GOAT-D1 Dave Rimington vs. Bronko Nagurski

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Dave Rimington could snap the ball and get off his stance so quickly that he was frequently called for false-start penalties, despite the ball being in the QB's hands as he made his block. Rimington is the only player in Big 8 history to be named Offensive Player of the Year as a Lineman, and is the only player in NCAA history to win the Outland Trophy twice. Rimington finished fifth on the 1982 Heisman trophy ballot. Rimington is one of four Huskers, and one of only 13 players overall, to win both the Outland and Lombardi Awards.

 

Bronko Nagurski played both Defensive Tackle and Fullback for Minnesota, and made All-American at both positions in the same year in different publications. On his first day of practice Head Coach Fats Spears decided to test Nagurski in the "Nutcracker" drill, where a defensive player had to take on two blockers and try to tackle a following ballcarrier. On the first drill two All-Big Ten linemen and a 6 foot two, 220 pound fullback nicknamed the "Owatonna Thunder" charged at Bronko, who promptly split the blockers and drove the big fullback into a blocking dummy. Spears sent in three more players, blew his whistle and watched Bronko produce the same explosive results and after a third try with the same conclusion realized what a super player he had recruited.