Double Dipping: DI All-Conference Hoopers Eventually Transitioning to NFL
Will Mo Alie-Cox (Indianapolis Colts) or George Fant (New York Jets), both in the midst of multi-year contract extensions, become the eighth major-university athlete to achieve NFL Pro Bowl status after earning all-league acclaim as a college hooper? Cox (Virginia Commonwealth) and Fant (Western Kentucky) are the only players in this category since fellow mid-major hoopers Darren Fells (UC Irvine) and Joe Reitz (Western Michigan) in 2008. Fant and Reitz are among 12 individuals earning all-conference acclaim at least three times before competing in the NFL. The only one of the group to be a four-time all-league choice is Kansas' Otto Schnellbacher in the 1940s before leading NFL with 11 interceptions in 1951 for the New York Giants.
It was a far different era at the start of national postseason competition when at least four versatile players were named all-league hoopers each year from 1936 through 1939 prior to entering the NFL. The Big Ten Conference hasn't contributed an athlete in this category in more than 50 years but boasted eight different such individuals from 1936 through 1969 including All-Americans Otto Graham (Northwestern), Vern Huffman (Indiana), Ron Kramer (Michigan) and Max Morris (Northwestern). In deference to the start of a new pro football campaign, following is an alphabetical list of all-conference basketball players from DI leagues who wound up competing in the NFL:
| Multi-Sport Athlete | NFL Position/Team(s) | DI College | Basketball All-Conference Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mo Alie-Cox | TE (Indianapolis Colts) | Virginia Commonwealth | Atlantic 10 (3rd team in 2016) |
| Ermal Allen | DB (Cleveland Browns) | Kentucky | SEC (1st in 1942) |
| Connie Mack Berry | E (Detroit Lions/Green Bay Packers/Cleveland Rams/Chicago Bears/Chicago Rockets) | North Carolina State | Southern (2nd in 1937 and 1938) |
| Chuck Carney | OL (Columbus Panhandles) | Illinois | Big Ten (1st in 1920 and 1922) |
| Rick Casares | FB (Chicago Bears/Washington Redskins/Miami Dolphins) | Florida | SEC (2nd in 1952 and 1953) |
| Sam Clancy | DE (Seattle Seahawks/Cleveland Browns/Indianapolis Colts) | Pittsburgh | Eastern 8 (1st in 1979 and 1981/2nd in 1980) |
| Milan Creighton | E (Chicago Cardinals) | Arkansas | SWC (2nd in 1930) |
| Fred W. Enke | QB (Detroit Lions/Philadelphia Eagles/Baltimore Colts) | Arizona | Border (1st from 1946 through 1948) |
| Ray Evans | TB (Pittsburgh Steelers) | Kansas | Big Seven (1st in 1942 and 1943) |
| George Fant | OT (Seattle Seahawks/New York Jets) | Western Kentucky | Sun Belt (3rd in 2013 and 2014)/C-USA (2nd in 2015) |
| Darren Fells | TE (Arizona Cardinals/Detroit Lions/Cleveland Browns/Houston Texans/Tampa Bay Buccaneers) | UC Irvine | Big West (2nd in 2008) |
| Antonio Gates | TE (San Diego & Los Angeles Chargers) | Kent State | Mid-American (2nd in 2002/1st in 2003) |
| Pete Gent | E (Dallas Cowboys) | Michigan State | Big Ten (3rd in 1962 and 1963/2nd in 1964) |
| Andrew Glover | TE (Los Angeles & Oakland Chargers/Minnesota Vikings/New Orleans Saints) | Grambling | SWAC (2nd in 1991) |
| Otto Graham | QB (Cleveland Browns) | Northwestern | Big Ten (2nd in 1942/1st in 1943) |
| Howard "Red" Hickey | E (Pittsburgh Steelers/Cleveland & Los Angeles Rams) | Arkansas | SWC (2nd in 1939 and 1940/1st in 1941) |
| Percy Howard | WR (Dallas Cowboys) | Austin Peay | Ohio Valley (1975) |
| Jim Lee Howell | E (New York Giants) | Arkansas | SWC (1st in 1936) |
| Vern Huffman | QB-B (Detroit Lions) | Indiana | Big Ten (1st in 1936/2nd in 1937) |
| Ken Johnson | OL (Cincinnati Bengals) | Indiana | Big Ten (2nd in 1969) |
| Ron Kramer | E (Green Bay Packers/Detroit Lions) | Michigan | Big Ten (2nd in 1955 and 1956/1st in 1957) |
| Dave Logan | WR (Cleveland Browns/Denver Broncos) | Colorado | Big Eight (2nd in 1974) |
| Lamar Lundy | DE (Los Angeles Rams) | Purdue | Big Ten (3rd in 1957) |
| Bob MacLeod | B (Chicago Bears) | Dartmouth | EIBL (2nd in 1938/1st in 1939) |
| Riley Matheson | LB-G (Cleveland & Los Angeles Rams/San Francisco 49ers) | Texas-El Paso | Border (1st in 1939) |
| Mickey McCarty | TE (Kansas City Chiefs) | Texas Christian | SWC (1st in 1967 and 1968) |
| Banks McFadden | B (Brooklyn Dodgers) | Clemson | Southern (1st from 1938 through 1940) |
| Glen "Max" Morris | E (Chicago Rockets/Brooklyn Dodgers) | Northwestern | Big Ten (1st in 1945 and 1946) |
| Fran Murray | B-E (Philadelphia Eagles) | Penn | EIBL (1st in 1936 and 1937) |
| Ernie Nevers | FB (Duluth Eskimos/Chicago Cardinals) | Stanford | PCC (2nd in 1925) |
| Joe Reitz | OG (Indianapolis Colts) | Western Michigan | Mid-American (2nd in 2006 and 2007/1st in 2008) |
| Jack Robbins | QB (Chicago Cardinals) | Arkansas | SWC (1st in 1937 and 1938) |
| Larry Robinson | RB (Dallas Cowboys) | Tennessee | SEC (3rd in 1973) |
| Stan Rome | WR (Kansas City Chiefs) | Clemson | ACC (2nd in 1977) |
| Kent "Rip" Ryan | HB (Detroit Lions) | Utah State | Mountain States (1st in 1935 and 1936) |
| Frank Sachse | B (Brooklyn Dodgers & Tigers/Boston & Brooklyn Yanks & Tigers) | Texas Tech | Border (2nd in 1938) |
| Saint "S.T." Saffold | WR (Cincinnati Bengals) | San Jose State | WCAC (2nd in 1964/1st in 1965 and 1966) |
| Otto Schnellbacher | DB (New York Yankees & Giants) | Kansas | Big Six/Big Seven (1st in 1943 and from 1946 through 1948) |
| Byron "Whizzer" White | RB (Pittsburgh Pirates/Detroit Lions) | Colorado | Rocky Mountain/Mountain States (3rd in 1936/1st in 1937 and 1938) |
| Ron Widby | P (Dallas Cowboys/Green Bay Packers) | Tennessee | SEC (2nd in 1965 and 1966/1st in 1967) |
| Dick Wilkins | E (Los Angeles Dons/Dallas Texans/New York Giants) | Oregon | PCC (1st in 1946/2nd in 1948) |
NOTE: Casares, Gates, Graham, Kramer, Lundy, Schnellbacher and Widby became NFL Pro Bowlers.