The 10 best Auburn Tigers football players of all time
Story by Stacey Mickles • 13h agoThe Auburn Tigers football team has a great history that goes all the way back to John Heisman, who coached one of the first teams at Auburn in 1895.
It’s ironic that several Auburn Tigers would go on to win the award named after him and carry on a legacy that continues to this day.
Auburn not only has Heisman Trophy winners, but All-Americans and national champions, all of whom made this list of the greatest Tigers of all time.
10. Zeke Smith, nose guard
Smith is perhaps a name that even some Auburn football fans, or college football fans in general, aren’t familiar with. Smith played on the 1957 Auburn team that won the national championship under Shug Jordan. Smith was a consensus All-American in 1958 and Auburn’s first Outland Trophy winner as the sport’s best interior lineman. Those great Auburn teams in the late 1950s were known for their defenses and Smith led the way. He went on to have a nice NFL career, playing for both the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants.
Auburn junior tailback Joe Cribbs, left, lost his No. 20 jersey, but still on the way to one of his five touchdowns in the game against Vanderbilt. Commodores linebacker John Pointer (65).© Provided by The Comeback
9. Joe Cribbs, running back
When you think of great running backs at Auburn, there are obvious names that come to mind. But Joe Cribbs should be on that list too. Many may not know this, but Cribbs was SEC Player of the Year in 1979 and rushed for nearly 4,000 yards in his career at Auburn. He would later go on to play for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions in the 1980s. He was the second-round draft choice of the Bills and in 1980 he rushed for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns, which garnered him AFC Rookie of the Year. Many Tigers fans remember Bo but it was Joe who started the run of great Auburn 80s running backs.8. Tucker Frederickson, fullback/safety
Frederickson is definitely a throwback to the early days of college football when some athletes played on both sides of the ball. Frederickson played running back and safety in the 1964 season for the Tigers. He won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Award twice and led the league in interceptions his senior season. Legendary Auburn coach Shug Jordan said once about Frederickson that he was the “the most complete football player” he had ever seen. Frederickson would go on to be the No. 1 draft pick of the New York Giants in 1965 but his pro career was cut short due to injuries.7. Terry Beasley, wide receiver
When you talk about great Auburn wide receivers, how can you not start with Terry Beasley? Beasley was part of the dynamic duo with Pat Sullivan in the early 1970s. Beasley had more than 2,500 yards in three seasons, which is still tops in Tiger’s history. He also had 29 touchdowns during that time span, which is 11 more than the No. 2 Tiger in that category, Ben Obomanu. Beasley is widely known as one of the best wide receivers to ever play in the SEC. He was a two-time all-conference selection, an All-American in 1971, and tied for tops in the NCAA in yards per catch in 1970 with 20.2, which seems hardly even possible by today’s standards. He was taken in the first round of the 1972 draft by the San Francisco 49ers, but his career ended prematurely due to injuries.
Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports© Provided by The Comeback
