5 days ago
Celebrating 100 years of the AP All-America team
The Associated Press marked the 100th anniversary of the AP All-America college football team in 2025 by naming an all-time team and offering you a chance to look through the storied names and programs. Since 1925, nearly 2,000 men have been named AP first-team All-Americans, one of the most prestigious honors a college football player can receive.
There are nearly 2,000 first-team AP All-Americans dating back 100 years to the launch of the annual tradition in 1925. The names are storied – Dick Butkus, Jim Brown, Herschel, Deion – and so are the programs. We've created a searchable database to walk through it all. Want to see how many All-Americans played at Ohio State in the 1990s? Or how many All-Americans played in the Southwest Conference dating to the days of Davey O'Brien? You can do it. Give it a try!
A panel of AP sports writers who cover college football selected the all-timers, picking a first and second team (25 players each for a total of 50). It was a daunting task and in no way should it be considered definitive: There have been far more great players over the last century than spots a player to qualify, he must have been an AP first-team All-American at least once. His professional career, if any, was not to be considered. All-timers are listed only on the side of the ball where they were named first-team All-America. The all-purpose players could come from any position.
Bragging rights are common across sports, with the most important usually being which program has the most national championships. Having the most talent is also a talking point and the schools with the most AP All-America players over the past 100 years includes some of the most storied in the history of college athletics.
The early days of college football saw a handful of schools, including Army and Notre Dame, win national titles. Some programs went on decade-long runs of dominance, fueled by the top list below suggests that having the most talent often leads to championships: As of 2025, Alabama has won 12 AP national titles, Notre Dame eight, Oklahoma seven, Florida State three and Army two.
