Eleven Warriors

PHONE'S RINGING -- IT'S URBAN ON THE LINE

•Football Schedule•Basketball Schedule•Forum•About•Contact

Dick Butkus Named Big Ten Icon #6

By 11W Staff - 24 January 2011
10 Comments

Now taking guesses for the top five.

Source bigtenicons.com/openlocker.cfm?id=6&name=DICK-BUTKUS

Follow @11W

Comments

Matt Mod on 24 Jan 2011 - 1:01pm #

Richard McNutt #5

Magic Johnson #4

Archie #3

Red Grange #2

Jesse Owens #1

Run_Fido_Run on 24 Jan 2011 - 1:56pm #

LMAO!

But, since the selection committee probably won't appreciate McNutt's tremendous importance, and since you obviously nailed 4 out of 5 - Who's the other one? I'm stumped . . .

Best I could come up with is Kevin McHale. Never would I think he's top 5 and yet how could he not be in the top 50?

Jason Staff on 24 Jan 2011 - 3:39pm #

Heard someone mention Tom Harmon.

Jimp002 on 31 Jan 2011 - 8:05am #

5: Bo Schembechler

4: Red Grange

3: Archie Griffin

2: Woody Hayes

1: Jesse Owens

painterlad on 24 Jan 2011 - 4:59pm #

Looks to be a Buckeye-heavy top 5.

5. Orlando Pace

4. Magic Johnson

3. Red Grange

2. Archie

1. Jessie Owens

To err is human. Really sucking requires having yellow stripes on your helmet.

Jason Staff on 24 Jan 2011 - 6:49pm #

Would love for that to be true, but there's no way O-Pace is the #5 Big Ten Icon. Assuming you were joking, right?

painterlad on 24 Jan 2011 - 10:20pm #

No joke. I looked through the list, and to leave the ONLY two-time Lombardi award winner off the top 50 would be the real joke. Pace was as dominate at his position as any of the football players on this list, with the possible exception of Archie.

To err is human. Really sucking requires having yellow stripes on your helmet.

Matt Mod on 24 Jan 2011 - 10:46pm #

I love Pace, but a three year career on Buckeye teams that didn't win national titles does not sufficiently elevate a player into the status as one of the biggest icons in the history of the Big 10, x2 Lombardis or not. I suspect Jason is right and Harmon will be #5. Politics are involved in the creation of the list to a certain extent, and for Michigan to not place a single athlete in the top 5 would be extremely surprising -- especially if it meant OSU placed 3 of the top 5. Harmon is the greatest football player in the history of a program that constitutes one of the conference's two athletic powerhouses. He is the only player to ever lead college football in scoring two years in a row. And get this -- he beat Ohio State 40-0 in 1940 at the Horseshoe -- 3 rushing TDs, 2 TD passes, 4 extra points kicked, and 3 interceptions grabbed -- and received a standing ovation from the Buckeye fans for his efforts. Imagine OSU losing 40-0 today and the fans in the shoe applauding a Michigan player -- that alone might be worthy of icon status.

NoVA Buckeye on 24 Jan 2011 - 11:10pm #

5. oops, no one gets it ;)

4. Magic

3. Archie

2. Red Grange

1. Jesse Owens

/Duff'd It

painterlad on 25 Jan 2011 - 5:16am #

Okay, fine, the best offensive lineman in the history of college football isn't in the top five. But not even mentioned???? I LOVE Spielman, but for him to make the list and not Pace makes this list a joke.

And yes I am painfully aware of what Harmon did, becasue my dad was at that '40 game, and until the day he died, no other Michigan player in history brought out more hatred or respect to my dad than Harmon.

And not to nit-pick, but how many national titles did Archie win?

To err is human. Really sucking requires having yellow stripes on your helmet.