Through the highs and lows, Rice football has produced plenty of talented players. The Owls boast 18 All-American selections in school history including six consensus selections.
Some eras of Rice football have been objectively much better than others. The Owls have had their down years, but there have always been a few transcendent players sprinkled in to inject bursts of excitement. Over the century-plus of Rice football, the Owls have had 18 players named All-Americans.
Two Owls received the honor twice, Trevor Cobb in 1991 and 1992 and Jarrett Dillard in 2006 and 2008. Six Owls put together impressive enough seasons to be honored as consensus All-Americans: Cobb in 1992 as well as Weldon Humble (1946), Froggy Williams (1949), Dicky Maegle (1954), Buddy Dial (1958) and Tommy Kramer (1976).
The eras of college football have moved the measuring stick of what constitutes an All-American. Here’s the full list of the Owls’ honorees, including some notable stats from their All-American seasons.
Rice Football All-Americans
Consensus (bold)
Bill Wallace, 1934 – 1978 College Football Hall of Fame inductee
H.J. Nichols, 1944 – first lineman honored as an All-American
Weldon Humble, 1946 – 1961 College Football Hall of Fame inductee
Froggy Williams, 1949 – Rice’s all-time leading scorer with 156 career points
Joe Watson, 1949 – three-time All-SWC selection
Bill Howton, 1951 – future four-time Pro Bowler and Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame inductee
John Hudson, 1953 – versatile player than converted from defensive tackle to offensive guard
Kosse Johnson, 1953 – also an AP and FWAA first-team selection
Dicky Maegle, 1954 – led the Owls to Cotton Bowl victory over Alabama
King Hill, 1957 – 798 yards passing, four passing touchdowns
Buddy Dial, 1958 – 264 yards receiving, four receiving touchdowns
Malcolm Walker, 1964 – two-way player, center on offense and linebacker on defense
Tommy Kramer, 1976 – 3,317 yards passing, 21 touchdowns
Steve Kidd, 1985 – 45.9 punting average
Trevor Cobb, 1991, 1992 – 3,078 rushing yards, 25 touchdowns over two seasons
Charles Torello, 1997 – offensive guard and former walk on
Jarett Dillard, 2006, 2008 – 34 receiving touchdowns, 2,367 yards over two seasons
Kyle Martens, 2010 – 46.0 punting average
