When you think about transfers in college football, a lot of recent memory will come up. Thanks to the dawn of the transfer portal era, we now see some of the most talented plays in the nation picking up and finding new schools year after year. Guys like Caleb Williams, Jordan Addison, Quinn Ewers, and Eli Ricks — all are among the most talented players in the nation, and all will play for new teams this fall.
However, transfers in college football were a big thing before the portal came into existence. If you look back in the game’s history, you’ll see some of the biggest names moved around a little bit, searching for new schools with which to find a perfect fit.
[lawrence-related id=24558]
QB Roger Staubach? He transferred from New Mexico Military Institute to Navy. WR Randy Moss went from Notre Dame to Florida State, then to Marshall. More recently, DE J.J. Watt transferred from Central Michigan to Wisconsin.
The point is that transfers in college football are nothing new; they simply have been made easier via the portal. To help display this, On3 recently put together an ‘all-time all-transfer’ team to show the best players in the history of the sport to find a new team.
For the Oregon Ducks, there is one legend who made the cut. The OG Duck fans will know him well, and the younger generation will be smart to look him up.
His name is Dave Wilcox, and he is one of the best linebackers to ever play for the Ducks.
Wilcox played just two seasons (1963, 1964) at Oregon after transferring from Boise Junior College, but made such an impact in those two years that he was inducted into the Oregon Ducks Hall of Fame in 1993. Wilcox earned the LB spot on On3’s all-time list. Here’s what they had to say about the Oregon legend:
Wilcox played two years at Boise JC (now Boise State) and was a junior college All-American before transferring to Oregon. As with Tippett, he was a college defensive end who was moved to outside linebacker in the NFL. He played 11 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and was known both for his physical play and high football IQ. Wilcox was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. His son, Justin, also starred at Oregon and is the head coach at California.
With the 49ers, Wilcox made it to 7 Pro Bowls and was named a First-Team All-Pro three times. If you’re making a list of some of the best Oregon players of all time, it’s a foregone conclusion that you’ll find Wilcox on there.
Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
[mm-video type=video id=01g40pw6ge712p07njz9 playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g40pw6ge712p07njz9/01g40pw6ge712p07njz9-6453d9eaa4e78cd3f761dacec273268a.jpg]
[listicle id=24556]