In celebration of the 150 years of college football this year, ESPN put together their All-Time All-American team. For the Texas Longhorns they were represented among the team with two selections. The Longhorns football team has been playing this game since 1893.
Their first-team selection comes on the defensive side of the ball with linebacker Tommy Nobis. Nobis played from 1963-65. He was part of the National Championship team of 1963, that season the Longhorns defeated the Navy Midshipmen led by Roger Staubach in the Cotton Bowl 28-7. Texas finished the season with a perfect record of 11-0.
During his career, Nobis was named All-American in 1965. He would also win the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy, the Maxwell Trophy and the Outland Trophy. Nobis’ number 60 jersey is retired by the Longhorns. He would be selected number one overall in the 1965 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons where his number 60 jersey is also retired.
Nobis would win Rookie of the Year in 1966. He was named to five Pro Bowl teams, First and Second Team All-Pro. Nobis was also inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor and part of the 1960’s Team of the Decade.
Former Texas Longhorns punter and kicker Russell Erxleben was also named to the All-Time All-Decade team as a punter. Erxleben set the then record for the longest kick in NCAA history when he hit a 67-yard field goal against Rice in 1977. He played three seasons for Texas from 1976-1978. He is the only three time All-American at punter in NCAA history.
In the 1979 NFL Draft, Erxleben was drafted in the first round by the New Orleans Saints. He averaged 40.6 yards per punt on 280 attempts for the Saints and Detroit Lions. Russell’s son, Ryan was also a punter for Texas Tech from 2009-2013.