-1967 many CSU athletes were not honored by an all-conference team and few received national recognition. Some of those players may have been missed from the list simply because they were not recognized in their time.

Line: Because so many men played both ways during the 1893-1967 period, the line reflects each side of the ball.

Thurman "Fum" McGraw (1946-1949)- Arguably the greatest all-around athlete of the Aggie era, McGraw was a tackle who garnered two all-conference awards, was a third team All-American in 1948 and first-team All-American in 1949. He played five years with some of the greatest Detroit Lions teams in their history and was the first CSU athlete named to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Harvey Achziger (1950-1952)- Pronounced "Ox-i-jer", Harvey played tackle and was named to two all-conference teams. In 1952 he was named as a first-team All-American from the International News.

Dale Dodrill (1947-1950) – Dodrill played guard alongside McGraw and was an integral part of the great teams of 1948 and 1949. He was named to three all-conference teams and played in the 1950 East-West Shrine game. Drafted by the Steelers in the 6^th round of the 1951 draft, Dodrill played in Pittsburgh for 10 years and was an integral part of the NFL players association in its early days.

Julius "Hans" Wagner (1923-1925) – Most fans know him as Harry Hughes' right hand man and a great wrestling coach too, but Wagner was an integral part of the 1925 team that went 9-1, winning the school's 5^th conference title in 11 seasons. Wagner, a tackle, was named to the all-conference team in all three seasons he played varsity football.

Charles Shepardson (1914-1916) – "Shep" played center on the first two conference championship teams of 1915 and 1916 and was a true team leader. He was named to two all-conference teams and in his three seasons had a record of 16-4-1.

Bob Weber (1951-1952, 1955-1956) – His career at Colorado A&M was broken up by serving in the Korean War. Weber, a Center, was recognized as an all-conference player in 1955 and 1956.

Carlyle Vickers (1926-1928) – Vickers, a center, was named to two all-conference teams and is the first CSU football player to be nationally recognized by being named to an East-West Shrine team in 1927.

Ed Graves Sr. (1927-1929) – A three-time all-conference guard, Graves played an integral role on the line for the Aggies during this period.

Don "Tuffy" Mullison (1942, 1946-1948) – With his college career interrupted by WWII, Tuffy was an outstanding guard on the 1948 Raisin Bowl team who earned all-conference honors in his senior season.

Ron Stehouwer (1956-1959) – Pronounced "Stay-hower", Ron was a tackle who earned all-conference honors in 1959 and played five seasons in the NFL with the Lions and Steelers.

Halfbacks / Defensive Backs: The idea of a running back as we know them today was not known until the mid-1960s. Typically the guy that ran with the ball was a halfback and in many cases he switched to defensive back too. In the old Wing Formation, the halfback both ran with the ball and passed the ball, he acted as we know a quarterback does today. This is a difficult position to qualify as there are many great halfbacks during this era.

Gary Glick (1953-1955): The third of four Glick Brothers, Gary was named as a second team All-American in 1955, won Back of the Week honors in 1954 (the first to do so at CSU) and played in three post-season bowl games in 1956 after he was selected as the overall first pick in the 1956 draft. Glick played both offense and defense and still holds the school record for interceptions in a season.

Jack Christiansen (1948-1950) – The only CSU football player in the pro football hall of fame, Christiansen took over at halfback in 1949 after the tragic death of Eddie Hanna and helped guide the Aggies to a 9-1 record. He was a 1950 all conference honoree and it must be noted how he still ranks as one of the greatest punt returners in school history.
Alex Burl (1951-1953) – Burl could play both offense and defense carrying the ball with grace and style. Although never named to an all-conference team Burl was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in 1954 becoming the first black athlete from Colorado drafted into the NFL. He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of fame in 2018.

Wayne Schneider (1957-1959) Schneider broke Gary Glick's all-time rushing yards record in 1959 and held it until Oscar Reed ran over it in 1966. Schneider was an integral role on Coach Tuffy Mullison's two best teams and scored 14 of the 15 points in the great 1958 CU game victory. He also played in the 1959 Copper Bowl, an all-star post-season game for seniors.

Eddie Hanna (1947-1949) Fans have heard about his untimely death following the season opener of 1949, but few understand that Hanna was a very important player on the 1948 team and held school records for longest rushing touchdowns in a bowl game for many years. He was named to the 1948 all-conference team and there is no telling what he could have done in 1949. His number 21 remains retired by CSU football.

Ralph "Sag" Robinson (1914-1916) Sag Robinson led the Aggies to two conference championships in 1915 and 1916, helping the team to two undefeated seasons. Although evidence does not back it up, the school's yearbook says he was an honorable mention for the All-America in 1916, it is possible though as he was a two-time all-conference winner and scored most of the Aggies' points during this three years at CAC.

Fred Glick (1956-1958) The last of the four Glick Brothers, Fred is known as a quarterback, but was also an outstanding defensive back for the Aggie-Rams in the 1950s. He played in the 1958 Copper Bowl and was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals in 1959. He played seven seasons with the Cardinal and Houston Oilers.

Bill Kishman (1966-1968) Although his playing days are at the end of this survey, Kishman was one of the greatest overall defensive backs of the first 75 years in CSU football history and only player on this list to exclusively play defense. He was the first CSU athlete named to an All-WAC team in 1968 and also played in the 1967 East-West Shrine game. He only lasted one season in the NFL after being drafted in the fifth round by Washington.

Running Backs: Due to the nature of the game during this period, few players qualify as a true running back as we know them. After 1968, we rarely hear the term halfback.

Oscar Reed (1965-1967) Oscar "Golden Shoes" Reed was without question the best player to carry the football in the first 75 years of CSU football. Although he could never be named to an all-conference team due to the time he played, Reed racked up so many yards he broke the school record early in his second season. In 1966 he was named by Sports Illustrated as the Back of the Week and he was the first player to flirt with 1,000 yards rushing, just missing it by 54 yards in 1966. He played eight years in the NFL, seven of them with the Minnesota Vikings.

Quarterbacks: This is a tough subject during this period since halfbacks many times acted like quarterbacks. Although it usually makes sense to name just one at this position, we have a tie for the best quarterback in the first 75 years of CSU Football:

Kenny Hyde (1923-1925) – Hyde was the first CSU Football player recognized as an All-American and although he typically played halfback, the Associated Press named him to the third team All-America in 1925. Hyde truly guided the 1925 Aggies to the conference championship and was named to an All-Conference team.

Don Burroughs (1951-1952) – "Dandy" Don Burroughs was both a quarterback and an outstanding defensive back. Named to the 1952 all-conference team, Burroughs played nine seasons in the NFL with the Rams and Eagles winning a world championship with Philadelphia in 1960.

Receivers: Another difficult category in the early days of football, an end was considered what we know today as a wide receiver.

Glenn Morris (1931-1933) – If you ask most people they will assume Glenn Morris was a nationally recognized football player, but it was not until he won the Decathlon in the 1936 Olympic Games that he was nationally known. However, Morris was the best receiver in the Wing-formation days and helped the Aggies to the 1933 championship. He received All-Conference honors in 1933 and played one season with the Detroit Lions before an injury ended his athletic career for good.

Jim David (1949-1951) – Known by the nickname "Rebel" because he was from Charleston, SC, David was an outstanding receiver for Don Burroughs' pass attack. San all-conference winner in 1951, Jim David played with the Detroit Lions from 1952 to 1959 helping guide them to three NFL Championships with fellow former Aggies McGraw and Christiansen.

Special Teams: During this period of time there really was no such thing as special teams as we know it today. If you could kick the ball, you were the kicker, no matter where else you played on the field. For this list there are no punt return or kick return specialists, but it is worth noting who could kick and punt the ball.

Kicker:
Frank Faucett (1948-1950) - Faucett was a halfback by trade, but he could also kick the ball too. His ability to score touchdowns, extra points and field goals earned him the honor of holding the school record for most points scored in a season, (70 in 1949) until Steve Bartalo broke it in 1984.

Punter:
Jack Houser (1921-1923) – Nobody ever won an award or was recognized by a conference as the best punter in a season. Pouring through the old newspapers, one man, Jack Houser, stands out as a player who could punt a ball further than any other player in school history, sometimes 70 to 80 yards. Possibly exaggerated by the media, stories of his punting ability were consistent during his playing days. A two-time all conference fullback, but his punting seems legendary in school history.

Several players deserve honorable mention such as Alan Ashbaugh, Jim Oliver, Al Lavan, Brady Keys, Larry Barnes, Wilbur "Red" White and many more. It is never easy to pick the best over a 75-year period of time, but it is fun to debate who were the greatest.

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The All-Time Aggies: 1893-1967

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