Before World War II, college football did not allow free
substitution of players. So, players played on both
defense and offense. During World War II, with the best players in
the armed services, the football rules were altered to allow
unlimited substitution, permitting coaches to take advantage of the
particular skills of the players. In 1945 the University of
Michigan was the first to exploit the rule by employing the
“two-platoon system” in which some players played only defense and
some only offense.
This unlimited substitution rule that allowed the two-platoon
system was repealed in 1954 but re-enacted for the 1965 season. It
has remained in place since that season. And now we speak even of a
third platoon — the “special teams” unit.
In the succeeding years, various rules have been changed that
have unwittingly or wittingly promoted offensive scoring. These
include rules on how quarterbacks are treated, how offensive
linemen may use their hands, how much contact may occur between the
defense and receivers. And, it is claimed that some college coaches
place their best athletes on offense.
It was into this environment that a 2009 graduate of the private
Punahou School on Hawai’i (the same school from which President
Obama graduated in 1979) joined the football team at the University
of Notre Dame to play linebacker, a position on defense: Manti Te’o
(pronounced “man-tie tay-oh”). You may have heard of him in
connection with the Heisman Trophy Award made on December 8 in
which he placed second. He finished with 321 first-place votes and
1,706 points — the most ever by a defensive player in college
football history and the second-highest for a runner-up.
The Heisman is considered the most prestigious in college
football. Although it is colloquially regarded as being made to the
most outstanding college football player, the specific
wording is “the outstanding college football player whose
performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with
integrity.” Te’o made news because there have been few defensive
player Heisman finalists since the defensive/offensive split of
1965, indeed since the Award’s conception in 1935. Only two
defensive players have won the Heisman: Syracuse’s Ernie Davis in
1961 who played offense and defense, and Michigan’s Charles Woodson
in 1997. No lineman has ever received the award. Given that record,
the Heisman is de facto an award to an offensive skills player
(quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end).
Given all of the hype surrounding the Heisman, it is easy to
overlook all of the other awards made to college football players.
And here, the star of Te’o shines ever so brightly. Based on the
position he played, Te’o was eligible to receive 13 awards, the
Heisman being just one of them. He won ten! (I can hear President
Obama exclaiming, even about a fellow alumnus, that it is not
“fair” that one person should win so many, that the accolades
should be distributed more fairly.) The ten he won are:
- Bronko Nagurski Award, awarded since 1993, to best defensive
player
- Dick Butkus Award, awarded since 1985, to top linebacker
- Vince Lombardi Award, awarded since 1970, to best linebacker or
offensive or defensive lineman
- Chuck Bednarik Award, awarded since 1995, to best defensive
player
- Robert W. Maxwell Award, awarded since 1937, to the best
football player
- Walter Camp Award, awarded since 1967, to the Player of the
Year
- Lott Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year; awarded since 2004;
(IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance,
Academics, Community, and Tenacity)
- Unanimous All-American Linebacker; (“unanimous” means that he
was listed as linebacker by all 10 different groups that chose
players for each position on an all-American team)
- First Team, Football, Academic
All-America,
- ARA (Awards & Recognition Association) Sportsmanship Award,
awarded since
2005
Admittedly, some of these awards were established fairly
recently. Nonetheless, no other player at any position has ever
received more than five major awards in college football
history.
(Te’o was eligible for, but did not receive, two additional
awards: the Campbell Trophy for top scholar-player (for which he
was one of 15 finalists) and the Disney Spirit Award for most
inspirational player or team (it
went to a 29-year-old former Green Beret playing for the
University of Texas, Nate Boyer). Te’o was not eligible for: the
Doak Walker Award to the best running back; the Davey O’Brien Award
to the best quarterback, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the
Fred Biletnikoff Award to best wide receiver, the Johnny Mack Award
to best tight end, the Outland Trophy to best interior lineman, the
Rimington Trophy to best center, the Jim Thorpe Award to best
defensive back, the Lou Groza Award to best place-kicker, the Ray
Guy Award to best punter, the Ted Hendricks Award to best defensive
end, and the Paul Hornung Award to best versatile player.)
It should be noted that these awards are based on a single
season, not an entire college football career (but of course it is
impossible to ignore a player’s entire career). And some of the
awards are based on off-field community, academic, and other
activities.
What did Te’o do on the field? In the 2012 season as a senior,
Te’o had 103 total tackles (solo and assist); 5.5 of them were
tackles for loss (TFL) of 19 yards. He had 1.5 sacks for a loss of
13 yards. He missed two tackles all season. He had 7 interceptions,
recovered two fumbles, and hurried passers that resulted in two
interceptions.
Okay, how does this compare to anyone else this season?
Tackles: Te’o is ranked 31 in the percentage of tackles
he made compared to his team. Among top 10 defenses this year, he
is ranked 4. For individual tackles as a percentage of total plays,
Te’o is ranked 24 in the country. Among top 10 defenses, he is
ranked third.
Turnovers: His nine turnovers are tied for the lead in
the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision schools).
Interceptions: His 7 interceptions tied him for third
among all defenders in the FBS. Among linebackers, he led the FBS
and they were the most by any FBS linebacker since 2001. Arguably,
he is the most improved linebacker this season since he had no
interceptions in his college games before this season.
How does Te’o compare at Notre Dame? Tackles: His next
best teammate this season had 3 fewer tackles per game. In his
career, Te’o had 427 total tackles (solos and assists). This places
him third all-time behind Bob Crable (521, 1978–81) and Bob Golic
(479, 1975–78). Only Te’o and Crable had 100-plus tackles in three
consecutive seasons. Interceptions: Te’o has the Notre
Dame record for interceptions by a linebacker in a single
season.
There are, of course, the intangibles, the difficult-to-measure
metrics. Football is a team sport. No player can achieve much
without successful teammates. For example, rookie quarterbacks are
typically drafted onto failing NFL teams that have poor offensive
lines. (So, it is odd that a December 15 Washington Post
story on this year’s stellar NFL rookie quarterbacks failed to
mention their offensive lines.) Te’o, a team captain, led the No. 1
defense in the country: No. 1 in points allowed per game (10.3),
No. 6 in yards/game allowed, No. 17 in turnover margin per game,
No. 18 with 34 sacks for the season, No. 19 with 16
interceptions.
The Notre Dame-Alabama BCS National Championship on Monday,
January 7, promises to be a defensive struggle. Alabama’s defense
is ranked No. 2. The game will be held in Sun Life Stadium.
Although it is an outdoor stadium, one can hope that the game will
not be a soaked slugfest like the “mud bowl” of the November 2007
match between the Steelers and the Dolphins in Pittsburgh, won by
the Steelers 3-0 on a field goal with 17 seconds remaining.
Notre Dame has played in some huge defensive struggles,
including the scoreless tie against Army in 1946, the 10-10 tie
against Michigan State in 1966, the 3-0 win over LSU in 1970.
Te’o is eligible for one more award following the game. An MVP
is awarded to an offensive player and to a defensive player. Even
should Notre Dame lose, he could garner the award, just as Chuck
Howley, a Dallas Cowboys linebaker, won the 1971 Super Bowl MVP
although Dallas lost.
